Adam Silver: Clippers investigation needs to wrap up soon - ESPN

SAN ANTONIO — NBA commissioner Adam Silver declined Wednesday to put a timeline on the conclusion of the investigation of the LA Clippers and their potential salary cap circumvention, but he said the time to «wrap it up» is drawing near.

«The investigation has been conducted by a law firm independent of the NBA,» Silver said at Frost Bank Center prior to Game 1 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks. «Yes, ultimately we're paying their bills, but they are doing the work independent of the league office, and my instruction to them is we can't be investigating forever, but at some point, we have to wrap it up. But at the same time, the most important thing is that we get it right.

»I think it's clear they're far along. I think those reports are reading all the time from people who are being interviewed by them, and I think they understand that you can keep going on and on. But I think we're close to the point now where I think we need to wrap this up because you also need finality. Their team has to understand what the situation is they're going to be operating under, and so do the other 29 teams."

The investigation, led by the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, began in September and is focused on whether the Clippers circumvented the salary cap by funneling money to star Kawhi Leonard through his $28 million endorsement deal with green banking company Aspiration, which also had a $300 million, 23-year endorsement deal with the team. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who invested $60 million in Aspiration, has denied he had knowledge of Leonard's deal or that he directed the company to strike one.

Aspiration has since gone bankrupt. The company's co-founder, Joe Sanberg, was sentenced