The Los Angeles Lakers will not have further action taken against them by the Indiana Pacers.
The Los Angeles Lakers grand scheme was close to being derailed by the Indiana Pacers. In August, the Pacers filed tampering charges against the Lakers, accusing them of having impermissible contact with Paul George.
George created a firestorm days after the NBA Finals concluded. George informed the Pacers that he would not be returning to the team in 2018, as he would exercise his player option and opt out. Not only did he inform the Pacers that he was leaving, but named the Los Angeles Lakers as his preferred landing spot.
The Lakers quickly tried to take advantage of this situation. They offered multiple trade packages to the Pacers, all of which were denied. Ultimately, George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a very underwhelming package.
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Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, given their contract and struggles as a rookie, respectively, isn’t a great package for a legitimate two-way superstar.
That is the Pacers being petty. They were not going to give George what he wanted. They took it a step further when they accused the Lakers of tampering. The NBA investigated and ultimately the Lakers were found guilty, kind of.
The Lakers were fined $500,000 for a conversation that General Manager Rob Pelinka had with George’s agent. It was determined that Pelinka exhibited prohibited interest in George while he was still under contract.
A big reason for the fine was that the Lakers were warned previously about potential tampering. Magic Johnson made some jokes while on the Jimmy Kimmel Show if he hypothetically ran into George.
The Lakers received a warning, which is partly why they were fined for Pelinka’s discussion. Johnson took full responsibility for the fine, going as far to tell Jeanie Buss to take the fine out of his salary.
Fellow executives were not big fans of the Pacers tampering accusations. They were critical of owner Herb Simon, who was reportedly thinking of taking further action against the Lakers and suing the organization.
Ultimately, the Pacers have decided against that. Simon and the Pacers released a statement today stating they will not be pressing further charges against the Lakers.
"“Contrary to a published report, I would like to emphatically state that neither I nor the Indiana Pacers have ever considered any legal action toward the NBA or the Los Angeles Lakers regarding the recent decision and penalty concerning tampering charges. We agree with the NBA’s findings and we want to put this issue behind us. Even though the Pacers were put in a tough position, we feel extremely fortunate to end up with two exceptional players in Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Their youth and talent, when coupled with our returning players and other players acquired over the summer, offer tremendous promise for our franchise and our fans.”"
With that statement, this whole tampering ordeal should be put behind everyone. George is now in a new city. The Pacers are moving forward with a rebuild, as are the Lakers.
Next: 10 Greatest Free Agent Signings In Lakers History
With training camp just a few weeks away, the Lakers have more important things to worry about. Figuring out their roster for the regular season is more pressing and where all their attention should be now.