Knicks Rumors: Jalen Brunson Tampering Investigation Ongoing After 76ers Probe Wraps

The NBA punished the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday for tampering this past offseason, and the New York Knicks might be next.

The NBA announced that it stripped the 76ers of their second-round picks in the 2023 and 2024 drafts for tampering with free agents P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.

With that context as the backdrop, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the NBA is still investigating whether the Knicks tampered with Jalen Brunson when he was a free agent.

It seems as if the league may be taking a harder stance on tampering moving forward considering Wojnarowski reported "the NBA and NBPA are expected to revisit the rules that punish teams discovered to have had discussions with player agents on pending free agents ahead of free agency's official start."

While the report pointed out ending tampering is "hard to police and largely impossible to eliminate," the 76ers were punished for the practice Monday.

The NBA also announced in December that it was stripping the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat of second-round picks for tampering with Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry, respectively.

Brunson was New York's biggest addition of the offseason. He signed a four-year deal worth $104 million. In August, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that the league had already started a tampering investigation, which is still ongoing.

On June 28—before free agency officially opened—Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported that it was "widely anticipated" the Knicks were going to offer Brunson a deal of four years worth more than $100 million.

The Villanova product is off to a solid start this season. He's averaging 18.2 points, 7.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game through his first six contests. The Knicks are off to a 3-3 start, which is tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference in the early going.

Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett are a solid trio that should help the Knicks remain competitive this season, but their pursuit of the point guard may cost them draft capital in the future.