The Mavericks came away with a couple of very nice pickups in free agency, stealing DeAndre Jordan away from the Clippers and taking a bit of a chance on Wes Matthews, who is coming off of a season-ending Achilles’ injury as a member of the Blazers.
But while players and agents are allowed to discuss these impending moves, teams are prohibited from doing so during a moratorium period that this year lasts until July 9.
ESPN sources say Mavs owner Mark Cuban has been fined $25,000 for publicly discussing Mavs’ looming deals w/DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews
The reason for the moratorium on signings is because the salary cap for the upcoming season has not been officially set.
Free agents become free on July 1, but the salary cap is not set until the league’s audit is completed later in the month. Teams and players must wait for the salary cap to be set before trades and most free agent signings can commence. Teams may negotiate with free agents beginning July 1, but they have to wait until the moratorium ends before signing a contract.
Cuban was obviously excited to land Jordan and Matthews, and jumped the gun a little on publicly discussing the new additions. The league handed down what amounts to nothing more than a slap on the wrist.
