As if the Pacific Division wasn’t already exciting enough after a summer that saw Kevin Durant leave and Anthony Davis, Paul George, and 2019 NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard arrive to join LeBron James and Stephen Curry, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr added some fuel to the divisional fire today when he criticized Davis’ public trade demand out of New Orleans.
Appearing on NBC Sports’ Warriors Insider Podcast (h/t to ESPN), Kerr said there is a troubling trend in the NBA right now wherein players who are healthy and still have a couple of years left on their deal (e.g. Davis) publicly request a trade. Kerr said that situations like that are both a “real problem” and “bad for the league.”
“I’m talking more about the Anthony Davis situation… where a guy is perfectly healthy and has a couple years left on his deal and says, ‘I want to leave.’ That’s a real problem that the league has to address and that the players have to be careful with.”
“When you sign on that dotted line, you owe your effort and your play to that team, to that city, to the fans… (and) if you sign the contract, then you should be bound to that contract… (Now) If you come to an agreement with the team that, ‘Hey, it’s probably best for us to part ways,’ that’s one thing, (b)ut the Davis stuff was really kind of groundbreaking — and hopefully not a trend, because it’s bad for the league.”
There’s more out of the Pacific Division this evening:
- The Suns have been searching for a point guard to help lead them back up from the bottom of the Western Conference standings for years now, and the three qualities that veteran Ricky Rubio possesses that makes Phoenix think he’s the guy are playmaking, defense, and leadership, writes Cody Cunningham of Suns.com.
- Lindsey Harding, recently hired as an assistant coach for the Kings under head coach Luke Walton, says that fear of the unknown is more of a factor than a lack of respect for women coaches when it comes to the absence of a female head coach in the NBA today (per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN).
- New Lakers head coach Frank Vogel plans to incorporate a similar style of play incorporated by Walton, telling Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated that he will continue preaching pace, attacking the basket, and shooting a lot of free throws. But more importantly, Vogel’s goal will be to put shooters at all four positions around James, including center, a la Brook Lopez surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee.
I agree, Davis committed to a contract with New Orleans. If he wanted out, he could’ve been less vocal and aggressive about it and let the Franchise handle it the best way possible – especially as his employer.
Thing is he probably already did and they came back and said we tried but couldn’t find a reasonable trade for you.
Okay so he went public with it. Then it’s cat and Mouse. You either trade the guy under pressure or you put the pressure on him to play out his deal. You don’t HAVE to trade the guy. He IS under contract.
These owners and GM’s cave.. they don’t have to.
The team caves because the player intentionally creates a situation too toxic to ignore. What Davis did was essentially a form of tampering (to be exact it’s considered a breach of contract), and it’s technically against the law and would lead to a lawsuit literally anywhere outside of sports.
They would have traded him if he said he wasn’t going to resign. If teams can trade players at any point, players are going to request trades at any point. The team doesn’t have to say yes.
Kerr’s comment is in no way controversial. It’s rational, common sense
It is but he singled Davis out but said nothing about what Paul George polled. So apparently it’s wrong for Anthony Davis to demand a trade to the Lakers but in his eyes it’s OK for Paul George to demand a trade to the Clippers. Got to love the hypocrisy.
George didn’t go public with it.
This.
George didn’t give the Clippers any time. Davis at least gave the Pelicans time to work on a deal. Kerr singled out Davis because it involved the Lakers, plain and simple. If he wanted to single someone out as starting something new, he should have focused on Jimmy Butler. Oh, but that was ok because it didn’t involve the Lakers. If this type of situation had benefitted the Warriors, Kerr would be defending it.
Explain any time in history where anyone was benefiting from something while all the time saying “this shouldn’t happen”? I’ll wait.
People love talking down the Warriors so much, while all the while holding them to wildly untouchable levels at the same time. You look all look so foolish and history will laugh at you.
Who’s talking down the warriors? Kerr is literally singling our one team in la, while the other is filled with 2 dudes that did something similar.
Why did he have to list all the examples?
What a massive, massive stretch you made just now.
“Hypocrisy”??? Are your hamstrings okay, stretch?
Yea exclusion doesn’t mean he was singling Davis out. Just a continuation of the trend. Consider that Kawhi and George(twice) both pulled this stunt and are now teammates.
You’re right. George twice now. Who would trust him to honor anything he signed. Might cry his way out of the Clippers next year too LOL
I don’t see why it’s a huge deal. Davis signed that contract expecting New Orleans to put a contending team around him. They didn’t and he wanted to leave. New Orleans didn’t have to say yes to his request, but everyone would have clamored for them to trade him if he said he wasn’t going to sign a new contract.
It doesn’t seem reasonable to expect players not to request trades while also expecting teams to trade players they don’t think will resign.
NBA is going to turn into the NFL with the trade demands and hold outs
I bet this! If AD went to the warriors Kerr would’ve said nothing!!
Why would he? “Oh hi player I’m about to coach, I think you shouldn’t be here.” – grow up
So!
I bet you complained about Durant signing with GSW. What AD did to NO was wrong. He got his wish but now Lakers traded away their future for him. Its win now for the Lakers.
Huh?!
wins ain’t comlng to bron.
Really??
But apparently it was perfectly OK for Paul George to demand a trade. Really seems like he sees the Lakers as their biggest threat.
He didn’t say it was okay; probably recognized that trade was for the best.
He also did not mention Irving and that was NOT for the best, nor for Boston!
PG said he didn’t intend to resign with the Pacers.
However PG13’s trade demand was not as publicized as AD’s was. Earlier reports mentioned that Sam Presti and Westbrook were surprised given the commitment PG did with OKC. The thunder did everything possible to avoid this drama of players wanting out via trade. AD trade rumors started well before the season ended.
Same with Porzingis’ trade demand. Kept quiet and internal until after the deal was done. The Knicks and the Unicorn played it properly. Why can’t that be the norm instead of the exception lately?
Bill Simmons provided the term “Pre-Agency” in a podcast months ago; it pretty well sums up a contract not meaning much anymore.
Alright, answer one question for me, everyone dumping on AD. Why is a player demanding a trade seen as not honoring a contract, but a GM trading a player away not seen in the same way?
Give you a thumbs-up but it’s how it was handled publicly instead of internally.
Totally agree Jkolti! If the players have to honor contracts & not ask for trades… then teams can’t trade players & should honor contracts too! That is ridiculous to expect loyalty from players meanwhile teams are disloyal! SMH!!!
Agreed
The NBA should step in and stop this from happening. If you sign on the dotted like be a man of your word and play out your contract. If the player and team can’t stand each other then that’s a different story.
The NBA has more drama queens that any other professional sport. To many pretty boys in the NBA. Grow up and quit show boating.
But why aren’t teams held to this same standard? If you want to trade or release a player, be a man of your word and fulfill your end of the contract too.
The teams do honor their contracts and if it’s guaranteed the player will be paid.
Here’s the thing A lot of people are missing. The employer really is the National Basketball Association… more so than the individual teams.
You get to play in the NBA and there in is your job. Maybe you play in San Antonio maybe you play in Philadelphia. But you work as an NBA player.
If you get traded you’re still in the NBA and you’ll still get paid if you have a guaranteed contract. No problem.
And the players honor their contract and play. Asking for a trade has nothing to do with that, no players have sat out.
Every player plays out his contract, teams don’t have to trade guys just because they want to be traded, just look at Aldridge.
Asking for a trade isn’t breaking your contract just like a team trading someone isn’t breaking theirs.
I don’t get why people are so obsessed with taking away the already limited options players have to change teams.
Anyone realize the NBA is the only league where formally requesting a trade is apparently against the rules? Completely ridiculous if this happened in baseball, football or hockey not a word a sad but in basketball everyone loses their minds.
I dont follow hockey much, but it’s something different in every sport. In football, everyone gets upset when someone holds out. In baseball, it’s when someone leaves their team for a huge payday in free agency. No matter the sport, every time a player does what isn’t in the best interest of the team they’re playing for, they become a villain.
Give me a example from baseball, hockey, or football where a player said i want to be traded to only this team
“That’s all folks”
AD did all right & by the book, he gave the Pels the chance to get the most out of him instead of walking for nothing. They just wasted that opportunity by not trading him in February… Usually is the teams that are wrong & can’t get it right. At the end of the day player power for good or bad is here to stay. Fans pay to watch stars/superstars not teams. Deal with it!
Kerr is just salty cause the Lakers fires his pal Walton lol. Get over it. Everyone hates to see the Lakers get better. I’ve never seen anything like it.