The NBA has reportedly opened up investigations into possible tampering violations involving a pair of sign-and-trade deals completed during free agency, including the one that saw the Toronto Raptors send Kyle Lowry to the Miami Heat, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne.
The other deal reportedly under investigation is the one which took place between the New Orleans Pelicans and Chicago Bulls that sent Lonzo Ball to Chicago.
The NBA, according to Wojnarowski and Shelburne, is expected to examine both deals for contact between players and teams that may have taken place ahead of the opening of free agency at 6 p.m. ET on Monday.
Further details on the scope of the investigation have not been publicly reported at this time. Per league rules, team executives can have their communications, such as phone records, texts and emails, randomly audited to determine if contact in breach of the rules took place.
The maximum fine for tampering in the NBA is $10 million. Additional punishments can include the suspension of executives, forfeiting draft picks and even the voiding of contracts altogether.
The Heat and Raptors confirmed the sign-and-trade deal that ended Lowry’s nine-year run in Toronto on Friday. The 35-year-old six-time all-star guard announced his departure to Miami in a tweet Monday, when the moratorium period ended.
In exchange for Lowry, Toronto received veteran guard Goran Dragic and young prospect Precious Achiuwa.
More to come.
