Understanding Why Salary Cap Circumvention Is Dangerous for the NBA

While tampering has become an issue in the NBA, a related issue has emerged: unauthorized compensation. Adam Silver and his leadership team are taking stock of both issues and exploring ways to address the problems.

Tampering has become a major problem for the NBA. Teams are forbidden from attempting to induce or persuade players who are under contract to other teams to join them. Under the league’s constitution, teams that are caught tampering face a potential range of punishments—including fines, forfeiture of draft picks and voidance of free agent signings.

Yet plenty of teams disregarded the rules and blatantly tampered before the start of free agency on June 30. Thus far, not one of…