NBA Teams Asking League to Investigate Brooklyn Nets for Side Deals

It's worth looking into if it eases everyone's minds, doesn't hurt to investigate considering the reputation of the owner.

 

I wonder if the players are scared of him.

 

The reason teams are asking the league office to investigate is because there is circumstantial evidence. Why would the teams be so adament about this unless they had experienced the negotiations and had seen where AK-47 wanted more from them then he took from the Nets and then he would agree to sign for if he were traded to the Nets? If it was $1 million or so per season, understandable. But apparently at least one team offered him substantial money and the TWolves were ok with signing and trading him to said team and his guys held up the deal trying to force the TWolves to sign-and-trade him to the Nets. In all likelihood, some team offered to sign and trade for AK-47 using assets that Minny wanted...perhaps draft picks, etc. But the only way he could be signed-and-traded to the Nets required Minny to take back substantial salary (at least $6.4 million from the Nets if they were signing AK-47 for $8 million per season) that they did not want on their books. Nets do not have cap space, nor cheap players, nor trade exceptions to slide AK-47 in to.

There is no way that teams are going to go busting to the league office asking for an investigation without substantial circumstantial evidence. They'll be able to produce circumstantial evidence that they could have acquired AK-47 that they had an agreed to deal with Minny and that AK-47's agent backed out and help up the deal for even more money while he finally signed with the Nets for significantly less money.

Read Article XIII. Circumvention doesn't have to be factually proven. The league can deem circumvention has or did occur simply by having circumstantial evidence.

 

I think the league is going to rescind the deal, and monetarily penalize the Nets, and penalize both the Nets and AK-47 by not allowing him to play for them for at least one season. I don't see any way around this one. Like I said, there is no way teams go banging on the league office door without substantial circumstantial evidence.

 

If he only wanted to go to the Nets and tried to get them to do a S&T with them for a salary he wanted but then signed for less when they couldn't make it happen, that is not circumvention. That's him being determined to play for one team. As a free agent he has that right.

It's only circumvention if he received compensation outside of his salary which cannot be proven, or even hinted at, simply because he wouldn't take more money to play for a different team.

 

If a player leaving money on the table is circumstantial evidence, maybe so. Otherwise, this sounds like a wild goose chase.

 

Actually this is a legit question. If Dwight takes less than his absolute max of $20,513,178 starting salary so we can keep an extra player or two on the roster.....then by the language of the circumvention article..there would be circumstantial evidence for the league to make a ruling of circumvention. The language of the circumvention article is very "broad" and as such is not defined. We can all sit here and say, "No, it's not circumvention for Dwight to take slightly less than the max when he's obviously a max player." But that's just opinion. When you examine the verbage of the circumvention article...it could be considered circumvention. The league has the right to interpret that "broad" language to whatever degree they want to. That's exactly how "broad" it is.

And that is my bone of contention about Article XIII. It is too broad, too generic and as such too undefined. There will be a work stoppage in 3 more seasons and Article XIII will be a big reason why. Circumvention has to be spelled out more clearly with clear boundaries and penalties and proofs. Not just left to the league office to make their own arbitrary rulings...which is exactly what is happening right now.

 

Do you really think that professional sports organizations would waste time asking for an investigation just on a whim??

This is not a wild goose chase. No way does the Spurs (or any other NBA team, and apparently there is more than one) petition something like this. No way.

 

You just turn it into something it isn't.

There is nothing in the CBA that dictates that a player needs to sign for fair market value, therefore it cannot be circumvention to sign for LESS than fair market value.

 

Didn't we destroy Brooklyn both games last year? That was fun.

 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Nets:

C: Lopez/Blatche/Plumlee
PF: Garnett/Evans/Teletovic
SF: Pierce/Kirilenko/Shengelia
SG: Johnson/Terry
PG: Williams/Livingston/Taylor</p>&mdash; Nets Stats (@NetsStats) <a href="https://twitter.com/NetsStats/statuses/355469114841628673">July 11, 2013</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I think this is the more current roster unless the AK47 deal gets rescinded.
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GMs are going to war over a guy like Kirilenko? lol

The Nyets are still not going to win anything.

 

This thread is mind blowing. You think he would go to the US to clean his money?

 

Oh?

Have you read Article XIII?

 

The way you describe it as a "whim" makes it seem unlikely. "Strong suspicion worthy of investigation" is a better description.

This is just your opinion based on thin air. We'll see.

If the Nets were clumsy enough to leave an incriminating trail "apparently more than one" team was able to obtain, I've got my popcorn ready.

 

Yes. Please copy and paste the article you think would imply that taking less than fair market value is CBA Circumvention.

 

Should the league have investigated Ray Allen taking half the money to sign with Miami last year vs the contract offered by Boston? Should Howard be investigated for taking $30MM less to sign with Houston over LA?

Are all free agents required to take the largest contract offer?

This is silly. There are any number of reasons for him to sign with the Nets for less than he could get anywhere else.

 

I have respect for that owner. Goes balls out to get a chip.

 

Can you copy/paste the parts that would be relevant?

I highly doubt a player taking less than fair market value would warrant any sort of punitive action. It's happened so many times over the last decade. Lebron, Wade, and Bosh all took an average of $15 million less over the life of their contracts to play with the Heat.

And come on, we're not that far off from 2003. Gary Payton signs for less than 5 million with the Lakers after averaging 20 points and 9 assists the previous season. (20 and 9 player for 5 mil!!!) Malone signs for 1.4 mil after a 20pts 8rb 5 assists season. I don't think there's anyone dumb enough to justify those 2 signings as fair market deals.

Why is the AK47 a big deal? Because he's Russian and the owner is Russian. That's it.

 

Why is this a big deal

Why didn't we investigate Pat Riley for getting Bron and Raptor Jesus to play in Miami for less? Or wait did they investigate him? I forgot