KD’s Trade Request: It’s a Business Decision
Everyone in NBA circles is talking about Kevin Durant and his trade request. Even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has weighed in on the matter stating “We don’t like to see players requesting trades, and we don’t like to see it playing out the way it is,”.
But the reality many tend to forget is that Kevin Durant isn’t the first big name star to request a trade from his current team, especially coming off a season as tumultuous as Brooklyn just had.
Far From the First
Chris Paul had just signed a new contract extension with the New Orleans Hornets before the team lost its owner. The NBA took over the franchise to keep it afloat until a new ownership group could be found. At the time, New Orleans looked like a team without an identity or direction. That uncertainty forced CP3’s hand as he would ultimately request a trade.
The Hornets and the Los Angeles Lakers agreed on a trade that would have created the best backcourt duo featuring Chris Paul and the late Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, then NBA Commissioner David Stern vetoed the deal. Paul still went to LA but with the Clippers instead.
In 2007, Kobe Bryant requested a trade from the Lakers as well. The trade never materialized and the Lakers went on three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, winning two NBA championships with Bryant and Pau Gasol at the helm.
Don’t forget about the Anthony Davis mess in New Orleans when Davis requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans. Or the Kawhi Leonard drama in San Antonio before the Spurs pulled the trigger and sent him up north to the Toronto Raptors.
The point is, one needn’t look too far to find examples of other franchise players wanting out of their current surroundings in the NBA. And more oft than not, they tend to get their way.
It’s About Winning
After an ugly ending with the San Antonio Spurs, Kawhi Leonard led the Toronto Raptors to their first-ever NBA championship in 2019 under then first-year head coach, Nick Nurse.
Anthony Davis helped the Lakers win their first championship since 2010 when they won the Larry OB during the 2020 NBA Finals inside the Orlando bubble.
Even Wilt Chamberlain requested to be moved out of Philadelphia, wanting to play for the Lakers instead. The man who once scored 100 points in a game, eventually got his wish and created the first superteam alongside Jerry West and Elgin Baylor.
While you’ll get the occasional star player wanting out for family or financial reasons, the vast majority of players want a change of scenery because they want to win.
At the end of the day, everything in basketball is a business decision. It may not be a popular decision for the fans but it’s still a decision that will usually benefit the player involved. It’s about making the choice on where they could win more championships, especially if they’re in the final years of their career.
One could argue that these decisions sometimes don’t play out the way the player envisioned (who can forget KD’s championships with the Warriors, and the backlash he faced as a result?), but public opinion changes by the day, while championships last forever.
Owners and front offices have been doing the same to players since the league began, often shipping out fan favourites for a chance to improve their odds of raising a banner. So although the pendulum may have swung back in the direction of the players of late, one thing is for sure: stars wanting out regardless of their contracts isn’t going to change anytime soon.
At least until a new CBA is put in place.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.