Knicks May Be 'Dinged' For Tampering in Jalen Brunson Pursuit

Brunson's former employers are reportedly "quite frustrated" with the Knicks.

The New York Knicks had to pay a massive price for the services of Jalen Brunson. They might have to add a little more to that tab before all is said and done.

According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Knicks are expected to be fined for tampering by the NBA. The Dallas Mavericks, the coveted guard's former employers, are apparently annoyed with the Knicks' supposed interference as the Brunson sweepstakes more or less ended before they could truly begin. 

Dallas' anger primarily stems from the Knicks hiring Brunson's father Rick as an assistant coach weeks before free agency began as well as the prescience of team brass during the Mavericks' run to the Western Conference Finals. The Brunson family has been long associated with team president Leon Rose, who repped Rick during his playing days (which included a three-year tenure in Manhattan). Rose's son Sam 

"From what I’ve gathered, the Mavericks are quite frustrated with the Knicks, and not just because reports of a finished deal came out before New York was even allowed to speak with Brunson (though I am not sure how tampering rules account for father-son relationships, and this situation involves two of those)," Katz reports. "Dallas (also) wasn’t thrilled about Knicks executive William “World Wide Wes” Wesley showing up courtside to a Mavs-Jazz playoff game."

"People I talk to around the league expect the Knicks to get dinged for tampering."

Tampering fines in the NBA could reach as high as eight figures. The Knicks reportedly inked Brunson on a four-year deal worth $110 million. Their long-standing issues at the point guard position and ability to make a splash in the early stages of the Association's offseason will likely allow them to view the coming fine as more than worth it. Brunson joins the team after a prolific performance in the postseason, which saw him average 21.6 points and 4.6 rebounds over 18 games. 

Even if the Knicks did tamper, this is one of those things that will never truly be stopped in the NBA. Does the Mavs front office really expect to play by the rules 100 percent of the time and not get burned by other teams desperate to get better by whatever means necessary?

No matter what the NBA’s tampering rules state, the reality of the situation is that teams and players have hypothetical deals on the table well before free agency begins … no matter how that gets communicated. Malik Monk, for example, was one of the first deals announced when free agency officially opened this year, but do you hear anything about the Sacramento Kings potentially getting fined for tampering? No, because this is common stuff in today’s NBA.

The days of having long, drawn-out meetings to recruit free agents are likely over. It’s about back channels and who you know. The Mavs should consider getting with the times before Luka Doncic becomes an unrestricted free agent in a few years. If not, the next sting might hurt even worse.