NBA to Increase Tampering Fines by 100%

The NBA is cracking down on the practice of player tampering, following a memo sent to teams on Friday.

NBA proposals would bring rules in line with the severity of the situation as well as the league’s increased revenues. 

The league’s memo outlined proposed new fines for rule-breaking in the areas of tampering, salary cap issues and free-agency.

The current fine for tampering with players or team personnel maxes out at $5 million. If new rules are approved this Friday, this could go up to $10 million. Additionally, teams can be fined $6 million for entering into unauthorized deals with players. The players in question would also be liable for a fine, up to $250,000.

Want $250 to bet on the NBA?

The NBA is fighting against a “widespread perception that many of the league’s rules are being broken on a frequent basis”.

“It’s pointless, at the end of the day, to have rules that we can’t enforce,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in July.

Via ESPN, there are a number of other measures under consideration by the NBA’s board of governors. 

• A requirement that a team report, within 24 hours, any instance of an agent or player representative asking for a benefit that is not allowed under the salary cap or collective bargaining agreement (“unauthorized benefits”)
• A requirement that teams preserve communications with players and their agents for one year
• New channels for teams and team employees to anonymously report rules violations or tampering
• Prohibiting players from inducing players under contract to request trades
• A proposal to conduct investigatory audits of five randomly selected teams each year to assess compliance with system rules

Read: Is Your Season Ruined by Starting 0 – 2?

The financial element of these rules is what is in most need of an update. The monetary value of the fines reflects the NBA in 1996 – the year the rules were last change. Since then, league revenue has increased by 600% and franchise value has increased by 1,100%.