Several small-market general managers are upset the NBA did not intervene after Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James started openly recruiting New Orleans Pelicans’ forward Anthony Davis, according to a report.
The general managers want the league to enforce its tampering rules against James, ESPN.com reported.
They vented their frustration by reaching out to Pelicans GM Dell Demps, expressing dismay at what they view as the league’s tacit endorsement of James’ comments.
“If these are the rules, enforce them,” one Western Conference GM anonymously told ESPN.com. “If you want to push Anthony Davis in L.A., if you allow LeBron to interfere with teams, then just do it. Change the rules, and say, ‘It’s the wild, wild west and anything goes.’ But give us a list of the rules that you’re enforcing, and give us a list of the rules that you’re going to ignore.”
Earlier this week, James said he would like to see Davis in purple and gold after the Lakers’ 115-110 loss to the Nets.
“That would be amazing,” James told ESPN on Tuesday. “That would be amazing, like duh. That would be incredible.”
James and Davis are both represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports. Some are worried that James and Paul will push for the Pelicans to trade Davis to the Lakers, the report said.
ESPN noted that the NBA’s bylaws prevent a player from directly or indirectly persuading a player to join another NBA team.
“Any Player who, directly or indirectly, entices, induces, persuades or attempts to entice, induce or persuade any Player, Coach, Trainer, General Manager, or any other person who is under contract to any other Member of the Association to enter into negotiations for or relating to his services shall, on being charged with such tampering, should be given an opportunity to answer to such charges after due notice and the Commissioner shall have the power to decide whether or not the charges have been sustained,” the bylaws say.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters on Friday morning that they are “not trading him,” referring to Davis.
The NBA has fined the Lakers twice in the past two years, but a league spokesman said an individual player’s comments might not be included in the tampering regulations.
“Each case is assessed on its own facts,” an NBA spokesman told ESPN.com. “In general, absent evidence of team coordination or other aggravating factors, it is not tampering when a player makes a comment about his interest in playing with another team’s player.”
Davis, on the other hand, seemed largely disinterested at the prospect of joining James and the Lakers anytime soon. He will become a free agent at the end of the 2019-20 season.
“I don’t really care,” Davis told ESPN.com on Wednesday. “Obviously, it’s cool to hear any high-caliber player say they want to play with me. But my job is to turn this team around. If we’re 15-17, that means I’m not doing my job.”
James has been clamoring for another big-name player to join the Lakers and has expressed a desire to play with Carmelo Anthony, who is still technically on the Rockets.