From July 1 to July 9, NBA teams—including players, coaches and management—are allowed to discuss contracts with free agents.
However, they’re not allowed to publicly discuss potential additions and are subject to a fine until a player officially signs, even if the team has secured a commitment from the free agent.
Marc Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, broke that rule. He’ll be fined $25,000, per Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
Apparently, the NBA moratorium period continues to be a joke. Sources say Mark Cuban has been fined 25,000 for comments about D. Jordan.
— Eddie Sefko (@ESefko) July 7, 2015
It’s a dumb rule, but Cuban ought to know better.
Cuban’s fine likely stems from a radio interview with KTCK 1310 (h/t Sporting News) where he commented on shooting guard Wes Matthews and center DeAndre Jordan. Cuban said:
“We wanted to get Wes, he was a target for us all summer, and obviously DeAndre as well. But if we got shut out, we weren’t going to just try to fill the roster.”
Point guard Rajon Rondo, shooting guard Monta Ellis and center Tyson Chandler each elected to leave Dallas via free agency, so Cuban and Co. aggressively pursued—and landed—Matthews and Jordan.
Matthews agreed to a four-year, $52 million contract, a generous deal considering he is currently recovering from an Achilles injury. The former Portland Trail Blazers guard tallied 15.9 points and shot 38.9 percent from three-point range before sustaining the season-ending wound.
Jordan, who racked up 11.5 points and a league-leading 15.0 rebounds for the Los Angeles Clippers, accepted a four-year, $80 million offer.
Photo: USA Today Sports