Rockets Owner Fined After Speaking Too Soon On Russell Westbrook Trade

BYAlexander Cole2.5K Views
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Tilman Fertitta
Tilman Fertitta clearly wasn't aware of the rule.

Last week, one of the biggest trades of the year was made when the Oklahoma City Thunder sent Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul. It was clear that Westbrook wanted out of OKC and considering Paul's relationship with James Harden, the deal made sense for both parties. As of right now, the Thunder are shopping Chris Paul but they aren't in too much of a rush to get a trade finalized.

Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta was pretty excited about the deal and issued a statement on Thursday to say that Paul would be missed. Well, it turns out Fertitta must have missed the rules meeting because it was reported by Marc Stein of the New York Times that his comments go against the league's rules.

The team was issued a $25,000 fine by the league because you're not allowed to comment on trades and deals before they become official. At the time of Fertitta's comments, the trade hadn't been 100 percent finalized and that's why has to pay up now.

Luckily for Fertitta, he bought the Rockets two years ago for $2.2 billion so he's more than wealthy enough to pay the fine. At least next time he'll know not to unleash the wrath of Adam Silver.


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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