what is tampering nba

Tampering in the NBA refers to the act of a teams representatives speaking to players on rival teams to attempt to lure them to join their team. This includes publicly showing interest in acquiring the player or approaching his agent about a possible trade. The NBAs tampering rules state that any member of an organization, including coaches, players, executives, or owners, cannot speak to a player on another team with the intention of luring him to join their team. The penalty for tampering can involve a variety of punishments, whatever the NBA deems fit. Violating teams can have their draft picks stripped away, trades reversed, and free agent signings voided. A team official, if found guilty, can be fined up to $10 million while an active player can be suspended from games. An audit can be launched at any time with emails, texts, and social media interactions getting randomly investigated. While tampering is common in the NBA, the league has taken increased measures against tampering violations in recent years, specifically improper communication ahead of the free agency period. However, the rules are rarely enforced strictly, and the consequences of tampering aren’t major enough to stop teams from doing it, so franchises continue to approach players, keep fans on their toes, and preserve the excitement of the game.