NBA Fines Clippers $50K for Tampering Over Doc Rivers' Kawhi Leonard Comments
By James.r
The NBA League Office is not happy with Doc Rivers after recent comments he made about soon-to-be free agent Kawhi Leonard on ESPN's SportsCenter. The Clippers have been a team frequently rumored to be in the hunt for Leonard this offseason, and Rivers certainly didn't work very hard to keep their intentions a secret.
NBA's tampering rules state that "no player, coach or management person may entice or induce a player under contract with another team to play for his team." Apparently, the NBA believes Doc violated that rule with his comments.
NBA hits the Clippers with a tampering fine, for Doc’s gushing praise of Kawhi. (I suspect the Clips won’t mind if they land him in July.) pic.twitter.com/91A57Dk4Fl
— Howard Beck (@HowardBeck) May 31, 2019
The comments in question came on ESPN's NBA Finals Preview on Tuesday, when Doc described Kawhi as "the most like [Michael Jordan]" the NBA has seen since Jordan retired.
"Kawhi is the most like Jordan we've seen."
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) May 29, 2019
Doc Rivers has some high praise for Kawhi Leonard. pic.twitter.com/i1R2gR1VrT
The comments prove Doc's infatuation with Leonard, and they are surely indicative of the Clippers' interest in the Raptors' forward as the offseason approaches. It's unlikely the Clippers will be too upset about the slap on the wrist the NBA handed to them, as $50,000 pales in comparison to the max deal that Leonard is likely to sign this summer.
The Clippers will have two max contract slots available this offseason, so they will be more than able to accommodate Leonard's financial requests. Once July rolls around, we'll see if the pieces fall in place for the Clips to make the deal happen, and get their very own MJ, per their coach.