Clippers fallout, NBA Europe on agenda for next week’s owners meetings

The NBA’s team owners will gather in New York on Monday and Tuesday, and this particular Board of Governors meeting could involve considerably more than catered lunches and PowerPoint slides.

According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Clippers’ punishment, NBA Europe and possible expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas are expected to headline the agenda.

Commissioner Adam Silver has yet to publicly address the league’s massive sanctions against the Clippers, but that should change next week. Los Angeles forfeited five first-round picks, received a $30 million fine and saw Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Gillian Zucker suspended after the league determined the organization circumvented the salary cap.

The Clippers have threatened to fight the ruling. Meanwhile, rival executives are wondering exactly what the league’s five-year “compliance and monitoring program” will involve.

“Are they going to be reading all their emails, reading their texts, listening to their phone calls?” one GM asked Windhorst.

That would certainly qualify as monitoring. 

The NBA also continues working toward launching a European league in 2027, potentially featuring 12 permanent clubs and four rotating teams. The league would prefer participation from established EuroLeague organizations, though those discussions remain unresolved.

Then there is expansion. Governors could vote on whether to proceed with franchises in Seattle and Las Vegas, although no decision is guaranteed.

Current teams are reportedly projecting payouts of $500 million to $600 million apiece if two expansion franchises are approved. That works out to between $15 billion and $18 billion overall.

Nothing guarantees progress at an NBA owners’ meeting. But a potential half-billion-dollar check per team tends to sharpen everyone’s attention.