LeBron James Slammed for 'Tampering' as NBA Execs Up In Arms
When NBA teams tamper with an opposing player, such as the Lakers with Paul George, the team can be hit with a fine as big as $500,000.
When an NBA player tampers with an opposing player, such as Lakers star LeBron James with the Pelicans’ Anthony Davis, he merely gets a slap on the wrist.
That double standard is not sitting well with many NBA executives after James publicly pondered what it would be like for Davis to join the Lakers.
“That would be amazing,” James told ESPN on Tuesday, referring to the Lakers trading for Davis. “That would be amazing, like, duh. That would be incredible.”
But several small-market NBA general managers were up in arms over James’ comments and the NBA’s unwillingness to discipline him or the Lakers. Some even expressed outrage to the Pelicans’ GM, Dell Demps, over the matter, according to ESPN.
“It’s New Orleans’ problem today, and a problem with a different player tomorrow for the rest of us,” one Eastern Conference GM told the outlet. “It’s open season on small markets and our players.”
“Interference is as bad as tampering — maybe worse in this case,” another Eastern Conference GM said. “This becomes a campaign meant to destabilize another organization, install chaos and unrest that make it harder to keep an environment that the player would want to stay in.”
Davis’ contract with New Orleans runs through the 2019-20 season with a player option for 2020-2021. But next summer, he will be eligible for a super-max extension that could land him the largest contract in NBA history at $230 million.
Also, Davis recently fired his agent and hired James’ agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. That has many thinking that Klutch will push for the Pelicans to trade Davis to Los Angeles or risk losing him in free agency for nothing.
In regard to James’ potential violation, the NBA said that since there was no coordinated effort by James or the Lakers, then it is not considered tampering.
“Each case is assessed on its own facts,” a league spokesperson told ESPN. “In general, absent evidence of team coordination or other aggravating factors, it is not tampering when a player makes a comment about his interest in playing with another team’s player.”
The alleged tampering served as the backdrop of a game between the Lakers and the Pelicans at the Staples Center on Friday night.
After the game, James had an amusing exchange with reporters regarding to the alleged infraction.
“Ask me: ‘Would I like to play with Kevin Durant?’ Ask me right now. Absolutely,” James said. “Ask me if I’d like to play with Jimmy Butler. … Ask me about Kyrie Irving, Giannis (Antetokounmpo). Ask me about (Joel) Embiid, Ben Simmons. Go ahead, all of them. Luka Doncic. Ask me right now.”
“Come on guys. This is not rocket science,” he added. “These are great players, absolutely. I would love to play with a lot of great players, that’s just who I am.”
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