OT Why isn't Kwahi being looked at for tampering?

It has been reported that Kwahi secretly recruited George to request a trade to the Clippers and then it happened. How is that not tampering?

 

Because private conversations are not tampering. Only public ones.

 

It is of course "tampering", and even "colluding".

Apparently, players are allowed to tamper and collude, but teams aren't.

 

I don’t think that is correct. The NBA can fine any player or team that “directly or indirectly, entices, induces, persuades or attempts to entice, induce, or persuade” anyone under contract with another team for their services.

It might be that since Kawhi didn’t represent a given team, but instead was simply asking a fellow player if he would try to join him if he went to the Clippers, it wouldn’t meet the CBA definition. More likely, IMO, is that the Thunder simply didn’t push for it with the league. I think Presti wasn’t all that thrilled with the current iteration of the roster and embraced the idea of a rebuild.

 

Very fine line though and why the NBA is becoming a joke with free agency and players essentially colluding.

Also. isn't Leonard recruiting on behalf of the Clippers though? He may not be employed by them but the wording is "people acting on behalf of a franchise".

 

Players can recruit each other to whichever team. Management can not.

 

I had heard that players can but management/ownership cannot.

 

He wasn't even Clippers player at the time, it was basically just a conversation between the two players. Kyrie and KD had conversations before going to Nets as well, it was clearly by design not coincidence.

 

Players only!

 

Players can talk to other players

 

Let me rephrase.
Tampering of private conversations between players is not enforced.... and rightfully so - that's a rabbit hole the nba does NOT want to go down.

 

Agreed. I think if there was evidence of a recruiting phone call between Doc Rivers and PG, it would be a different story.

 

This.

 

Durant and Irving were free agents though. George is under contract to an NBA team. I think the language needs to be more explicit and no discussing anything with a player under contract without permission from the team. Not much can be done when players are free agents, but discussing hooking up with a player under contract shouldn't be allowed in my opinion.

 

Thank LeBron James for this. He started the whole recruiting thing.

 

Thanks Obama.

 

I don't see how Paul George had any leverage. OKC caved in pretty easily to trade a guy some people thought was an MVP candidate last season. The only thing that makes sense is that Presti wants to reset after losing in the first round again. If they had won a playoff series the situation would be different, to me at least.
Credit the Trail Blazers for putting an end to the team that beat them 4 times in the regular season.
As Colin Cowherd likes to say, (referring the New England Patriots) your success leads to the dysfunction of the competitors in your division . They do weird things like trade Paul George. And their dysfunction helps your success. They probably won't beat the Trail Blazers 4 times next season.

 

Just a hunch, but it makes me wonder if they jad a handshake deal when he signed that if he wanted out they would try and accommodate him. It was too quick and under the radar otherwise.

 

https://www.blazersedge.com/2019/7/...missioner-tampering-trade-demands-free-agency

Adam Silver on Tampering, Trade Demands After Busy NBA Free Agency

The NBA commissioner addressed some key issues that the league is focused on