NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday that the discipline handed down to the Los Angeles Clippers is final and not subject to renegotiation, per multiple outlets. The league stripped the Clippers of five first-round draft picks along with other sanctions for circumventing salary cap rules in connection with Kawhi Leonard.
Silver noted that the NBA looked to precedent before issuing the penalties, pointing to how the Minnesota Timberwolves were previously docked five picks for similar cap circumvention violations. According to Yahoo Sports, Silver acknowledged that the discipline is "incidentally 'punishing the fans'" alongside the organization. He also indicated that he and Leonard have met and agreed it is time to move forward.
Beyond the Clippers matter, Silver addressed other topics during the two-day Board of Governors meeting, including NBA expansion and the Portland Trail Blazers situation. Per reporting on his comments, Silver characterized the Blazers leaving Portland as a "failure," though the available reporting does not elaborate on that position.