An NBA spokesperson essentially came out and said last week that LeBron James publicly stating his desire for the Los Angeles Lakers to pursue Anthony Davis did not constitute tampering, but the league apparently feels its teams need a reminder of what does.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski obtained a copy of a memo the NBA sent to teams on Friday to serve as a refresher of anti-tampering rules.
ESPN has obtained a memo that the NBA sent to teams today to "serve as a reminder of the league's anti-tampering rule." In letter, NBA says, "employment contracts are to be respected and conduct that interferes w/ contractual relationships is prohibited."
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 28, 2018
Memo: "This principle is particularly important in today's media environment, where any actions or comments relating to potential player movement receive immediate and widespread public attention. Teams should be entitled to focus their efforts on the competition this season…" https://t.co/m1VVWmnCUX
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 28, 2018
As Wojnarowski notes, the memo was almost certainly sent in response to all the talk of Davis being traded.
More NBA memo: "…with the players they have under contract, without having to divert attention or resources to conduct or speculation regarding the potential destinations of those players in future seasons once their contracts expire." Translated: Knock it off w/ Anthony Davis.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 28, 2018
The NBA typically does not view players recruiting one another as tampering, which is basically what LeBron did when he said it would be “amazing” if the Lakers were able to acquire Davis in a trade. Similar comments from executives are prohibited and can result in sizable fines, as we have now seen on multiple occasions with Magic Johnson.
Regardless of how the NBA handles player-to-player tampering, small-market general managers were reportedly furious over LeBron’s remarks, and it seems like the league’s memo responded directly to the concerns they expressed. However, there is plenty of reason to believe the NBA likes seeing its biggest stars teaming up in its biggest markets, which is why player-to-player tampering is not really a thing.
