We have probably not seen the last of the demands of public commerce here NBA players, especially after people like Kevin Durant, Damien Lillard And James Harden (x3) essentially got their wishes granted.
But multiple sources say NBA owners are looking for ways to prevent, or at least minimize, the practice, especially after Harden won the triple crown of “running me out of town.”
“I think the whole player empowerment aspect that has existed in the league for the last few years? I think it’s about running your course, because a lot of it just hasn’t worked out,” an Eastern source with experience at multiple levels in the league told Heavy Sports. “The illustration of this failure and how guys buy their way to different teams at high prices, you know, the James Harden effectI think the owners are talking to each other and they have had enough.
“I KNOW they’re talking to each other, and it’s to the point where some of them have been burned by this stuff and most of the others have been played in one form or another. Either they’ve made offers for trades, or they spent time looking at this stuff when they should have just been paying attention to their own business. And it’s looking so bad for the league. The optics are horrible.
“Everyone talks about Draymond (Green) putting (Rudy) Gobert in a tough spot, but guys like Harden have been putting their teams and the league in a tough spot for a few years now. This just looks bad to fans who are wondering, “Who’s in charge here?” »
Celtics Paul Pierce on player empowerment
Hall of Famer Paul Pierce discussed the matter with Heavy Sports, understanding the situation now while defending his own flirtation with the process. He had already been a five times All-Star when Celtic Fortune fell below 0.500 at the start and middle of the month. Pierce was exploring the possibility of being somewhere else.
“But I never did it publicly,” he told Heavy. “And I didn’t say I wanted to leave. We talked about what’s next and the future, like, what’s the game plan? Because if we’re not looking to be a championship contender right now, then we need to look at a rebuild and you probably want to get me out of here. It was a crossroads.
The Celtics took the road to the franchise’s 18th NBA title in exchange for Ray Allen and then Kevin Garnett in the summer of 2007.
These moves were an important and popular topic among sports fans, even during the league’s offseason. And therein lies the double-edged sword. The NBA loves it when it’s front and center in the public consciousness, but players seeking divorce can seem a bit unseemly — and irritate the jilted fan base that follows them.
“I’m not sure how good it is for the game,” Pierce said. “But at the same time, players have learned that they largely control their own destiny. It just seems like they are gaining more power. But when you can be traded at any time without any authorization and simply sent back after establishing yourself in a community, I mean, what can you say?
NBA owners are a little fed up
The NBA actually has labor peace (the last The CBA runs through the 2029-30 season), but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for some grumbling.
“I think some landlords are a little fed up with the idea that they’re paying astronomical sums of money – and that they wouldn’t pay them if they didn’t have them; I mean, the collective bargaining formula works – and then they’re stuck like that,” a league source said.
“If your best player or one of your best players says he wants to retire, what does that look like when you’re trying to promote your team to your audience, when you’re trying to sell tickets and d “get people to watch your local televised games?? The owners say the only people bound by contracts now are us. The players feel no sense of obligation by contract.
This is of course an oversimplification that applies to some. But when some of them are among the most marketable players on their team, it can create a difficult situation, both financially and in terms of perception, which can, in turn, impact the former.
