Although Gilbert Arenas’ guilty plea Friday to a felony gun possession charge cleared the way for NBA Commissioner David Stern to impose his punishment, the three-time All-Star probably will have to wait a little longer to learn his fate.

It’s impractical for the league to wait until Arenas’ March 26 sentencing to define the length of his suspension. Sources indicated Friday that a sanction would likely come down from Stern in the next week or so, pending the completion of a probe by the NBA security department.

Two people familiar with the situation said there were indications that Arenas already had spoken with league investigators or would soon meet with them to detail the Dec. 21 firearms incident that resulted in Friday’s plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Arenas’ attorney, Ken Wainstein, could not be reached for comment.

League executives and attorneys familiar with the process predict a minimum 20-game ban for Arenas, with the possibility that Stern could suspend him for the rest of the season. Arenas, suspended indefinitely by Stern on Jan. 6 for violating the league’s ban on firearms on team property and for his subsequent conduct, will have missed five games by the end of the weekend. If Stern has not rendered his decision by Feb. 2, when Arenas will have missed 13 games on indefinite suspension, the sanction would qualify for an appeal to be heard by a grievance arbitrator under provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.

The Wizards, who have already expunged Arenas’ image from all corners of Verizon Center, further distanced themselves from their former centerpiece with a chilling news release after Arenas’ plea Friday.

“Gilbert Arenas has been a cornerstone of the Washington Wizards for six years,” the team said. “We are deeply saddened and disappointed in his actions that have led to the events of this afternoon. Gilbert used extremely poor judgment and is ultimately responsible for his own actions.”

Ouch.

Stern has the latitude under Article 35(d) of the NBA Constitution to fine Arenas up to $50,000 and suspend him for any length of time. The NBA Players Association will appeal the suspension as a matter of procedure, but sources have told CBSSports.com that any attempt by the Wizards to void Arenas’ contract would be “contested vigorously.”

According to a person who has read the letter Stern sent to Arenas on Jan. 6, the commissioner left open the possibility of further discipline by the team. Stern referred to his decision to indefinitely suspend Arenas as being “without regard” to any action the team might take. But proving that Arenas’ actions amounted to a violation of the “moral turpitude” clause of the Uniform Player Contract will be problematic, according to attorneys familiar with the CBA and its likely interpretation by a grievance arbitrator. Aside from that, the CBA stipulates that players cannot be punished by the league and their team for the same violation, except under “egregious” circumstances.

Arenas, 28, stands to lose $8,390,441 of his $16.2 million salary if he’s suspended for the rest of the season; he makes $147,200 per game, or 1/110th of his salary. In addition, there were unconfirmed reports Friday that his shoe sponsor, adidas, had decided to void his contract with them.

If the Wizards are unable to successfully void Arenas’ contract or trade him – a virtual impossibility if he serves jail time or loses the rest of this season to suspension – the only other resolution would be a buyout. One rival executive predicted that Arenas, who feels scorned and isolated by Wizards’ management, would be willing to accept substantially less than the $80 million he’s owed over the next four seasons for the chance at a fresh start elsewhere.