Warriors owner fined $50,000 for his comments on Ben Simmons

The NBA’s tampering rules are as out of date as they are naive. In reality, all superstars talk to each other, agree to team up and form superteams, and it all happens right in front of the commissioner’s nose.

But, every now and then, an executive is so transparent and obvious with its words that the league can’t help to fine him to try and make an example out of him. Needless to say, that’s like taking some change out of their pocket.

That was the case with Golden State Warriorsowner Joe Lacob, who recently implied that his team could be interested in making a move for Ben Simmons, who wants out of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Joe Lacob Implies That The Warriors Could Make A Run At Ben Simmons

(Transcript via San Francisco Chronicle)

“In an interview with The Chronicle on Tuesday, Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in reference to a “Defensive Player of the Year candidate in Philadelphia” while being careful not to get fined for tampering: “I think we are always looking at everything to see if we can improve our team. We would always look.”

“In some ways, it doesn’t really fit what we’re doing. He makes a lot of money. And, can he finish games? I don’t know,” Lacob said. “He’s very talented. The problem is: We have Draymond. Draymond and him are very similar in the sense that neither one really shoots and they do a lot of the playmaking. That’s one issue. The salary structure is another.”

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NBA Fines Lacob $50,000 Over Tampering

You didn’t have to be a genius to know that those comments were going to make Lacob’s pocket a little lighter, and the league didn’t waste a second to fine him $50,000 for being so blatantly obvious:

“The NBA announced today that it has fined Golden State Warriors Governor Joe Lacob $50,000 for violating the league’s anti-tampering rule. The fine is in response to comments by Lacob in a September 21 news article regarding the Philadelphia 76ers’ Ben Simmons,” said the NBA’s release.

Simmons will reportedly hold out from training camp in a desperate attempt to force his way out of the City of Brotherly Love, so keep an eye on the Warriors as a potential landing spot for him.