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[ClutchPoints] “If you were a free agent, then you could choose where you were gonna go… This started with James [Harden] and Ben [Simmons] and all these guys doing this sh*t. It’s bad for the league.” Austin Rivers on Damian Lillard’s trade demand (via ringernba/TT)



I tend to agree with Austin. We’ve got a situation now where the superstar can almost ensure a move by just demanding one, or “asking” for one. It is a luxury that the average player, who has to effectively wait until free agency, doesn’t have because they don’t have the leverage. The richest get richer, I guess.

Source: [https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1683300963929522176](https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1683300963929522176)

by Kimber80

37 Comments

  1. atlfirsttimer

    People have always requested trades. And quite frankly we’ve seen worse behavior

  2. stutterhouse

    Sounds like he’s a bit jealous. There’s no need for equality here. The Superstars can have their perks.

  3. Domguyps5

    This isn’t new behavior. This has been going on for years, even back in the 90s

  4. lopea182

    Stars requesting trades will always be part of the deal.

    However, the recent surge in trade requests 1-2 years after a player signs a max/supermax (that’s designed to incentivize them to stay longterm with their original team) indicates the supermax doesn’t work as it was intended.

  5. Kwilly462

    Requesting a trade isn’t bad for the league. Getting traded to a team you didn’t ask to be on, and then refusing to play for them would be bad for the league.

  6. JAhoops

    Once they traded Harrison Barnes on the bench, idgaf what players do

  7. TinTinsKnickerbocker

    Ok in principle he is right. In reality Ben Simmons would have gambled 100s of millions to earn 10s of millions less. While having way less jobsecurity. I think whoever presents QO as an genuine alternative is arguing in bad faith.

  8. njb2017

    Yes, trade requests have happened since the beginning of the NBA. The difference now is that players are listing out the teams they can be traded to and limiting the market. It’s bad for the league. I honestly don’t remember this ever happening decades ago

  9. Party-Ad-7077

    How is players leaving in free agency while a team receives nothing a good thing lmao

  10. Rogan4Life

    Trade demands are fine, it’s demands to only play for 1 team.

  11. Super_Goomba64

    Now billionaires can’t buy their 2nd gold plated yacht

    Boo fucking hoo they can afford it

  12. Hogo-Nano

    Not only requesting a trade after signing a supermax but threatening to sit out if you are only traded to one team in particular. Wild to see.

  13. Bigburrbike

    The NBA made this the smart business decision.

  14. dizzyaha

    This started with James [Harden] and Ben [Simmons] …

    I think it was Wilt start it 50+ years ago. He even asked coach to be fired as well.

  15. smalls_1804

    Hearing this comment from a player rather than a commentator is interesting. It actually feels like a misnomer to call stars demanding trades “player empowerment”, because in order to “empower” Lillard, Herro, Robinson, Lowry, Jovic, and Haquez all might get traded to a team they didn’t necessarily want to go to

  16. josephseeed

    As long as the max salary exists, stars will do this. It’s part of the system now.

  17. spicyfartz4yaman

    I feel like when you move how James has moved you deserve zero grace, they should send him to the hornets

  18. WordSpiritual1928

    I’m fine with requesting a trade, just don’t like saying you won’t play for teams if they trade for you or saying it must be one team. I think giving a list of preferred teams is meeting in middle ground. This way, if they signed a super max, it helps the team get some value back versus walking for free in free agency.

  19. Aregisteredusername

    Teams don’t have to trade guys upon a request, but the way it’s treated by media and fans now is that if a player wants out he’s getting out and the team is doing their players wrong by not trading them to the team they want to be on despite the players signing contracts for millions of dollars to play for this team they’re now asking to leave. The narrative in unhealthy for the teams, and I argue the financial compensation the top players get, the ones making news for asking for trades, is more than enough money to put up with not winning a championship.

  20. rosellem

    The owners have effectively killed free agency through the rules on max contracts and extensions. The owners don’t want to lose their players for nothing. But they alao don’t want to be tied to longer contracts (in mlb and nhl star players sign 8-10year contracts). The owners created the current situation for their benefit, more players demanding trades is the result.

    Owners don’t like the trade demands, but it’s an acceptable trade off for them.

  21. As others have said, it’s one thing to request a trade. It’s another thing to demand you’ll only go to one team, which is almost always a NYC/LA team or Miami. That shit is corny.

  22. thy_armageddon

    Maybe, maybe not. The Nepobaby doesn’t get to speak on privileged players.

  23. PettifordGang

    Still haven’t gotten a clear breakdown why this is so bad for the league. Other than team owners having their decisions blow up on their face, which is all part of the business.

    There is increasing parity in the league. Forced trades have yet to topple any integrity or competitive spirit of the league. In the case if the Nets, their future is probably brighter because the big 3 forced their way out.

    Smaller markets are winning chips and building strong programs. Divas are annoying sure, but i have zero issue with this and most players who abuse it you see coming from a mile away. That’s on the team for taking a known gamble.

    In Dame’s case he gave the organization great years, tons of revenue and sounds like they jerked him around with double talk. Take what you can get and let everyone move on.

  24. UniqueThanks

    Bros career was saved by his dad. He should just stop talking

  25. CowboyKritical

    It’s important the League keeps the top end players happy, otherwise you could potentially end up with a LIV Golf situation in the future.

    None of it’s fair, but unfortunately people have become more entitled and morally bare.

  26. kamekaze1024

    Rivers saying this started with Ben and James is hilariously inaccurate. If that was said on here by a random user they’d be called a casual.

    This has always been a thing. I was thinking since like Vince Carter era but people here have mentioned Kareem and even Wilt which I didn’t know about

  27. Run_PBJ

    Requesting trades isn’t a big deal. Demanding a single location is really bad for the league

  28. martwypaweu

    it’s also annoying af, nba needs to get rid of diva type behaviour

  29. bigdog8300

    So two guys that kinda fucked over your dad in Philly? Ok Austin

  30. trevortins

    Only people it’s bad for are the teams who lose out on their star. I hate when people try to bring up morality and good and bad for the league. THE LEAGUE ONLY CARES ABOUT MONEY ITS A BUSINESS. They just let miles bridges back into the nba after what he did, but had my myers Leonard gone for years over a slip of the tongue. Let’s also not forget they had known pedophile karl Malone just host the dunk contest. Since when did the nba care about right or bad for league as long as it benefited them.

    Why would any player like lilard or beal not take a supermax and give their family generational wealth? Do people understand this is a game and that type of money is life changing for a lot more people than just the player? Harden already opted out of 48 mill last year to help his team, he should now become a feee agent and risk losing millions more? Obviously they are gonna ask to go to one team, anyone requesting a team has a place they want to be, at the end of the day the team isn’t forced to trade them if they don’t want value to drop trade them right when they ask before they specify a location.

  31. StefonDiggsHS

    Requesting a trade a year after signing the biggest contract you can and THEN only saying to trade you to 1 team is wild. Adam Silver needs to step in this is horrible for the league

  32. CoachJW

    I think is type of content is pure rage bait.

    If the only team Dame wanted to be traded to was the Suns or the Clippers who have exactly zero assets left, he wouldn’t get traded. It’s as simple as that.

    On the other hand, Miami can put together a fairly strong package (3 or 4 FRP’s, young players, etc.) that is most certainly not going to get matched by anyone else. Dame is a hall-of-fame level player, but he’s also a 33-year-old small guard on a behemoth of a contract – the market that I feel like I see people post about in these threads just really doesn’t exist for him. Portland will get the best offer out of Miami by the end of all of this and the whole thing with his agent calling around will be a muted point.

    Even playing GM for other teams, Dame makes no sense:

    Utah – Very bright future (like their highlighter jerseys) but not a true contending team, does not make sense to give up significant assets for an older player before you’re ready to actually compete.

    Boston – Competitive, could use Dame, but not sure they can make the salary work after the Grant Williams trade. No young players that they’d be actually willing to give up. With how young their stars are, I would value their future picks *significantly* less than those from Miami whose core is much older.

    Toronto – Known trade sticklers. Nobody knows what Masai wants or what exactly his plan for the team is. Dame would look good next to their plethora of wings, even if that meant giving up OG in the trade package. This is probably the more realistic team that could reasonably make a competitive offer, and they’ve done it in the past with great success. Not sure what their pick situation looks like and they also need to get Siakam back on an extension to make this make sense.

    Outside of a Hail Mary from Toronto, I just don’t see it.

  33. eon-hand

    When it truly started was when free agent Kawhi Leonard called Paul George (who was fully under contract, not even on an expiring deal) and said “Get traded to the Clippers and then I’ll sign there too.” It’s the worst instance of tampering, in a broad sense of the word, in league history, but it somehow wasn’t against the rules. And then they laughed about it in interviews. And then the NBA did nothing about it. Now we’re here!

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