Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr thinks that Anthony Davis’ trade from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers hurt the league and that the players shouldn’t force trades while they are still under contract.
“I’m talking more about the Anthony Davis situation,” Kerr said. “Where a guy is perfectly healthy and has a couple of years left on his deal and says, ‘I want to leave.’ That’s a real problem that the league has to address and that the players have to be careful with. When you sign on that dotted line, you owe your effort and your play to that team, to that city, to the fans. And then it’s completely your right to leave as a free agent. But if you sign the contract, then you should be bound to that contract.”
"That’s a real problem that the league has to address."
Steve Kerr calls the Anthony Davis-Lakers saga bad for the NBA on the latest episode of The Warriors Insider Podcast (via @MontePooleNBCS) https://t.co/6DlM3E4bxx pic.twitter.com/ZocqwCsmwM
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) July 24, 2019
Let’s rewind, Davis had another season left on his contract with the Pelicans, but he issued a trade request to the Lakers in January. The Pelicans shipped him to Los Angeles last month in exchange for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, along with three first-round draft picks.
Kerr also added that he respects the decisions of players like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, who played out their entire contracts with Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors, respectively, before changing teams.
“What LeBron [James] did, played out his contract. What Kevin [Durant] did, both when he arrived at Golden State and when he left. You sign contracts, you play them out and you move on. That’s how it should be done,” Kerr said. “But it’s a little disturbing that there has been some action that happens before contracts are up, where teams are sort of held hostage and the league is sort of held hostage. I’m not a big fan of that. That’s damaging for everybody.”
Marcellus on Steve Kerr saying Anthony Davis forcing his way to the Lakers is "bad for the league"
"I agree with Steve Kerr except he fell short in just voicing this towards the players and not towards ownership." — @MarcellusWiley pic.twitter.com/oRsdOQw0qa
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) July 25, 2019
NBA commissioner Adam Silver shares an opinion with Kerr, and he addressed this problem at the Las Vegas Summer League earlier this month.
“I will say, without getting into any specific circumstances, trade demands are disheartening. They’re disheartening to the team. They’re disheartening to the community and don’t serve the player well. The players care about their reputations just as much. And so that’s an issue that needs to be addressed.”
