Durant, Silver provide differing views on commerce calls for in NBA

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving defended making commerce requests throughout their All-Star Weekend apply media availabilities Saturday, with Durant even going thus far to name that “great for the league.”

A number of hours later, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who has repeatedly staunchly denounced gamers making commerce calls for, was requested for his ideas on Durant’s remark. 

“Well, where I fall when it comes to player movement, I generally think that’s positive,” Silver mentioned. “In fact, we designed this current collective bargaining agreement with shorter contracts, for example, with the way free agency works, to allow for that.

“… That’s very completely different than a so-called demand for a commerce. I believe that, in truth, the Players Association has agreed with us in our present collective bargaining settlement there are guidelines in opposition to making public commerce calls for. I’ve mentioned that many occasions earlier than. I believe that is a foul factor. I believe it is corrosive to the system.”

Days ahead of the trade deadline, Irving — quickly followed by Durant — both demanded to be traded by the Brooklyn Nets. Irving, who was making $38.9 million and in the final year of his contract, landed with the Dallas Mavericks. Durant, who had initially asked to be traded over the summer and was under a four-year $198 million contract, was dealt to the Phoenix Suns. 

When asked if trade demands are bad for the league, Durant took the opposite position from Silver. 

“I do not suppose it is unhealthy for the league,” Durant said. “It’s bringing extra eyes to the league, extra persons are extra excited. The tweets that I received, and the information hits that we received from me being traded, Kyrie being traded, simply deliver extra consideration to the league, and that is actually what makes you cash is while you get extra consideration. So I believe it is nice for the league, to be trustworthy.”

Irving added that gamers ought to be capable of do what’s greatest for them. 

“What’s a foul state of affairs and why would not anyone have the flexibility to ask for trades?” Irving asked. “That’s my query is simply when did it develop into horrible to make nice enterprise selections for your self and your happiness and your peace of thoughts. Not each employer you are going to get together with, so if in case you have an opportunity to go some place else and also you’re doing it legally, I do not suppose there’s an issue with it.”

This is a critical time for the NBA and the NBPA, who have mutually agreed to extend the deadline to opt out of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement to March 31. During All-Star Weekend, TNT analyst Charles Barkley told reporters he believes the issue of players making trade requests could cause a breakdown in negotiations. 

“You cannot take my cash and say you need to divorce me in six months to a 12 months as a result of you possibly can solely get the max from this group,” Barkley told reporters Thursday. “You cannot take all my cash, then say, ‘Hey, I need a divorce.’ So, I’m fairly certain that is the following factor that is gonna come out of the CBA. I’ve little doubt in my thoughts that these guys are gonna get locked out.”

Silver, nevertheless, mentioned he is not involved about that exact challenge. 

“I’m not as a result of, as I mentioned earlier, we have already got agreed with the Players Association that public commerce calls for are inappropriate,” Silver said. “It at present exists as conduct detrimental in our CBA, and that has not been an space of debate between us and the Players Association.”

(Where things get murky, of course, is that players rarely make public trade requests. What typically happens is that their trade requests get leaked, which inevitably places the same pressure on an organization.)

Silver also spoke on another hot-button issue in the NBA: Load management. 

When asked if there have been any discussions with the NBPA about playing 82 games over a longer period of time, such as the 170-day format, or reducing the number of games played, he said he’d “by no means say by no means ever” to those ideas being off the table, but added there’s no data that supports that would reduce injuries. 

“I do not suppose we’re approaching it essentially in an adversarial means with the Player’s Association,” Silver said. “We’re working collectively along with our medical doctors, our information scientists and making an attempt to see if there’s an optimum means for participant efficiency. If it means sooner or later we conclude that we’re higher off elongating the schedule to scale back back-to-backs, for instance, that is one thing that is price . If we thought it made sense to scale back the variety of video games, we might.”

As for Durant, he made it very clear where he stands on that topic. When asked if he’d like to see the number of games in a season reduced, he didn’t hesitate in his response. 

“No,” he mentioned.

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