Adam Silver Hints at Future Changes Coming to NBA Free Agency

Despite the fact that the free agency didn't officially "start" until 6:00 p.m. on June 30, the courtship of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Kawhi Leonard began much earlier than that, with Durant announcing his intentions to join the Brooklyn Nets the literal exact second he was legally allowed to.

Rather than waiting for the annual avalanche of Woj bombs at 6:00 p.m. on the dot, confirming deals that have already been agreed to before they could legally be made, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is considering enforcing restrictions on tampering more severely.

“We should not have rules that are not strictly enforced,” Adam Silver says, conceding that NBA is unable to enforce rules preventing teams and free agents talking/making deals before June 30.
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) July 10, 2019

Tampering in the NBA is in the same class as jaywalking or going five miles per hour over the speed limit. If everyone does it all the time, is it ever possible to crack down on it?

Sure, fining the Lakers every time LeBron James starts to tug at the web of connections he's made within the league might help if you do it incessantly and make the penalty very severe, but the ubiquity of the free agent courting process could make it hard to prosecute and crack down on.

Soooo you fining all these teams for tampering or you getting rid of the rule all together?
— Lakersfantildeath (@DarwinC91656481) July 10, 2019

Unless they move to a system similar to the NFL, wherein teams can lose draft picks for tampering, expect all of the recruiting behind the scenes in the NBA to continue.