The LA Clippers are in a tough situation with Donald Sterling and some have speculated that Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and other players could demand a trade if he remains owner and while getting granted free agency to become free agents is extremely unlikely, it is in the realm of possibility if Sterling drags this out years and sues the NBA and teams like the NY Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls would relish at the chance to get those players.
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are two of the biggest stars in the NBA and that is another reason why this Sterling situation is so serious. The league can't risk having Doc Rivers leave the team and players like Griffin or Paul demanding trades, as that would hard the franchise and the league and if Sterling remains the owner somehow, this is a realistic situation that could come up. Griffin and Paul are both smart players and will let the process play out, but if things take a bad turn or end up taking too long to resolve, the players could make demands to get out of the Clippers organization.
While some of Sterling's past issues have been well documented, it's not Chris Paul's fault he was traded to the franchise and no one blames him for wanting to stay and play for Doc Rivers and play alongside Blake Griffin now. Sterling was handed Chris Paul by enabler in chief David Stern and he is very lucky that he is not in power right now, because he deserves a huge heap of blame for enabling Sterling. Stern allowed Sterling to remain in good standing despite his numerous incidents away from basketball and on top of that, he literally nixed a trade to the Lakers with Paul and sent him to the Clippers, allowing the franchise to have its first ever sustained period of success.
Now all that could unravel if Sterling sues and takes this into court and based on his past dealings along with his horrible wide Shelly, it's exactly where all this is headed. Paul is one of the best point guards in the NBA and Griffin has established himself as an MVP candidate and he is also one of the most marketed players in the league. The Clippers are in a very tough situation with Sterling and if this drags out, there is no telling what the players will think about the entire process.
What Sterling said in the privacy of his own home is not a first amendment issue in this case since no one, no one is saying he doesn't have the "right" to say it, but being an owner of an NBA franchise in a league where over 70 percent of the players are African American changes things considerably. While Sterling and his terrible wife feel they "own" the Clippers, at the end of the day they are just another franchise among 30 NBA teams in the league. Dave Zirin made a great example, comparing the situation to someone owning a restaurant franchise, writing that if that franchise owner started making disparaging comments that hurt the company or for example put rats in their food, the main company would have the right to remove him from power for harm.
The NBA constitution is complicated, the Sterling's love court and it will be interesting to see what happens with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
