The NBA's tampering investigations into the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat for their sign-and-trade acquisitions of Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry, respectively, are entering the "advanced stages," per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday's edition of NBA Countdown (25-second mark of video).
Wojnarowski said that penalties could include a fine of up to $10 million per team, the loss of draft picks and the suspension of team executives.
Wojnarowski and ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported on Aug. 7 that the league was looking into possible tampering violations on the Bulls' and Heat's parts, with a focus on early contact ahead of the free agency period:
Adrian WojnarowskiNBA is expected to examine early contact on those deals ahead of the opening of free agency at 6 PM ET on Monday, sources tell ESPN.