May 18, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson (13) participates in a press conference after game one of the 2022 western conference finals against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Knicks are facing an NBA investigation over their signing of guard Jalen Brunson.
Chris B. Haynes of Yahoo Sports confirmed Monday that the NBA has opened a tampering investigation into the Knicks. The focus of the investigation will be whether the Knicks made contact with Brunson before the official start of the free agency period.
This investigation was inevitable, and the Knicks were likely anticipating it . Brunson signed his four-year, $110 million deal with the Knicks shortly after the start of free agency, and the team also made roster moves as far back as before the NBA Draft to clear salary to sign him. That in itself is not unprecedented, but those moves arise suspicion when combined with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s claim that the organization never got the chance to make a counter offer.
The Knicks are not the only team facing an investigation into possible tampering, at the moment. The NBA has put an increased focus on tampering violations in recent years. The typical punishment involves the loss of a draft pick, but those punishments are still handled on a case-by-case basis.
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