You bring up some great possible scenarios.
Those would lead to a very entertaining unfolding of events.
Yes, it could get interesting. That said, if Sterling does the smart thing (though it would be out of character for him) he will gladly submit to a multi-million dollar fine and a 1 year suspension.
In my opinion, Sterling is much better off if the public believe the NBA punished him severely. If he gets off easy, it is much more likely that players, coaches, fans and sponsors will boycott the Clippers next season and will cause the value of his franchise to drop by hundreds of millions of dollars.
If he takes a fairly harsh punishment “gracefully” and make a “sincere, heartfelt” apology and a few big donations to minority causes, there is a much better chance that this will mostly blow over by next year.