Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Sunday that the NBA opened a tampering investigation into the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade deal between the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat.
Sources told Wojnarowski that “the probe will examine illegal contact among teams and players ahead of free agency on Monday at 6 p.m. ET.” The Miami Heat’s decision to pick up the team option on Goran Dragic’s contract was widely seen as a precursor to the trade for Lowry.
In 1996, the NBA voided the Heat’s signing of Juwan Howard for miscalculating salary cap space — not tampering.