NBA Opens Investigation of Knicks’ Brunson Tampering; Does It Matter for Mavs?

The NBA is preparing to give the New York Knicks a slap on the wrist.

DALLAS - The New York Knicks didn’t have any hesitations while getting cozy with Jalen Brunson well before free agency began on June 30. Because of that, he Dallas Mavericks moaned about the (obvious?) tampering occurring right under their noses. When it’s all said and done, though, will any of the complaining really matter?

Now comes word on Monday that the NBA has officially opened its tampering investigation of the Knicks.

Yay!

But … why?

Meaning, “why” from a Mavs standpoint? What’s in it for the “wronged team” to watch as the “guilty team” is “punished”?

It is alleged that native New Yorker Brunson, whose father was recently hired by the organization, was invited by the Knicks to agree to a deal before the official opening of the free agency window during which they could legally negotiate a contract.

In an effort to put a blanket over that, we’ll suggest that the Knicks somehow coerced ESPN into reporting on a “first meeting” between Brunson and the Knicks … an odd facade that should fool nobody.

Brunson became a standout in Dallas despite being just a second-round pick out of Villanova, this year emerging as arguably the Mavs’ second-most productive player behind All-NBA star Luka Doncic.

Brunson, who recently praised New York for knowing how to best use him while having described the Knicks as "one big family for me," eventually (and officially) signed a four-year, $104 million deal.

Mavs sources immediately brought up the tampering concept as soon as the Knicks’ flirtations with Brunson became apparent, team owner Mark Cuban later sarcastically pretending Dallas believes no lines were crossed.

"No, they were perfect. I saw nothing wrong at all," said Cuban, while also congratulating Brunson on getting what he “deserves. … That's just the business, that's just the way it works ... that's not my job to determine. That's up to the NBA. It is what it is, it's done."

The Knicks are probably not overly concerned about the ramifications of this investigation, knowing that the last time the NBA found a team guilty of violating tampering rules, the Chicago Bulls lost only a second-round pick after the acquisition of Lonzo Ball via a sign-and-trade.

So the guilty Knicks will lose little. And the “victimized” Mavs will gain nothing. What, then, is the point of a team like the Mavs ever complaining and what is the point of a team like the Knicks ever complying?