Yahoo Sports reports that the NBA has launched a tampering investigation into the New York Knicks. The league suspects that the club entered into negotiations with the player before the market opened.
NBA rules prohibit clubs from negotiating with players before they officially open the market.
The New York Knicks signed Jalen Brunson to a four-year contract worth a total of $104 million this offseason. Information about the pending deal hit the media days before the market opened. Brunson presumably did not meet with other bidders and immediately signed with the Knicks.
In addition, the NBA had previously begun investigating the signing of James Harden’s new contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. It is suspected that the Sixers negotiated a better deal with the player in the future. Harden ended up signing a contract by agreeing to a pay cut.