In the aftermath of the blockbuster deal that sent him to the Suns, Kevin Durant voiced his support for players requesting trades amid recent criticism surrounding the topic after he and Kyrie Irving requested to leave the Nets.
Durant shared his stance from the All-Star Weekend festivities in Utah, telling reporters he believes trade requests are “great for the league,” in part, because they bring more attention to the NBA. Like his friend and former teammate, Durant has drawn some backlash since the injured 13-time All-Star landed in Phoenix on Feb. 9 after quietly requesting a trade, a move that came just four days after Brooklyn honored Irving’s highly-publicized trade request by trading him to the Mavericks.
“I don’t think it’s bad for the league, it’s bringing more eyes to the league, more people are more excited,” Durant said. “The tweets that I got and the news hits that we got from me being traded, Kyrie being traded, just brings more attention to the league.”
Durant went on to say that the evolving landscape of the NBA has given players more freedom, which, in his estimation, has made the idea of players requesting trades more commonplace than ever before.
“I think it’s great for the league, to be honest. Teams have been trading players and making acquisitions for a long time. Now when a player can dictate where he wants to go, leave in free agency or demand a trade, it’s just part of the game now,” he added.
While Durant made it more than clear that he’s on-board with the idea, the star forward’s take will likely bring even more criticism from those who believe the NBA should take a more firm approach to players requesting trades. On Friday, commissioner Adam Silver addressed the topic in an interview, saying that the trade demands have caused the league to focus more on making sure players honor their contracts.
Silver also noted that, while the NBA supports player movement, trade requests are viewed as a “bad thing,” with the front office still looking to find the “right balance” league-wide. This year’s NBA trade deadline saw 54 players change teams, the most in a season since the league began tracking deadline activity in 1987.
“In the week leading up to the trade deadline, something like 12% of the league changed teams,” Silver said. “And that’s something that we were intentional about because we shorten contracts. We recognize the ability for teams to rebuild, now it’s not just about players, but for teams to make changes in direction, and that’s healthy around the league.
“So again, it’s about finding the right balance around player movement. But trade demands are a bad thing. We don’t want them to happen, and we got to focus on that and make sure that everyone is honoring their agreements.”
