According to NBA correspondant Marc Stein, the league will likely investigate the Philadelphia 76ers and P.J. Tucker for possible violations to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.
“I’m told that Philadelphia’s signing of P.J. Tucker is also likely to be placed under the investigation microscope by the league office. Tucker, of course, was signed away from the Miami Heat, who were docked a second-round pick as a penalty for “early free agency discussions” connected to their sign-and-trade acquisition of Kyle Lowry last summer”, wrote Stein in his blog.
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Why will the NBA investigate this?
Tucker signed a three year deal with the team, worth $33 million during the first minute of free agency.
The earliest teams could engage in negotiations with a potential player after 6 PM on June 30th, but the reports of this being a done deal had been circulating weeks before this date and was eventually confirmed once the free agency period stated.
What could happen to P.J. Tucker and the 76ers?
Even though an official investigation hasn’t been launched yet, the NBA has been stricter in enforcing the tampering rules in recent years.
For instance we have the examples of the Milwaukee Bucks signing of Bodgan Bogdanovic, Kyle Lowrie with the Miami Heat or Lonzo Ball with the Chicago Bulls. All three teams got a second round draft pick taken away for engaging in free agent talks before they were allowed to.
This kind of investigation can take several months to conclude, just like it did with Lonzo Ball’s signing, which lasted over four months to reach a conclussion.
Marca
