Los Angeles Lakers facing charges for tampering with Paul George

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is going to investigate the Los Angeles Lakers for allegedly tampering with Paul George before the Indiana Pacers traded the All-Star forward to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers have filed charges against the Lakers, and the NBA will investigate the matter with the help of an independent law firm.

George has been strongly linked to Lakers, his hometown franchise, for several years. Upon becoming an unrestricted free agent next July, George is expected to take his talents to the Purple & Gold, which has been devoid of star talent since the departure of Kobe Bryant.

According to NBA insider Peter Vecsey, Pacers owner Herb Simon has filed charges against the Lakers. While it’s unclear what the Lakers did that the Pacers might have a case against, it's worth noting that Magic Johnson did an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in April that raised some eyebrows. Johnson discussed a hypothetical meeting with George and not being able to talk about it yet.

For the Pacers, tampering could be 'tough to prove'

While Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype believes tampering is "tough to prove," Vecsey wrote in his insider-only article that the Lakers could be forced to forego draft picks or even be forbidden from signing George. Bleacher Report recalled an incident in 2013. "Tampering is rare in the NBA, though it has happened. The Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings were all fined for tampering in 2013 after the league uncovered statements, emails and articles directly connected to the teams with information about players who were under contract somewhere else at the time."

Prior to June's NBA Draft, the Lakers were among a number of teams that engaged with the Pacers on a potential Paul Georg trade. The new Lakers front office, under Johnson and Rob Pelinka, was reportedly offering a package of either Julius Randle or Jordan Clarkson along with two late first-round draft picks (No. 27 and No. 28). At the time, several reports noted that the offer didn't generate interest within Indiana's front office. A few days before free agency, the Pacers agreed to send George to Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

Paul George, one of the best two-way forwards in the NBA, averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his seventh season for the Indiana Pacers before getting traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.