NY Knicks, Raptors Head to Arbitration in Trade Secrets Dispute

The NBA Commissioner must decide whether the New York Knicks can keep in court or arbitrate a lawsuit alleging that the Toronto Raptors poached an employee to steal and distribute the Knicks’ confidential information.

Under the NBA’s constitution, any disputes involving two or more teams can only be resolved by the league’s commissioner, Adam Silver, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said June 28. There is “clear and unmistakable evidence” that the parties intended to submit the question of arbitrability to the arbitrator, the court said.

The ruling comes almost a year after the Knicks …