The NBA took the Los Angeles Lakers' tampering with Paul George while he was still a member of the Indiana Pacers back in 2017 very seriously.

The league took it so seriously, as a matter of fact, that it actually hired investigators and even inspected people's cell phones during the investigation process, according to Henry Abbott of TrueHoop. The Lakers wound up getting fined $500,000.

While George was in what ended up being his final season with the Pacers during the 2016-17 campaign, speculation ran rampant that George would eventually leave Indiana to join the Lakers in free agency during the summer of 2018.

George grew up a Lakers fan in California and even said he dreamed of one day wearing the purple and gold, and at the end of that season, he informed the Pacers that he would not be re-signing with the team.

Indiana then began fielding trade offers for George, but George didn't get what many felt was his wish, as the Pacers ended up dealing him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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However, George did not immediately sign an extension with the Thunder, so many surmised that George would simply play out the 2017-18 campaign in Oklahoma City and then bolt for Los Angeles over the summer.

Of course, George ultimately spurned the Lakers, opting to re-sign with the Thunder on a four-year contract worth $137 million in a decision that shocked many in the NBA world.

So, basically, Los Angeles was fined for tampering and was the subject of a rather intensive investigation for nothing.

Oh well.