Remember the whole Deandre Jordan Clippers/Dallas Mavericks fiasco earlier this summer?
Sure you do.
Well the NBA has decided to fine the Los Angels Clippers $250,000 for their involvement, stating that they may have violated league rules when trying to make a pitch to the then free agent big-man when he was on the fence about signing between the two teams.
The league claims that the Clip’s made a presentation and pitch on July 2nd that included a potential third-party endorsement opportunity and the league prohibits teams from arranging for others to provide some sort of compensation for players unless its explicitly included in the players contract or allowed through the collective bargaining agreement.
The Clippers organization remains steadfast in that their presentation had no effect in Jordan ultimately choosing to stay in L.A. and that it was shown to the star center before he even went to visit the Mav’s during the free agency circus that ensued. They went as far as to mention that Jordan even opted out of the possible endorsement that the league is looking into.
Team owner Steve Ballmer spoke on the situation saying, “We believed we were doing this the right way, and any circumvention was inadvertentIn our effort to support our players in every way possible, we as an organization must be diligent in complying with the CBA.” Going on to add, “As we, and the basketball world observed, DJ ultimately chose to stay with the Clippers because he felt it was his best opportunity to win a championship, and because of his desire to remain part of the Clippers family.”
