NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed a packed media session at Summer League in Las Vegas on Tuesday, covering expansion timelines, the ongoing Kawhi Leonard salary-cap investigation, NBA Europe, Portland’s arena standoff, competitive balance concerns, and the push for federal sports betting oversight.
Las Vegas has become the league’s unofficial offseason headquarters. The NBA Summer League is again on pace to break records in attendance and merchandise sales, and the Thomas & Mack Center and the adjoining Pavilion on the UNLV campus run full schedules from morning through night. Silver acknowledged the city’s broader significance, crediting co-founders Warren LeGarie and Albert Hall for building what he called the league’s de facto 31st franchise over 22 years.
“I’m fond of saying we already have a franchise here and it’s the Summer League. It’s in essence operated as our 31st team for 22 years, so it’s quite remarkable.” — Adam Silver
Expansion Decision Expected by End of 2026
Silver confirmed that NBA owners want to settle the next expansion before the close of 2026. Competing ownership groups targeting Las Vegas and Seattle have already submitted pitches covering financing, principal ownership structures, arena proposals, and market strategies. Silver declined to preview any decisions, but offered an optimistic read on Las Vegas specifically, pointing to its emergence as a national youth basketball hub, the success of the WNBA there, and growing infrastructure across courts and training facilities.
“No votes have been taken yet. We’ve got a ways to go in terms of discussions with interested parties, but I’m optimistic about the future here.” — Adam Silver
Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers Investigation
Silver said he remains confident the independent investigation into alleged salary-cap circumvention involving LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Kawhi Leonard will conclude before the 2025-26 season tips off. Multiple reports have cited a sponsorship contract with Aspiration, a struggling conservation and carbon-credits company, as a vehicle for potentially facilitating off-the-books payments from Ballmer to Leonard. Ballmer and the Clippers have denied any wrongdoing.
A tentative trade that would send Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for players and draft picks remains frozen pending resolution of the case. Silver was direct: any penalty attached to Leonard, including a suspension or contract sanction, would follow him through a trade and would not be erased by a change of team.
NBA Europe on Schedule for October 2027
NBA Europe remains on track to begin play in October 2027. Negotiations with EuroLeague Basketball are continuing, and Silver noted that bidding groups have emerged from cities the league did not formally solicit. Silver and deputy commissioner Mark Tatum plan to meet with several European bidders in New York during the World Cup soccer championship, with city and ownership announcements to follow in the coming weeks.
Portland Arena Deal Stalls
The situation in Portland remains unresolved. A renovation agreement for Moda Center, home of the Portland Trail Blazers, was approved by Silver in March but has yet to be finalized between local officials and new franchise owner Tom Dundon. The team’s long-term future in the city is directly tied to the outcome.
“I was hoping more progress would have been made by now on that agreement, and it seems to have gone off track in various ways.” — Adam Silver
Dundon and his partners met with Silver in Las Vegas. The league is actively working with both sides to bring the deal forward.
Second Apron and Competitive Balance
Questions about the collective bargaining agreement surfaced following the Boston Celtics‘ trade of Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, with scrutiny directed at the second apron’s punitive tax multipliers and transaction limits. Silver pushed back on calls for CBA adjustments, pointing to eight different franchises winning the NBA championship since 2019 as evidence that the current system is functioning as intended.
“Every collective bargaining agreement is a result of a series of compromises. From my standpoint, from a competitive standpoint, the system is working very well.” — Adam Silver
Federal Sports Betting Oversight
Silver expressed interest in a proposed federal sports betting commissioner, a role reportedly suggested by a former U.S. Attorney that would operate across major professional leagues with investigative and subpoena powers. The NBA has dealt with multiple player-related betting violations in recent years, including cases involving Terry Rozier and Malik Beasley, who were charged with conspiring to manipulate statistics for illegal gain. Silver has long advocated for federal oversight of legalized gambling, and on Tuesday he reiterated that position with force.
“The idea of having some czar or commissioner who could oversee it and would have subpoena powers, powers that the league office doesn’t have when we do those sorts of investigations, I think would be very helpful. I’m very pro-regulation here … I think more is necessary here to get our arms around this.” — Adam Silver
Additional Notes
- A review of the 2025 All-Star Game format, which used a mini-tournament structure featuring squads of international and U.S. players across three short games, is underway. Any format changes will be confirmed before the start of the 2025-26 season.
- Miami Heat governor Micky Arison was unanimously elected as the next Board of Governors Chairman. Arison, a 31-year governor, will succeed Toronto’s Larry Tanenbaum following the board’s September meeting.
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