Kevin Durant: Trade Requests 'Great For League'

[RealGM Wiretap]

Kevin Durant believes trade requests are "great for the league" because it brings more attention to the NBA and also gives players the opportunity to improve their situation.

"Teams have been trading players and making acquisitions for a long time," said Durant. "Now 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."

Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets to the Phoenix Suns before the deadline. It was Durant's second trade request in under a year though the first one was not granted.

Durant previously left the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors during his two prior free agency periods. 

Via Ben Golliver/Washington Post

[ChuckChilly]

I lean more towards player empowerment, but this ridiculous. Its like players believe there should be no negatives to signing a contract.

[KootenayRapFan]

So I guess it has to go both ways then right? If the employer doesnt feel said employee is living up to the contract they signed they can hold out payment? I mean whats the point of even having contracts at this point?

[luciano-davidwesley]

Guaranteed contracts for us but all care, no responsibility.

I think most people just wish these two would stop talking. Entitled brats.

[Hold That]

So I guess it has to go both ways then right? If the employer doesnt feel said employee is living up to the contract they signed they can hold out payment? I mean whats the point of even having contracts at this point?

What’s the justification if there’s another employer(team) willing to take on that same contract and wages? Does the employee not have the right to go to that other employer?

[KootenayRapFan]

So I guess it has to go both ways then right? If the employer doesnt feel said employee is living up to the contract they signed they can hold out payment? I mean whats the point of even having contracts at this point?

What’s the justification if there’s another employer(team) willing to take on that same contract and wages? Does the employee not have the right to go to that other employer?

I think you are missing my point...what if no other employer deems that contract worth it? Players seem to hold all the cards here...I am a star, yes i signed a contract with you but it no longer works for me so i am out. Owners dont have that option do they?

[Hold That]

So I guess it has to go both ways then right? If the employer doesnt feel said employee is living up to the contract they signed they can hold out payment? I mean whats the point of even having contracts at this point?

What’s the justification if there’s another employer(team) willing to take on that same contract and wages? Does the employee not have the right to go to that other employer?

I think you are missing my point...what if no other employer deems that contract worth it? Players seem to hold all the cards here...I am a star, yes i signed a contract with you but it no longer works for me so i am out. Owners dont have that option do they?

That situation has yet to happen so why even discuss hypotheticals

[irish22022]

What’s the justification if there’s another employer(team) willing to take on that same contract and wages? Does the employee not have the right to go to that other employer?

I think you are missing my point...what if no other employer deems that contract worth it? Players seem to hold all the cards here...I am a star, yes i signed a contract with you but it no longer works for me so i am out. Owners dont have that option do they?

That situation has yet to happen so why even discuss hypotheticals

Nobody is voiding any contracts. Those are written in ink and exist regardless. The employer can trade the contract, the player goes with it. This isn't owners vs players. It's owners vs contracts. The players are absolutely obligated to fulfill their contracts and if they don't they don't get paid. Kyrie has gone unpaid. It happens. Players want out, they can demand a trade. KD did it, kyrie did it, the team trades the contract and someone else assumes it. Simple as that.

Unless your issue is that the most talented people in the world at something hold more power than some rich guy. If that's so, then this is a personal problem. It isn't hard for me to imagine that basketball players hold a little power when talking about the game of basketball.

[niha17]

Trade requests just show you you cant deal with the pressure

[artsncrafts]

lol this is the funniest thing I have read in a while. “You are not going to get along with every employer”. True! However you signed a contract that paid you 50 god damn million dollars a year (or whatever these guys make these days) to play a few games of basketball. If you don’t want to work for the employer after signing that then sit at home and don’t get paid. No one told you to sign with whatever team you choose to sign with. You would get sued in all other professions.

[Bk68]

I think you are missing my point...what if no other employer deems that contract worth it? Players seem to hold all the cards here...I am a star, yes i signed a contract with you but it no longer works for me so i am out. Owners dont have that option do they?

That situation has yet to happen so why even discuss hypotheticals

Nobody is voiding any contracts. Those are written in ink and exist regardless. The employer can trade the contract, the player goes with it. This isn't owners vs players. It's owners vs contracts. The players are absolutely obligated to fulfill their contracts and if they don't they don't get paid. Kyrie has gone unpaid. It happens. Players want out, they can demand a trade. KD did it, kyrie did it, the team trades the contract and someone else assumes it. Simple as that.

Unless your issue is that the most talented people in the world at something hold more power than some rich guy. If that's so, then this is a personal problem. It isn't hard for me to imagine that basketball players hold a little power when talking about the game of basketball.

Well said. Regardless what side your on

[Revived]

What’s the justification if there’s another employer(team) willing to take on that same contract and wages? Does the employee not have the right to go to that other employer?

I think you are missing my point...what if no other employer deems that contract worth it? Players seem to hold all the cards here...I am a star, yes i signed a contract with you but it no longer works for me so i am out. Owners dont have that option do they?

That situation has yet to happen so why even discuss hypotheticals

Ben Simmons has a contract that no team in the NBA wants and he’s not providing anywhere close to level of production that’s worth his contract. Can Nets void his contract?

[purpleswordfish]

It isn't good for the league when it continues to create an extremely top-heavy league. It's also bad for small market teams when it happens to them (not in this case). But yeah, people talked it about a lot on Twitter and Kevin Durant thinks that translates into revenue. He's clueless.

Then again, he's a guy that's relatively uneducated and completely out of touch with most peoples' reality. Him talking about business and what generates revenue is like me talking about what it takes to be an Olympic gymnast.