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While Kyle Lowry and Lonzo Ball are already members of two different organizations, it appears the NBA will be investigating the sign and trades that saw the respective players join the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls because of potential tampering, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
Reporting with @RamonaShelburne on ESPN: The NBA has opened up investigations into possible tampering violations involving two sign-and-trade deals completed in free agency: New Orleans and Chicago centered on Lonzo Ball, and Toronto and Miami centered on Kyle Lowry. Story soon.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 7, 2021
Basically, tampering suggests that teams, coaches, or players can’t approach members of different NBA organizations who are bound for contracts with that said team. In this case, it involves a deal surrounding Lowry between the Raptors and Heat along with Ball, who went from New Orleans to Chicago.
Deals weren’t able to be discussed until 6 PM EST on August 2nd. Both moves oddly were completed just shortly after free agency opened, which could mean there was definitely some tampering involved.
The Milwaukee Bucks were the latest victim of this rule last offseason, with the NBA stripping a second-round pick from them after they tried to put together a sign and trade for Bogdan Bogdanovic that eventually deteriorated. Per Wojnarowski, the largest fine an NBA team can receive for tampering is around $10 million:
Two years ago, NBA elevated maximum tampering fine to $10M for teams and opened door for suspension of executives, forfeiture of draft picks and voiding of contracts. Team execs can also have their communications – such as phone records, texts and emails – randomly audited.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 7, 2021
As you can see though in the Bucks’ case, clubs may also lose draft picks or have front office figures suspended. This situation is in its early stages, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.