The NBA has fined the Los Angeles Clippers $50,000 for violating the league’s anti-tampering rule.

The fine is in response to comments regarding the Toronto Raptors’ Kawhi Leonard made by Doc Rivers in a recent television appearance.

The Clippers are widely expected to pursue Leonard this offseason.

"[Leonard] is the most like Jordan that we've seen," Rivers said. "There's a lot of great players. LeBron is phenomenal, KD is phenomenal. Not that [Leonard] is Jordan or anything like that, but he's the most like him. Big hands, post game, can finish. Great leaper, great defender, in-between game. If you beat him to the spot he bumps you off, and then you add his three-point shooting."

David Griffin met for breakfast with Anthony Davis on Wednesday to discuss the future of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Griffin laid out his vision for the franchise to Davis. Griffin and Davis will continue a dialogue in the near future.

Davis can become a free agent next offseason and has requested a trade from the Pelicans. Davis is eligible to sign a five-year, $239 million supermax contract extension.

Griffin has yet to engage any teams on trade talks. The Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks are prepared to discuss a Davis trade with the Pelicans.

Kawhi Leonard has reached the NBA Finals in his first season with the Toronto Raptors following his trade from the San Antonio Spurs.

Leonard's uncle, Dennis Robertson, spoke with Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports about the historical moment of reaching the Finals with the Raptors.

“We’re a humble family and we’re just enjoying the moment,” Robertson said. “Most people would say it’s vindication, but I’m not sure about that. But it was nice that we kept our mouths shut and just let everything play out. And for Kawhi, to take all the negative press he received and to focus on taking the East and to taking each series game by game, it’s a big deal. Making it to the Finals is a big deal. This is a team that has never been to the Finals and we’re happy about that. It feels good with what we went through last year. We have to be happy. He said it best with all the work he's put into his craft: He’s ready for this moment. What he accomplished was amazing. That’s what stars do. How he’s handled everything on and off the court is well deserved. It was nice to see him fight through all the adversity and he’s earned every minute of this.”

Robertson was also asked about the deterioration of Leonard's relationship with the Spurs.

“I think it just became a lack of trust,” Robertson told Yahoo Sports. “They didn’t believe Kawhi couldn’t play and that caused a lack of trust in us and then us not believing in them. Any time a player says he’s not capable of playing, you should believe him. Why would Kawhi just stop playing all of a sudden? He’s a competitor. Sometimes you get these team doctors telling you what you can and cannot do, and Kawhi was just in too much pain to get out there. This was a serious issue. They didn’t believe him, and after that, the relationship couldn’t recover and we decided we had to move on.”

The Raptors were not on Leonard's list of teams prior to the trade.

“When you are initially traded somewhere you didn’t asked to be, you don’t want to accept it,” Robertson said. “But once you get through that period, the focus then turns to giving your all and performing at a high level. It never had anything to do with the city of Toronto. It wasn’t. Toronto is a beautiful city. Kawhi has often spoke highly of Toronto. It’s a beautiful place. That was just an initial reaction, which is normal. But we’re enjoying this run and looking forward to the Finals.”

Robertson was then asked about Leonard's free agency plans.

“I can’t get into other free agents and other teams, but for Kawhi, he’s going to take it one day and one game at a time,” Robertson said. “We have a championship opportunity in front of us. We’re not thinking about free agency; it’s the Warriors [right now]. Once we get through the season, we’ll turn our attention to free agency. But we’re just having fun right now. This has been a great year.”

During a panel discussion at the Wall Street Journal Future of Everything Festival, Rich Kleiman was asked whether Kevin Durant has made a free agent decision yet.

Durant is widely expected to sign with either the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers or re-sign with the Golden State Warriors.

"That is 100 percent undecided and I'm waiting on Kevin," said Kleiman. "That's the truth. I think there's this feeling that this thing is like war games and everybody is kind of playing chess years out. When someone gets to the level of basketball that he's at, you can't juggle and focus like that. There's so many things he's juggling too. He's not scripting his future while he's playing the way he plays, or practices the way he practices.

"I think it's frustrating at times, honestly, at times. I get it, I do get it. I get that even as a kid the kind of soap opera of it all was just beginning and I liked it. Now, in some ways it's like more soap opera at times than basketball. 

"He really doesn't know and I really don't know."

Kevin Durant has long been most strongly linked with the New York Knicks should he leave the Golden State Warriors, but "very smart and plugged-in people" that have spoken with Marc Stein indicate that "the Los Angeles Clippers have emerged as an equally dangerous threat."

Stein has also previously "heard trusted insiders state with conviction that Durant is already planning to join the Knicks … and then that he is likely to consider the Nets as well … and now that he is eyeing the Clippers just as intently as New York."

Durant took several meetings when he was a free agent in 2016. It is not yet clear if he will follow suit again this offseason.

Mike Budenholzer, Michael Malone and Doc Rivers have been named the 2018-19 Coach of the Year finalists.

Budenholzer is widely expected to win the award. Budenholzer previously won the award for the 14-15 season with the Atlanta Hawks.

Rivers won the award in 99-00 with the Orlando Magic.

Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell and Domantas Sabonis are the three finalists are the three finalists for the 2018-19 Sixth Man of the Year award.

Williams, who won the award in 2015 and 2018, is widely expected to win again this season.

Jerry West has agreed to a new deal to remain with the Los Angeles Clippers.

West joined the front office of the Clippers in an advisory role in 2017.

West will turn 81 later this month.

West was a member of the Golden State Warriors' front office before joining the Clippers

The Golden State Warriors will run the risk of letting Klay Thompson test the waters in free agency if they don't offer a full five-year, $189.7 million max contract at the start of free agency, according to a source.

Both the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers are expected to pursue Thompson should he take free agency meetings. Rival teams can only offer a four-year, $140.6 million max contract.

The source, however, adamantly denied the notion that Thompson has quietly grown discontent with his place on the Warriors.

Another source said the Warriors don't want to directly address offseason issues during the playoffs.

The Toronto Raptors appear to have improved their odds of re-signing Kawhi Leonard as the season has progressed. Leonard appeared to prefer a trade to either the Los Angeles Clippers or Los Angeles Lakers last offseason before he was dealt to the Raptors. Since then, Leonard has been more strongly connected to the Clippers.

"Kawhi Leonard just felt all along, it was going to take the full year to sell him on Toronto," said Wojnarowski. "It wasn't going to be done in training camp or by Christmas or by the trade deadline. But I do think they've made progress with him. I do think they've made pretty good progress with him from the sense I have. They put themselves in it. And when Kawhi showed up there, I'm not sure he imagined any future in Toronto. I do think it's a serious consideration now.

"Certainly the winning and development of (Pascal) Siakam. I think he's built a good relationship with Kyle Lowry. Neither one is easy to get close to. Two guys who don't let a lot of people in and then you put them together, right?

"And Nick Nurse has grown this year as he's gone.

"I think the Kawhi thing is getting really interesting there. For them to just get through this series and get to a Conference Final, every day is the case you're making. And, oh by the way, 'we can pay you more than anybody else. If you want to be in L.A. and you want to live there in the offseason, there's only so many days you really have to be in Toronto in the snow. You can get out of here. You're on the road half the time. The rest of the year, you can get out of here and go in L.A. and be in California.'

"But Toronto is selling winning on him. They can't sell geography to him, I don't think. I don't think they can't sell weather on him. There's nothing they can do about that. When you have that kind of organization, you sell winning and again, the chance to make the most money."