Lakers Rumors: Team getting investigated for tampering with Paul George

Paul George has been the most present name within Lakers rumors, dating back months to a year. However, these rumors could cost the Lakers heavily.

The Los Angeles Lakers could be in some deep trouble, and that is an understatement. The illustrious franchise that has won 16 NBA Championships is a model franchise for the NBA. Even with past controversy (Chris Paul trade), the Lakers have remained the pinnacle of the NBA. However, all of the latest Lakers rumors may cost the team serious repercussions.

For what seems like forever, the Lakers and Paul George have been tied together like peanut butter and jelly. The Los Angeles native would accomplish a dream in playing for his hometown Lakers. Being in the middle of the worst tenure in franchise history, the Lakers are interested in any star they can get and have already started setting the table to acquire George.

Whether it is freeing up salary space, or drafting a player such as Lonzo Ball to complement George, the Lakers have been preparing. However, some of this preparation may not be clean as the team is being investigated for tampering with George.

NBA Insider Peter Vecsey broke the news first via Twitter. Further reports indicate that Pacers owner Herb Simon filed the points for tampering with the All-Star forward. No reports have come out saying exactly what the Lakers have done, but it will be interesting to see the steps the franchise takes moving forward.

As serious as this issue is, many are pointing to Magic Johnson’s appearance on Live with Jimmy Kimmel in which he ironically discussed tampering, along with sending a not so subtle hint about his desire for George.

Again, the repercussions of this tampering are yet to be seen. As of now, there is no inside intel of what exactly the Lakers did, when they did it or why the Pacers are so upset. There are a wide array of punishments the league can hand the Lakers.

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Whether it is taking away future draft picks, or blocking the Lakers to sign George at all, if found guilty, the team will pay the price. After months of speculation, promise and hype – all due to Lakers rumors – this would be a huge fall from grace.

It is not all bad though, as talks of bringing in LeBron James have intensified. Whether it is Paul George, LeBron James or somebody completely unexpected, you can’t help but have faith in Magic Johnson.

It will be interesting to see the Lakers’ response in the coming days.

Vecsey reported that Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka were also interviewed alongside Magic Johnson. With the three figure heads involved, the organization will likely formulate some sort of response.

Next: Stars to bring in with LeBron James

Once that response hits, along with any other news around the investigation, we will be covering it thoroughly here at LA Sports Hub.