The NBA has issued punishments to the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat after the league's investigation into potential early contact with players in summer free agency.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, both the Bulls and Heat will be forced to forfeit their next available second-round draft pick as a result of the sign-and-trade deals for Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry, respectively.
Among the penalties that were available to the NBA: Fines up to $10M per team, loss of draft picks and suspension of team executives.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 1, 2021
Woj reported that the NBA could have issued far harsher penalties, including up to a $10 million fine to each team or the suspension of team executives. However, both organizations cooperated fully with the league's investigation, which resulted in lessened penalties.
Lowry was sent to the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade deal with the Toronto Raptors that saw Goran Dragic and Precious Achiuwa head North of the border. The Heat are paying Lowry $85 million over three seasons on his new deal.
Meanwhile, Ball was dealt to the Chicago Bulls from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Garrett Temple, Tomas Satoransky, and a second-round pick. Ball signed a four-year, $80 million deal with the Pelicans, who then offloaded his contract in the swap with Chicago.
Of course, losing out on a late second-round draft pick isn't much of a penalty compared to acquiring a game-changing talent. If anything, the NBA's punishment for these two organizations was far too lenient and will do little to deter other teams from tampering in the future.
Lowry has featured in 19 games for the Heat, averaging 12.5 points, 7.7 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game. Ball has 22 games under his belt as a Bull, posting season averages of 12.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 5.2 rebounds.
Follow Us
Subscribe