Report: NBA unlikely to punish Mavericks anytime soon

The NBA is unlikely to punish the Dallas Mavericks anytime soon, according to a report.

Sports Illustrated published a report during the week that alleged the Mavericks were harboring a hostile workplace the past two decades. The allegations included the Mavericks allowing a serial sexual harasser to serve as the team’s CEO for 18 years and letting a woman beater serve as the reporter for the team’s website. Additionally, the human resources head was said to have discouraged complaints.

Many have wondered how a hands-on owner like Mark Cuban could have had this occur under his watch without him knowing the details of the matters, as he has since claimed. They’re also wondering what kind of punishment the league will hand down to the team for running such a workplace.

SI legal expert Michael McCann wrote an article on Friday in which he discussed what sort of punishment the team could face. He says that due to the independent investigation the Mavericks have commissioned, it is unlikely that there will be discipline handed down anytime soon. The league will want to see the findings of the investigation first before making any determinations.

McCann also reports that traditional penalties from the league — such as fines and taking away draft picks — might not be optimal considering those penalties are usually imposed when teams violate competition rules.

Finally, for those wondering whether this would cost Cuban the franchise in the same way that racist comments led Donald Sterling to sell the Clippers, the league views things differently in this case. Based on his immediate response of accepting blame and vowing to clean it up, the league feels Cuban is committed to creating a safer work environment.

Of course, all of this could change depending on the findings of the investigation. For now, it does not sound like Cuban will be stripped of his team.