The NBA has always been the most progressive league compared to its counterparts in the NFL, MLB, and NHL.
That progression has encouraged players to be a voice when it comes to important moves made within an organization, such as hiring coaches and making trades, all in an effort to increase their NBA championship odds.
If the organization fails to meet the expectations of the star player(s), then they try to force their way out of town by requesting a trade despite being under contract for several more years at a high dollar amount.
If the team refuses to send the star player out, at least within a timeframe that would satisfy them, then star players have done everything in their absolute power to create havoc behind the scenes.
The most recent example of a star player to have requested a trade from their team is Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, and while he’s yet to get his wish at the time of this writing, he’s given the team a list of destinations he prefers a trade to, with the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat being his preferred spots and tons of reports have surfaced about what changes he’d like to see in order to reverse course and stay with the Nets.
Durant reportedly gave Nets owner Joe Tsai an ultimatum, asking him to choose between himself and the combination of Nets coach Steve Nash and GM Sean Marks.
Tsai publicly took to Twitter to offer up his support to the Nets’ front office and coaching staff, effectively telling Durant that his supposed wish would not be granted.
But Durant shouldn’t be blamed for a precedent that has already been set in place. He observed LeBron James being allowed to have a say in organizational moves with the Cleveland Cavaliers, as LeBron called for the firing of then-head coach David Blatt in favor of Tyronn Lue.
As a result, LeBron and the Cavs not only got to the NBA Finals that season, they took down the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the most important games of the season. For those who aren’t aware, that 73-9 mark is the best of all time.
Durant reportedly asked for Lue, who was seeking a full-time head coaching job at the time, to be the next head coach of the Nets before the 2020-21 season. However, Marks and Tsai decided to go with Nash, as both had pre-existing relationships with the two-time MVP.
Assuming those reports are true, it takes a lot of guts for a team owner and GM to go the opposite direction of what their franchise player prefers because if it doesn’t work out, the star player is going to request a trade and cause a PR nightmare no matter how many years they have left on their contract.
The length of the contract no longer matters when it comes to teams having leverage with their best players. Players have strong advisors in their corner and have been increasingly willing to sit out of training camp and games, knowing the distractions that would cause within the organization.
If the player decides to play, then they could always pull a Vince Carter when he forced his way off the Toronto Raptors, as the man dubbed as Air Canada only averaged about 16 points in the 20 games before being traded to the then-New Jersey Nets, where his scoring magically rose up to 27.5 points per game.
Every owner and executive within the organization only has so much patience. Hence, as time goes on, they become resigned to the fact that things will no longer work between the two parties, so they eventually take the best trade available.
Additionally, interested teams may be willing to trade away certain players and draft capital they were in love with during the offseason because they see that their team is a legitimate superstar away from winning a championship. Hence, they roll the dice and hope everything works out.
The best thing for organizations is to embrace player empowerment and make the moves that keep their players happy because, as history suggests, the player is always going to get their way no matter how hardball the organization decides to play.
