AJC: Atlanta Hawks: Gearon Jr. latest to be fined for LeBron love

[Hawksquawk]

All those NBA executives who covet LeBron James this summer probably should keep it to themselves.

The league hit ASG’s Michael Gearon Jr. with a $25,000 fine for tampering after the co-owner said he’d give LeBron James max money “in a heartbeat.” That brings the LeBron Tampering Pool to $135,000 for the week. The league dinged Mavs owner Mark Cuban for $100,000 and Steve Kerr for $10,000 after they made overtures to James, who won’t be eligible to become a free agent until July 1.

Gearon’s comments first appeared in a May 19 Hawks blog entry.

“If somebody came to us tomorrow and said you can have LeBron for max money and it puts you in the luxury tax, I'd do it in a a heartbeat,” Gearon said. “But am I going to do that for [Zydrunas] Ilgauskas? Am I going to do it for Jermaine O'Neal? I don't think so.”

The league apparently decided Gearon’s comments fell somewhere between Cuban’s quote that he’d be interested in a sign-and-trade for LeBron, and Kerr’s joking …

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