According to Adam Silver, Toronto's Jontay Porter could be kicked out of the league after a gambling investigation.

NEW YORK (AP) — Toronto's Jontay Porter could be kicked out of the league if gambling allegations are found to be true, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday.

Speaking after a two-day meeting of the league's Board of Governors, Silver did not provide specific details about the investigation into Porter, other than to say the investigation is ongoing. Porter has not played since the league said it was investigating betting patterns related to his performance on the field.

“I have a lot of discipline,” Silver said. “The fact that he is being accused in the NBA is a big sin. The last option I have is to remove him from the game. I have a reputation here, because there is nothing more important.”

ESPN first reported on the investigation surrounding Porter's performance in the January 26 and March 20 games. In both of those games, Porter played briefly before leaving citing injury or illness and didn't come close to the projected numbers. bettors as main bets on those races. That means those betting against Porter would have cashed in because he left those games before reaching the lines set by the sportsbooks for his points and rebounds in those contests.

Some sportsbooks said they were alerted to odd betting patterns surrounding Porter's props in those games, suggesting the league, which has business relationships with multiple betting companies, may have received some of that information.

“I mean, it's nothing new that there's unsavory behavior, even illegal behavior, around sports betting,” Silver said. “I think to the extent that it happens, if you have a regulated environment, you have a better chance of detecting it than if all the bets were placed illegally.”

Porter was placed on the team's roster for personal reasons for the 10th straight game against the Raptors in Brooklyn on Wednesday. The Raptors close out the season with games at Miami on Friday and Sunday. Porter's absence began at the same time as the NBA revealed it was investigating betting patterns surrounding his games.

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Other items from Silver's press conference:

SALE OF TIMBERVOLVES

Silver said he didn't expect the NBA to play a role in the Minnesota Timberwolves' proposed ownership dispute from Glen Taylor to former Major League Baseball star Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, but it may have to reconsider if it does. similar sales process in the future.

Taylor said last month that the duo had not met all the terms of the sale agreement and that it would no longer be selling. Lore and Rodríguez own about 40% and agreed to the purchase about three years ago. They bought about 20% of the franchise in 2021 and about 20% in 2023.

Part of the silver sales structure was necessary because the deal was made in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think we'll have to wait and see how it plays out, but it's not very good to have a transaction this stage,” Silver said. “It fit our rules in that respect and it was what Glen Taylor wanted and they were willing to agree at the time. But I think once the dust clears from this deal, it may cause us to reconsider what transactions we should allow.”

BUSINESS CALLS

After the high-scoring games in the first half, foul calls dropped to about four per game late in the season, Silver said. A night after the Boston Celtics became the first team in NBA history to not attempt a free throw and tied the Milwaukee Bucks with a record-low two attempts in a single game, the Silver League said it likes the way the games look now.

“I think there was a feeling at the beginning of the season that there was too much leverage for the offensive linemen, whether — I think Steve Kerr said the offensive linemen were using themselves as a shell or looking for mistakes, whatever you want to call it. So that was a point of emphasis on behalf of the league,” Silver said.

“So, yes, there were some adjustments along the way. But again, the context is two fouls per team per game and the bottom line is, we think the bottom line is a good game.”

EXPANSION

Silver reiterated that he will not move forward with expansion plans until the NBA finalizes new media rights agreements. Currently, the league has two major partners, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery is in exclusive negotiations with the companies and he said the talks have been positive.

Seattle and Las Vegas have long been speculated to be the cities where the league will receive teams once it expands beyond its current 30 teams. But Silver told all potential buyers the league wasn't ready yet.

“There are no private conversations happening right now,” Silver said. “Nobody has an inside track on how to get a deal, we're going to look at the cities we're interested in with our committee, talk to the interest groups, and then go from there.”

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Brian Mahoney, Associated Press