Will Adam Silver Punish Knicks for Mikal Bridges Trade? Revisiting NBA Commissioner’s Tampering Penalties Over the Years

The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are both rejoicing after reaching a rare yet beneficial agreement. The two franchises haven’t been on the best of terms for a long time. Although the Nets made it known that they were not open to trading Mikal Bridges, many figured if the right offer came along, the ‘Big Apple’ would be open to exploring the deal. Sensing an opportunity that would be mutually beneficial, Leon Rose did not waste another moment as they walked up to Brooklyn with an offer they simply couldn’t refuse.

And just like that, Bridges joined his Villanova mates and will be suiting up in orange and white for the next season. As for the Nets, they received a slew of draft picks and veteran forward, Bojan Bogdanovic. Much has been said and written about this sudden turn of events. However, one factor some of you might have in the back of your mind is, ‘Will this be considered tampering?’

After all, the Knicks did lose their 2025 second-round pick in 2022 exactly because of this. Don’t remember what happened? Well, let us refresh your memory. But before that, how about a quick look at what tampering is?

What is tampering in the NBA?

Simply put, it is when the NBA franchises (and everyone included, from players to executives) engage in luring players before the commencement of free agency. It doesn’t matter if the said player is set to be a free agent. Teams can only talk to or negotiate with a player at the designated time set by the league, which this year begins at 6:00 PM ET on June 30.

Of course, these rules have been around for a long time. However, Adam Silver was forced to introduce more stringent measures and punishments thanks to a particularly crazy 2019 offseason. “An increase in fines for tampering, for entering into unauthorized agreements with players and even for talking about players under contract elsewhere passed unanimously in a vote of the Board of Governors,”  Silver announced in late September 2019.

But what did these punishments include? The league had a number of tools at their disposal:

• The maximum fine for tampering was increased to $10 million, $6 million for improper deals, and $5 million for comments enticing other teams’ players.
• Executives could find themselves at the receiving end of a suspension. That was not all. A random audit of their communications – phone records, texts, and emails could be conducted, as well.
• Forfeiture of draft picks.
• Voiding of contracts.

Now that you are aware of what tampering in the NBA looks like and the different ways the teams could be punished, let’s move to a few instances of such incidents. We’ll start with the one in the beginning.

The Mikal Bridges trade isn’t the Knicks’ first run-in with a potential penalty

In early June 2022, Jalen Brunson signed a 4-year, $104 million contract with New York. Not too long after this move, the NBA had opened an investigation into the ‘Empire State’ for tampering. The official signing period that year was set to begin on June 30. The whole inspection lasted nearly 5 months before the league announced their verdict.

As mentioned above, they lost the second-round pick for 2025. That was the price the Knicks paid for violating “league rules governing the timing of this season’s free agency discussions.” If we were to apply the same logic in the case of Mikal Bridges, then yes, NYC might be on the receiving end of a punishment sooner or later.

Getting Brunson, at the expense of a draft pick, has definitely paid dividends for the franchise. Even going as far as emerging as a serious threat in the East. Mikal has proved his worth in his time with Brooklyn. The 27-year-old has not once missed a game in his six years with the league. Not to mention, Bridges is one of the top two-way players in the NBA currently.

So it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that you’d find Rose hardly complaining about whatever punishment Commissioner Silver would mete out. If it happens, that is. However, the league hasn’t been shy in penalizing for tampering.

Instances of the NBA High Commission’s charges for tampering

An incident involving the 76ers’ GM Daryl Morey and the Warriors‘ Stephen Curry has widely been criticized for its sheer incredulity. Apparently, in 2021, Morey, no stranger to controversial scenarios and fines, tried recruiting Curry. Steph was congratulating Seth Curry for a 30-point game during his time in Philly.

The man shared the screenshot with two words, “Join ’em” and was slapped with a $75,000 fine promptly. It didn’t end there. The 76ers franchise was also handed the same amount for their President’s “recruitment”.

Another situation involved the Lakers VP, Rob Pelinka and Paul George back when he was playing for Indiana. Los Angeles got an extreme reaction – a fine of $500,000 for reaching out to PG’s representatives when he was still under contract with the Pacers.

And yet another scenario has the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ at the forefront. This time, Philadelphia was guilty of the same offense as the Knicks. In 2023, the Sixers was found to have engaged in discussion with free agents P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. before the permitted time. The result? Loss of 2023 and 2024 second-round picks.

Honestly, there is a lot more of these to go around. But as you can see, we are short on space. But which one is your favorite? And what is your take on these tampering rules? Also, will the Knicks find themselves in hot water with Mikal Bridges? Let us know what you think!

 But before you go, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq and Kobe.

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