The NBA rescinded the Philadelphia 76ers’ second-round draft picks in 2023 and 2024 after an investigation found the team violated free agency rules, the league announced Monday.
- The 76ers were found to have engaged in free-agency discussions with P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr. prior to the date when talks are permitted.
- The investigation found no wrongdoing in James Harden’s near $15 million pay cut last summer.
- The 76ers fully cooperated with the investigation, the NBA said.
Backstory
The investigation came about after Harden opted out of his $47.4 million player option in June in order to give Philadelphia more financial flexibility to bolster the roster around him, then later re-signed on a lower-value deal. The team used those savings to sign Tucker and House.
Prior to Harden’s re-signing, Tucker inked a three-year, $33.2 million deal and House later signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract.
Advertisement
The Knicks are also being investigated for potential tampering. New York signed guard Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million deal, but similarly, reports surfaced in the days ahead of the legal start of free agency that the two sides had reached a deal.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in September that the league started the investigations on its own, without any complaints from any competing teams. He cited the “tick-tock chronology” around when signings are permissible and the announcements of those signings.
The NBA has investigated tampering in the past. Last season it docked the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat future second-round picks as the result of its investigations into the acquisitions of Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry.
Required reading
(Photo: Eric Hartline / USA Today)