The Los Angeles Lakers have been fined $500,000 as a result of the investigation into the tampering charges brought upon them by the Indiana Pacers.
The Los Angeles Lakers did not come out unscathed from the tampering charges brought against them by the Indiana Pacers. The NBA has decided to fine the Lakers $500,000 for violating the league’s anti-tampering rules.
Receiving a fine at all means there was some wrongdoing by the Lakers, but they come out of this situation rather well. A $500,000 fine isn’t much when considering they could have been fined up to $5 million.
No players within the organization were suspended either, which means there wasn’t much wrong doing done. The Lakers do not look like they will be docked any future draft picks, either. Arguably the biggest takeaway from this is that the Lakers will not be barred from acquiring George as a free agent or via trade.
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When the investigation began, many people were under the impression that Magic Johnson was the one at the center of things. In actuality, it turned out to be general manager Rob Pelinka that had some wrong doing.
The NBA announced that the issue was Pelinka, a former agent, communicating with George’s agent and expressing prohibited interest in George while he was under contract. It was also added that the investigation didn’t reveal an agreement or understanding that George would eventually land with the Lakers.
Here is part of the official release from the NBA regarding the fine and other findings during the investigation.
"The conduct at issue involved communications by Lakers General Manager Rob Pelinka with the agent representing Paul George that constituted a prohibited expression of interest in the player while he was under contract. The penalty reflected a previous warning issued by the NBA to the Lakers regarding tampering, following comments made by Lakers President of Basketball Operations Earvin Johnson about Paul George during an April 20 national television appearance.The investigation did not reveal evidence of an agreement or understanding that the Lakers would sign or acquire Mr. George."
The television appearance that is mentioned was when Johnson appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel show. While on the show, Johnson made reference to George with an over the top wink. Judging from the release, the NBA took notice and gave a warning to the Lakers, one they did not heed.
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For now, George will be playing with the Oklahoma City Thunder. They came out of nowhere to acquire George, landing him for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. It was an underwhelming package compared to other offers from teams but ultimately got the job done.