Los Angeles (AFP)
Golden State Warriors winger Draymond Green fined $ 50,000 for remarks about young Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker seen by the NBA as an unlawful approach by a player under contract with another team.
Guest on a TNT program, alongside Charles Barkley in particular, Green praised Booker's performances since the resumption of the season at Disney World, which allows Phoenix to remain in the race for a place in the play-off for the play -offs.
"It's great to see + Book + play well and Phoenix play well, but we have to get him out of there," he said.
"It's not good for him (to stay), it's not good for his career. This guy has to go somewhere else, where he'll play great all the time and win, because he's that guy. player we are talking about, "he said.
Taken up by show host Ernie Johnson, suggesting that he was making an illicit approach to the player, Green agreed that it "may" be the case.
The 23-year-old Booker is under contract with Phoenix until 2024. He is the team's best player and scorer (26.4 points average this season).
The NBA adopted last September measures aimed at severely punishing (up to $ 10 million in fines, suspensions, contract terminations ...) this practice known as "tampering".
Several transfers pushed it there, like those towards the Clippers of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, probably heard even before the "free agency", period which authorizes the franchises to negotiate with the players free of any contract and possibly to recruit them.
These arrivals in LA had surprised everyone, except the interested parties themselves, suspected of having discussed the project among themselves well in advance. Which is also prohibited.
© 2020 AFP