Three teams were hit with tampering charges this week, though none were announced by the NBA. The Atlanta Hawks were obvious targets after they sent a letter to fans advertising CP3 and Dwight Howard as potential offseason targets. The Houston Rockets and an anonymous third team, we'll just call them Mavericks for now, were also hit with fines.
Via ESPN.com:
The Atlanta Hawks say they were one of the three teams, saying that they "fully understand and respect the NBA's decision."
ESPN.com has also learned that the Houston Rockets were also fined what one source called a "small" amount. The identity of the third team fined was not immediately known.
The memo, according to USA Today, indicated the league fined the three teams because of respective "statements by a team employee to the media, a team email to prospective season ticket purchases, and articles posted online on a team website, each related to players who are currently under contract to other teams but who will become free agents this summer."
Essentially, these teams are being punished for saying the wrong words, because which team with cap space wouldn't want to sign one of the top ten players in the NBA? The colluding goes on between players now, anyway.
But if Stern really wants to crack down on tampering, he really just needs to get in touch with the NSA. They probably already know where Dwight Howard plans to play.
