NBA fines Clippers $250,000 for DeAndre Jordan free-agency presentation
Re-signing DeAndre Jordan didn't come without any casualties for the Clippers, who have been fined $250,000 for a violation in the way they made a free-agent presentation to their once-again starting center.
From the NBA:
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2015 –The NBA announced today that it has fined the Los Angeles Clippers $250,000 for violating NBA rules prohibiting teams from offering players unauthorized business or investment opportunities.
The violation involved a presentation made by the Clippers to free agent DeAndre Jordan on July 2 that improperly included a potential third-party endorsement opportunity for the player. While the NBA’s investigation ultimately concluded that the presentation of this opportunity had no impact on Jordan’s decision to re-sign with the Clippers, the team’s conduct nevertheless violated the league’s anti-circumvention rules.
The NBA’s anti-circumvention rules prohibit teams from, among other things, providing or arranging for others to provide any form of compensation to a player unless such compensation is included in a player contract or otherwise expressly permitted under the CBA.
July 2 may or may not mean something in this scenario. If you recall, Jordan didn't just immediately commit to the Clippers after this presentation. The road back to Los Angeles was far more circuitous.
Jordan verbally committed to the Mavericks July 3 and was all ready to sign up with and play in Dallas until changing his mind some time around July 7. So, as the NBA says in its release, the presentation didn't necessarily influence Jordan's decision to return to the Clippers. But it still broke a rule.
The Clippers are only allowed to present salary and not necessarily side endorsements in those meetings. Thus, the fine.
Of course, there are other theories here:
Of course, Kharpertian is alluding not so subtly to the way the Clippers embarrassed free-agency process when stealing Jordan back from the Mavs. No shame. No shame.
Whether this had any impact on Jordan re-signing or not, I'm betting L.A. is pretty happy with the end result. Go ahead, and ask Steve Ballmer or Doc Rivers if he'll take Jordan back for a max contract plus a measly 250 grand. They'll do it every time.
(h/t Dallas Morning News)