The NBA has officially responded to the Anthony Davis trade saga, and in the eyes of the league, some cash needs to come out of Davis’ bank account. According to a statement released by the league, Davis has been fined $50,000 because his agent, Rich Paul, publicly expressed his client’s desire to get moved by the New Orleans Pelicans.
“New Orleans Pelicans forward-center Anthony Davis has been fined $50,000 by the NBA for violating a collectively-bargained rule prohibiting players or their representatives from making public trade demands,” the statement said. “The fine is for statements that were made by Davis’ agent, Rich Paul, in an intentional effort to undermine the contractual relationship between Davis and the Pelicans.”
It’s a forceful statement from the league even if fining Davis — who makes more than $25 million a year and is going to command a whole lot more than that when he signs his next contract — $50,000 isn’t much more than a drop in the bucket for the All-NBA big man.
More importantly, it does show that the league is going to follow this ongoing trade saga with a keen eye to make sure everyone plays by the rule. The Pelicans requested that the league enforces tampering rules while they look for a deal for Davis, which led to the NBA announcing it would launch an investigation. At the very least, while this isn’t a ton of coin for Davis, it sets the precedent that the league is willing to act if it believes something sketchy is going on, which is both a big break for the Pelicans and something other teams will have to be made aware of as this heads towards a resolution.
