“He’ll sue and it’ll take years to settle,” said the source close to Sterling.

Reverberations from Sterling’s racist words continued Wednesday.

Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive offered the strongest support of Silver from an ownership position.

“I would be surprised if this was not a unanimous vote,” Ranadive said during an ESPN Radio interview. “The owners are amazing people — they’re color-blind — and I fully expect a unanimous vote.”