Thunderous Intentions
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NBA to reportedly investigate Lakers-Johnson on allegations of tampering with Paul George

By Tamberlyn Richardson

JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE - 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. EST and features a diverse lineup of guests that includes celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human-interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Thursday, April 20 included Magic Johnson, Gabourey Sidibe (Book, 'This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare) and musical guest Dua Lipa. (Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images)MAGIC JOHNSON, JIMMY KIMMEL
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE - 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' airs every weeknight at 11:35 p.m. EST and features a diverse lineup of guests that includes celebrities, athletes, musical acts, comedians and human-interest subjects, along with comedy bits and a house band. The guests for Thursday, April 20 included Magic Johnson, Gabourey Sidibe (Book, 'This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare) and musical guest Dua Lipa. (Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images)MAGIC JOHNSON, JIMMY KIMMEL /
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Paul George tampering
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 16: Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers attends the Semifinals of the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League against the Dallas Mavericks on July 16, 2017 at the Thomas /

The NBA is launching an investigation of tampering against LA Lakers for reportedly contacted Paul George while still under contract with the Pacers.

Social and national media blew up over a report the Lakers and more specifically Magic Johnson contacted Paul George illegally while he was still a member of the Indiana Pacers.

Veteran NBA journalist Peter Vecsey broke the report which launched the frenzy over this situation. As the news gathered steam additional insight poured in.

What is known is the Indiana Pacers lodged a formal complaint. Specifically, Indiana alleges impermissible  exchanges between Lakers Magic Johnson and Paul George. This situation began when George notified the Pacers he would not be re-signing next summer (2018) and his desired location was the Los Angeles Lakers.

Shortly after the Pacers shocked the NBA world by trading Paul George to the OKC Thunder instead of one of the larger market teams said to be interested. Among those were the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and of course the LA Lakers.

Both Johnson and Paul George made separate appearances on Jimmy Kimmel’s  late night talk show. George skirts Kimmel’s questions over ultimately landing in his home town LA. But, Johnson played coy and joked with Kimmel regarding recruitment of George. Suffice to say Johnson’s handling of this delicate issue wasn’t carried out with a magic touch.

The following YouTube video shows Paul George’s response to Magic’s comments from his appearance on Kimmel.

Tampering Charges Difficult to Prove:

Although tampering charges aren’t a frequent issue in the NBA, it’s not unprecedented for franchises, coaches or management to be issued fines, suspensions and penalties. As Fred Katz of the Norman Transcript points out.

"In 2013, then Sacramento Kings coach Mike Malone was fined an undisclosed amount for tampering with former L.A. Clippers point guard Chris Paul when he said “Chris Paul would look pretty good in a Sacramento Kings uniform.” The Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets were fined for tampering that same year because of a letter to Atlanta season-ticket holders that mentioned prospective free agents and articles on the Rockets team website that did the same."

That said, the burden of proof is on the NBA to find evidence. At stake for the Lakers is the loss of draft picks, fines, suspensions or worse they could be barred from signing or trading for Paul George altogether. Clearly the Lakers will deny any wrong doing, and short of a paper trail or someone confessing any wrong doing this case will be hard to prove.

Case punctuates tampering as league wide issue:

At the heart of this issue is how the league has spiraled into a situation where tampering and collusion have almost become expected. Particularly from players. When Kevin Durant left for the Golden State Warriors OKC Thunder fans were heart broken.  Recently Draymond Green openly discussed how he and Kevin Durant spoke about joining forces immediately after Game 7 of the 2016 Finals. Moreover, there were constant reports citing ongoing contact between Green and Durant during the 2015-16 season as well as players like Andre Iguodala who Durant has a close relationship with.

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Other examples have reared their ugly head centering around LeBron James. Going back to James infamous decision to leave Cleveland for Miami. Speculation was Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James made plans to merge long before the season ended. Again, when James returned to Cleveland, Kyrie Irving made comments he was aware prior to signing his contract LeBron would be coming back and the team would be seeking to add Kevin Love as well.

Obviously the league can’t control players exchanges or police these matters. To wit, the  NBA has almost cast a blind eye in this area. Now, with this situation arising perhaps it will lead to stricter regulations. Again however, it would be almost impossible to monitor player interactions. Although, players may suddenly get far less forth coming about these recruitment exchanges particularly in season.

Moving forward the implications of this investigation will have far reaching effects. It could cast a cloud over Paul George going to the Lakers all together. Certainly it affords the Thunder a unique negotiating stance. Because George is under contract with the OKC Thunder they become the one and only franchise in his ear.

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