Los Angeles Lakers release statement on tampering charges
The Los Angeles Lakers released a statement in regards to the tampering charges brought against them.
Los Angeles Lakers management is going to have some questions to answer in the coming days. The Indiana Pacers have filed tampering charges against the Lakers. Impermissible contact with former Pacer, Paul George, is what will be looked at.
Possible tampering with George is what will be looked into. President of Basketball operations, Magic Johnson, is in the middle of the investigation. General manager Rob Pelinka and Jeannie Buss will also be questioned and asked to turn over any correspondence including George.
The news was first broken by longtime reporter Peter Vecsey. This is a potentially devastating blow for a Lakers franchise that is turning things around. Fans are beginning to get excited and it is reflected in the ticket sales and the number of times that the Lakers will be on national television this season.
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Some of that goodwill could disappear if the Lakers are found guilty of any wrongdoing. Not only would the franchise lose some credibility, the NBA could levy some heavy punishments against them.
If guilty, the Lakers could lose future draft picks. That is something that would crush this rebuild, especially after the success that Johnson and Pelinka had in their first draft together. The Lakers could also be handed a heavy fine up to $5 million, in addition to suspensions for anyone that is found to have been involved.
What would really hurt would be the NBA prohibiting the Lakers from acquiring George. That is a potential outcome if they are found guilty, as the NBA could block the Lakers from signing him as a free agent or being part of a trade involving him.
This is something that will take some time to figure out. The Lakers released a statement today in regards to the allegations.
"“As the NBA statement made clear, we cannot comment about the specifics of any ongoing investigation. We can confirm, however, that we are cooperating fully with the NBA in the hope of clearing our name as soon as possible.”"
George ended up being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason. It was a move that surprised plenty of people, including George himself. The Thunder’s offer was less than what many people thought the Pacers would receive for George, but in the end, their offer of Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis got the job done.
That could be part of the reason the tampering charges were filed. George let the Pacers know that he would not be returning to the Pacers next offseason, and the Lakers were his preferred landing spot.
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Indiana believes that crushed their chances of landing a good package, as teams would not pony up knowing George wanted to leave. It left the Pacers in a difficult position and they are probably looking for some justice.