The modern-day NBA has empowered the players more than any other point in basketball history. Today, star athletes get to choose where they go and can make demands of their team that would normally go unanswered.
Kevin Durant’s recent trade demand is proof of the way things are trending, and not everybody is a fan.
On ESPN’s ‘First Take’ Wednesday morning, Chris ‘Mad Dog’ Russo revealed his true feelings about superstars requesting trades.
“This is a very bad look for the NBA where these players decide they want to bail and go somewhere else. Anthony Davis with LeBron, George goes with Kawhi Leonard, Durant bails out of Golden State, goes to the Nets, and now wants to bail out on the Nets. Harden a couple of times with Houston then he wants to get out of the Nets and go to Philadelphia. That’s a bad look. Fans don’t like it. You sign a contract, they pay you $300 million, and all of a sudden you decide ‘I don’t wanna be here anymore’ and if they don’t trade you are gonna act like a bad guy and they have to get rid of you. It’s a major problem and that’s a bad look for the NBA. You don’t see Mike Trout signing a $300 million contract with the Angels all guaranteed and then two years later you’re like ‘I don’t wanna play here get me out.'”
.@MadDogUnleashed is not a fan of superstars requesting trades:
"This is a very bad look for the NBA." pic.twitter.com/NtAxgDBAMm
— First Take (@FirstTake) July 13, 2022
Loyalty is at an all-time low in the NBA. Even after signing huge max contracts, stars can force themselves out after a few years and turn title-contending teams into a rebuilding project.
LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis are just a few of the big-time players who have forced themselves out of a situation. That list will likely only continue to grow as time marches on.
