The Los Angeles Lakers were recently the subject of an NBA investigation after being accused of tampering with former Indiana Pacers star Paul George.
The investigation revealed that Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka had a conversation with George’s agent Aaron Mintz, so the Lakers were fined $500,000 which is the largest penalty for tampering in league history.
Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson took full responsibility for the incident, telling Lakers owner Jeanie Buss to take the $500,000 out of his salary to pay the fine.
Pacers owner Herb Simon was reportedly not satisfied with the results of the investigation though as it looked as if he may pursue a lawsuit against both the Lakers and the NBA. It appears that is not the case though as the Pacers released an official statement Wednesday in which Simon said that he never considered suing the Lakers or the league:
“Contrary to a published report, I would like to emphatically state that neither I nor the Indiana Pacers have ever considered any legal action toward the NBA or the Los Angeles Lakers regarding the recent decision and penalty concerning tampering charges. We agree with the NBA’s findings and we want to put this issue behind us. Even though the Pacers were put in a tough position, we feel extremely fortunate to end up with two exceptional players in Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. Their youth and talent, when coupled with our returning players and other players acquired over the summer, offer tremendous promise for our franchise and our fans.”
The Pacers ended up trading George to the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, as he mentioned in the statement.
With Simon not pursuing the lawsuit, the case can officially be considered closed, and the Lakers have the ability to sign George next summer when he becomes a free agent.