ESPN has obtained a memo that was sent to teams around the league on Friday informing them of a proposed top fine of $10 million that would be handed down to any organization found guilty of tampering. The proposal is not only meant to tackle the issue of tampering, but also address the "widespread perception that many of the league's rules are being broken on a frequent basis" with tampering, matters pertaining to salary cap, and the suspicious timing of free-agency decisions leading the NBA's list of concerns.
These new proposed fines are meant to reflect the revenue growth that the NBA has seen since the last time fine ceilings were determined in 1996. In that 23-year span, league revenue has increased by 600 percent while franchise value has grown by 1,100 percent.
Teams can receive a fine upwards of $6 million if they engage in an unauthorized deal with a player, who could also be subjected to a $250,000 fine. Statements or conduct detrimental to the NBA could be met with a $5 million fine, a substantial upswing from the previous ceiling of $1 million.
Back in July, ESPN and the New York Times confirmed that the NBA planned to look into whether teams violated free agency rules this offseason in light of over $1 billion dollars being spent in the first 24 hours.
"I think it's pointless at the end of the day to have rules that we can't enforce," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said, per Yahoo. "I think it hurts the perception of integrity around the league if people say, 'Well, you have that rule and it's obvious that teams aren't fully complying, so why do you have it?’”
The league's board of governors are expected to meet to approve these new potential measures on Sept. 20.
