The NBA hopes stiffer penalties for tampering, which now include possible fines of up to $10M in the "most egregious situations, along with forfeiture of draft picks, suspensions of executives and voiding of contracts" are significant enough threats to "end any notion of teams entering into deals with free agents before rules allow," according to Tim Reynolds of the AP (9/20). In DC, Ben Golliver noted in addition to the possible punishments, teams will "now be expected to report any and all violations of the tampering rules by agents, to provide annual certification from lead executives that they have adhered to the rules and to retain records of their contact with agents and rival teams for a full year." Five teams each season will also be "subjected to a random audit to ensure their communications are above board." Tampering was a "hot-button issue" throughout the '18-19 season and offseason, as big-market teams "jockeyed to land superstars like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis in months-long pursuits." One NBA coach "suggested that the new guidelines will do little to curb player-to-player contact, a significant aspect of modern free agency." Another executive noted that agents will be "able to find workarounds to indirectly express their clients' interest to team personnel during unauthorized time periods." Still, the "general sense among league personnel was that the NBA's more intensive rules structure and increased punishments were worthwhile steps" (WASHINGTON POST, 9/21). NBA TV’s Sam Mitchell said, "What the commissioner is doing, he has his mind and heart in the right place. To me, how is he going to enforce it because at some point, the executives and the people within the league and these teams have to have a certain amount of integrity” (“Gametime,” NBA TV, 9/22).
WATCHFUL EYE: In L.A., Kyle Goon noted the NBA will "even have the power to claim personal devices and look at private communications, though Silver offered that he was loathe to exercise that power, particularly on a first infraction" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 9/21). Meanwhile, Silver said that there have been "discussions about changing the dates of free agency," but noted that any change "would have to be collectively bargained with the players" (AP, 9/20).
RISING TENSIONS? THE ACTION NETWORK's Matt Moore wrote the NBA's "ongoing pursuit of transparency coupled with its embrace of its gaming partners will further shape league policy this season, creating tension with coaches and executives over what teams owe the league, the fans and the betting public." League execs, team front-office personnel and coaches revealed a "number of pressure points, one of which came to a head on Friday afternoon when the league officially approved a rule change requiring all starting lineups to be set 30 minutes prior to tip." The league is "looking to satisfy multiple interests with this move, including fair play, respect for players' health privacy and a public looking for the most information possible." But "several skeptical league executives shortened the driving factor behind the NBA's transparency push" to gambling (ACTIONNETWORK.com 9/21).
TESTING IT OUT: In Boston, Gary Washburn reported the NBA G League will "hold a tournament for its showcase in Las Vegas in December." Washburn: "Why should this information be important to NBA fans?" Anything the NBA "wants to try, it generally experiments with in the G League." Silver has "floated the idea of a midseason tournament for years." The G League will "invite all 28 teams to Las Vegas, seed them based on records through 12 games, and put the top four teams in a championship bracket where they will compete for the title and a $100,000 prize." This "adds more incentive to the early games of the regular season and allows teams to play in a playoff-type environment." The G League Showcase has "turned into one of the premier scouting grounds" for NBA execs (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/22).
BACK IN THE SADDLE: NBA owners at their BOG meeting Friday re-elected MLSE Chair Larry Tanenbaum as NBA BOG Chair (John Lombardo, THE DAILY).
