The NBA continues to try and enforce the tampering rule. The latest possible offender: the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to a report by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday night, the NBA has “opened an investigation” examining the possibility that the 76ers made early contact and possibly tampered when agreeing to deals with free agents James Harden, P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.
According to Wojnarowksi, the crux of the investigation centers on Harden declining his then-$47 million player option in order to sign a more team friendly $33 million deal.
That pay cut enabled Philadelphia to sign both Tucker — one of the more desired 3-and-D players in the NBA — and House in free agency.
If Harden’s new deal was agreed upon prior to June 30, and if either Tucker or House communicated with Philadelphia before free agency opened, then the 76ers would in violation of the CBA.
Th NBA has tried to crack down on tampering in recent years. Most recently, the league penalized the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls for rules violations during their negotiations with Kyle Lowry and Lonzo Ball, respectively, in free agency in 2021.
Both teams forfeited a second round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
House had been a key wing defender with the Utah Jazz last season, but he agreed to a two-year $8.5 million deal with the 76ers.