The Los Angeles Clippers issued a statement on Wednesday rejecting the NBA's findings and penalties in the salary cap circumvention case involving Kawhi Leonard, calling the league's investigation biased and vowing to challenge the outcome through arbitration.

"We vehemently reject the NBA's findings, which are the result of a heavily biased investigation seeking to justify a predetermined narrative rather than facts and evidence," the team said in a statement. "What the league told us privately differs from what it announced today publicly, and they have not held themselves close to the standard Commissioner Silver set at the start of this investigation to ensure it's fairness and accuracy.

"For the past year, we cooperated fully and in good faith and we will now fight just as hard to demonstrate our innocence.

"We intend to vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us and look forward to an ethical and impartial arbitration process."

The statement follows the NBA's announcement that the Clippers and Leonard were penalized for violations of the league's salary cap circumvention rules, based on an independent investigation conducted by law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. The findings led to the forfeiture of five Clippers first-round draft picks, a $30 million fine and suspensions for owner Steve Ballmer, President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker and President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank.

The NBA and NBPA have said the penalties are final and binding on all parties.