Devastating News:NBA fined Lakers $800,000 for tampering with…
The Los Angeles Lakers were fined $800,000 by the NBA for breaking the league’s anti-tampering policy. The Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz law firm conducted an independent inquiry that led to the imposition of the fine. The Indiana Pacers requested that the inquiry be carried out, and they got it.
Inappropriate contact between Paul George’s agent and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka “constituted a prohibited expression of interest in the player while he was under contract,” the news release stated.
More on the Paul George:
In the same statement, it was disclosed that the Lakers had received a tampering warning from the NBA due to remarks made by Earvin Johnson, the Lakers’ president of basketball operations, concerning George during a national television appearance on April 20. In response to a query regarding George, Johnson winked many times and indicated that if the two were to cross paths in Los Angeles this summer, such a gesture would be accepted after he said hello to George.
The inquiry turned up no proof of a deal or understanding that George would be signed by or acquired by the Lakers. After the 2019 season, George is still able to negotiate a four-year contract worth up to $130 million with the Lakers.
Pacers President Kevin Pritchard issued a statement through a team spokeswoman saying, “We accept the league’s findings.”
On June 18, George’s agency sent word to the Pacers that George would rather play for the Lakers and would not be returning when his contract ended after the 2017–18 season. The revelation made a lot of Pacers fans question about tampering, especially in light of Johnson’s prior remarks.
In June, an insider informed IndyStar that the Pacers were more focused on arranging a deal for George. On June 30, Indiana traded Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo to Oklahoma City in exchange for George.
Throughout his stint with the Pacers, George—a native of Palmdale, California—often spoke of his connection with Johnson and his respect for Kobe Bryant, a former Laker who won five titles in Los Angeles. After George’s intentions to quit the club were first reported, Johnson tweeted, “God is so good!” within an hour, which led several fans, analysts, and conspiracy theorists to wonder whether there had been any meddling.
Furthermore, it’s obvious that the Pacers were not happy with what happened. George’s decision to leave the Pacers was described as “a total gut punch” by team president Kevin Pritchard in June. “We had many conversations over the summer about players we’d like to add, a little bit of style that we’d like to play,” he added.
The NBA’s anti-tampering rule forbids teams from meddling in other teams’ contractual arrangements with NBA players. This includes disclosing to the agent of a player on another team that their team is interested in a player who is currently under contract with another team or publicly expressing interest in that player.
The Minnesota Timberwolves were penalized $3.5 million for having a formal agreement with Joe Smith in 2000, in addition to draft selections, while the Miami Heat were fined $1 million for interfering with then-New York Knicks coach Pat Riley in 1995. The Kings, Hawks, and Rockets were fined an unknown sum in 2013 for making remarks in public on players who had contracts with other clubs.