The National Basketball Association (NBA) recently issued a warning to teams that any attempt to claim that Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard would not honor his contract in a potential trade would result in disciplinary action.
The warning comes after reports surfaced that some teams had been telling other teams that Lillard would not honor his current contract if he was traded. This is a violation of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement, which states that teams are not allowed to make false or misleading statements about a player’s contractual status.
The NBA’s statement reads: “The NBA has issued a warning to all teams that any attempt to claim that Damian Lillard would not honor his contract in a potential trade would be subject to disciplinary action. Such statements are prohibited under the collective bargaining agreement and are considered detrimental to the league.”
The statement also noted that the league has a long history of honoring contracts and that any team found to be making false statements about a player’s contractual status would be subject to disciplinary action.
Lillard is currently in the third year of a four-year, $120 million contract with the Trail Blazers. He is one of the most talented players in the league and is widely considered to be one of the best point guards in the NBA.
It is unclear why teams were attempting to spread false information about Lillard’s contractual status, but it is likely that they were trying to drive down his trade value. The NBA’s warning should serve as a reminder to all teams that they must abide by the rules of the collective bargaining agreement and not attempt to spread false information about players.
