The Los Angeles Lakers were hit with a $500,000 fine for violating anti-tampering rule with Paul George, after an investigation revealed that Lakers general manager Rob Plink had contacted George’s people while he was still under contract with the Indiana Pacers.
According to USA Today, this is the second-largest tampering fine in league history! The NBA had previously warned the Lakers back in April after Magic Johnson joked about not tampering with Paul on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
The Lakers got off easy because this could have been really bad. “The Lakers could have lost draft picks, absorbed fines of up to $5 million, had future restrictions on acquiring George and/or faced possible suspensions on offending officials,” SB Nation reports.
