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Tampering is a topic that has been hugely discussed in the NBA and many players and front-office executives have been charged with varying degrees of tampering.
The NBA has tried to prevent tampering by putting in place several rules and fines. However, this has not eliminated the action from the sport.
Here, we will take a look at five instances when the league penalized players, front-office executives or franchises for tampering.
#1 Philadelphia 76ers GM Daryl Morey tampered to sign James Harden, P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.
The NBA docked the Philadelphia 76ers second-round draft picks in 2023 and 2024 for tampering violations. By talking to P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. before the start of free agency last offseason, the 76ers broke league rules.
The duo played alongside James Harden in Houston and have had a working relationship with the Rockets' general manager Daryl Morey since their days in the team.
Teams and their representatives are prohibited from discussing players under contract with other teams in a manner that can be construed as tampering.
The NBA deemed that Morey's 76ers had prohibited contact with House and Tucker prior to the official start of free agency and punished them accordingly.
#2 LA Lakers fined for approaching Paul George's representatives
In 2017, the LA Lakers were fined $500,000 for violating the NBA's rules against tampering after an investigation revealed that they had impermissible contact with Paul George's representatives.
The league had already warned the Lakers after then-team president Magic Johnson made comments about George on Jimmy Kimmel Live in April.
The investigation, which was requested by George's former team Indiana Pacers, found that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka expressed interest in acquiring the player while he was under contract with the Pacers. The player stated in an interview earlier that the LA Lakers were his preferred destination after his contract expired.
George was traded to the OKC Thunder instead and even signed a contract extension with the franchise. However, a year later, he left the team and was eventually traded to the Lakers' crosstown rival, the LA Clippers.
#3 Daryl Morey tampers with Stephen Curry
Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey is no stranger to breaking rules and getting fined. Morey was fined for tampering again last year when he tried to recruit Warriors star Stephen Curry.
He tweeted two words “join ‘em”, and got fined $75,000. The NBA released an official tweet regarding the incident.
In hindsight, even trying to recruit Steph Curry seems like a stupid move. The player is a cult-figure in the Bay Area and at this stage of his career, it will be a huge shock to see him suit up for another team.
#4 Draymond Green tries to recruit Devin Booker
While appearing as a guest analyst on the "Inside the NBA" show on TNT, Warriors star Draymond Green tried to tamper on live television. The former Defensive Player of the Year tried to recruit All-Star Devin Booker to the Golden State Warriors.
"It’s great to see Book playing well and Phoenix playing well, but get my man out of Phoenix. It’s not good for him, it’s not good for his career... They got to get Book out of Phoenix. I need my man to go somewhere he can play great basketball all the time and win because he’s that type of player."
The league fined Green $50,000 for his comments on Booker. Since then, the Phoenix Suns have had a huge reversal in fortunes. They went to the NBA Finals the following year and followed it up by grabbing the No. 1 overall seed the year after.
#5 NBA probes Lonzo Ball, Kyle Lowry deals
The Chicago Bulls’ sign-and-trade arrangement to get free agent Lonzo Ball from the New Orleans Pelicans and the agreement Pat Riley made with the Toronto Raptors for Kyle Lowry set off alarms.
The deal was announced on the first day of the free agency window in the summer of 2021 and seemed suspicious from the get-go.
Later that month, a probe was conducted. The Pelicans signed Ball for four years and $85 million and traded him to the Chicago Bulls. The Heat exercised their $19.5 million option for Goran Dragić two days before the negotiating period.
Dragić was then part of the package sent to the Raptors, along with Precious Achiewa, while Toronto signed Lowry to a three-year, $85 million pact before shipping him to Miami.
The NBA concluded the investigation and both the teams were docked their next available second-round pick. The penalty seemed lenient from the moment the decision was announced by league officials.
Guess the Lakers players!
