Adam Silver Bashes Durant Trade Request


Star players asking for trades while under contract has become a thing in the NBA. Anthony Davis, James Harden, Ben Simmons, James Harden again, Kevin Durant. You get the picture. And the league, to say the least, is not happy about it. 

Silver specifically said he's not happy with the way the Durant trade request went down.  

Look, this needs to be a two-way street. Teams provide enormous security and guarantees to players and the expectation is, in return, they will meet their end of the bargain. I’m realistic that there’s always conversations that are going to go on behind closed doors between players and their representatives and the teams. But we don’t like to see players requesting trades, and we don’t like to see it playing out the way it is.

Commissioner Silver went on to say that the league will look into "remedies" for players requesting trades early in their contracts, in discussion with the union.  

The soon-to-be-34-year-old Durant, a 12-time All-Star, is just entering the first year of a 4-year, $198 million contract extension that he just signed with the Brooklyn Nets last August. 

Previously, Harden forced his way out of Houston, then forced his way out of Brooklyn. Ben Simmons had just completed Year 1 of a 5-year, $177M contract with the Philadelphia 76ers when he demanded out. 

"I would love the focus to be on the play on the floor," concluded Silver.

Photo Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports