What is the reason why the timberwolves were deprived of the draft pick?

It happened in the offseason of 1999. At that time, Mike Haier, the general manager of Timberwolves, violated the relevant regulations of the league and secretly signed an agreement with joe smith, the player's agent. In order to avoid luxury tax, Wolves coveted Smith, so they gave him a 1 year contract for five years in a row and promised him the biggest contract until he stayed for five years. . ), it was during the NBA labor strike, so joe smith's case was not taken seriously. But 200 1 was suspected by NBA officials, investigated, and finally left a ticket. NBA President david stern severely punished the Timberwolves, fined them $3.5 million, and prohibited joe smith from signing with the Timberwolves. . Deprive the Timberwolves of their draft picks for the next four years,