Report: NBA offered to drop Raptors' fine if team stripped Drake of title

The Raptors were reportedly fined $25,000 after Drake made comments regarding Kevin Durant at the music star's OVO Fest. Drizzy's comments were deemed to be in violation of the NBA's anti-tampering rules, but according to a report in The Globe and Mail, the team was offered an opportunity to have the fine dropped.

...the NBA offered to drop the tampering fine if the team agreed to strip Drake of his title. The Raptors apparently refused.

Drake is not an official employee of the Raptors, but does serve as the team's "global ambassador," a partnership that was announced last September.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the Raptors, the NHL's Maple Leafs and Major League Soccer's Toronto FC, among other properties, is a multi-billion dollar company, and in a superstar-driven league like the NBA, keeping an entertainment superstar with as much influence as Drake in the fold is worth more than any damage a $25,000 fine can inflict.

The Raptors are coming off of a franchise-record 48-win season and their first trip to the postseason in six years. Toronto will host the 2016 NBA All-Star game and the team is on track to have salary cap flexibility in the coming years.

Durant is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2016.