Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls Set to Face $10 Million Fines Plus Other Punishments

The Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls created very strong rosters with their moves in the offseason. The Heat acquired Kyle Lowry, and the Bulls added Lonzo Ball among many names to their roster. They are both strong contenders from the Eastern Conference now because of these additions.

However, the league previously started an investigation into these two teams, which has now reached an advanced stage.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls could look at $10 million or above in fines and further possible punishments like loss of draft assets. This results from the tampering allegations that were alleged in their trades for Kyle Lowry and Lonzo Ball, respectively.

Bulls and Heat may face fines near $10 million over tampering allegations

Since September, the probe has been ongoing. The Bulls could face a fine of up to $10 million from the NBA. The Miami Heat are also under investigation for their Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade deal with the Raptors. As a result of the investigation, team executives may face suspension.

With an 8-3 record and a tie for first place in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls are off to a promising start in 2021. With the acquisition of Ball from the Pelicans, the Bulls added some great shooting and playmaking to their style of play.

For both teams, any of the aforementioned punishments will be detrimental to their future. Some in the short run, but the most worrying one is the potential loss of draft capital in the long run.

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What does this mean for the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat?

The Chicago Bulls gave up significant draft capital to acquire Nikola Vucevic. They do not have a lot of draft capital in their bank anyway. If they lose more because of punishments, then their future will be at risk. However, Zach Lavine, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and to some extent even DeRozan can lock them all down for their long-term futures to the franchise in case they lose draft capital.

And similarly, for the Heat, these punishments might put their long-term future at risk. However, they have a lot of their first-round picks still with them, so for them, it might not be as detrimental.

Nevertheless, all of this is presently speculation and until the NBA gives a final conclusion of the investigation, nothing can be said for certain.

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