Tampering Guidelines Defined In Memo

If a player induces another player to demand a trade, it will be considered tampering under the official tampering guidelines, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets.

That was one of the key points in a memo sent out by the league to all teams regarding the new rules designed to curtail tampering. The league’s Board of Governors a week ago unanimously approved new anti-tampering measures.

The most notable example of a player urging another player to demand a trade famously came this summer, when Kawhi Leonard lobbied for Paul George to be traded to the Clippers as a prerequisite to signing with them as a free agent.

Another interesting item in the memo, according to Charania, states that isolated comments by a team official praising another player will no longer be regarded as a violation. Coaches and front office executives became increasingly hesitant of making positive comments about a star player for fear they would be punished by the league. That’s no longer the case as long as they don’t overdo it.

A controversial proposal has also be refined. The league will not confiscate phones or computers during its five random audits. Commissioner Adam Silver had been hesitant to take such measures. “None of us want people looking into their personal communications,” Silver said. The random audits will include a handful of a team’s communications with other front offices, players, and agents.

A new hotline will be created to allow teams and others with information to anonymously report potential violations, according to Charania (Twitter link).

Although teams can now be fined up to $10MM in “egregious” instances of tampering, Silver has also said that suspending executives, taking away teams’ draft picks, and even voiding contracts are all possibilities in the event of a tampering violation.

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