Adam Silver’s wish to crack down on tampering in the NBA is reportedly coming true.
The NBA Board of Governors passed a set of rules meant to cut down on tampering and salary cap manipulation on Friday, as first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The NBA Board of Governors passed a stricter package of measures to enforce compliance with tampering and salary cap circumvention, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 20, 2019
Silver said the provisions passed unanimously, and that all options are on the table to put a halt to inappropriate behavior.
Adam Silver says provisions passed unanimously.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 20, 2019
Adam Silver on tampering punishments: "Suspending executives…taking away draft picks….voiding contracts…All those provisions are on the table. The ultimate goal is compliance." Silver says fining teams can often be the least effective avenue to rules compliance.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 20, 2019
This set of rules is meant to increase tanking penalties. Fines will go up, though that’s not expected to be a big deterrent. The most significant clause may be the fact that the NBA would threaten to strip teams of draft picks if they are found to have violated tampering rules.
In general, it’s a pretty straightforward set of rules. However, there’s one clause in the package that will prove particularly controversial.
