In fact, the fade of disenchanted players pushing their teams to trade them despite their pending contracts and the implications of their demands have been on the rise over the past decade. As per Sports Illustrated, Damian Lillard, Zion Williamson, and Donovan Mitchell might be the next NBA superstars to do so. In his article, Howard Beck wrote:
The NBA is disgruntled by players forcing their way out but unable to do anything
The idea of NBA free agency was to allow teams and players to enter shorter contracts. Shorter contracts, in turn, meant better pay and leverage for players and was, in a way, a short leash on teams. A leash meant to reign in heavy-handed GMs and executives who could bully their players.
The origins of unrestricted free agency can be traced back to the Oscar Robertson Rule. Before Robertson’s landmark victory as president of the NBA Players Association in 1976, players were bound to their teams in perpetuity. His battle paved the way for current contract laws in American sports, including the NFL and MLB.
However, in real-time, the NBA’s current trade rules and regulations give players excessive powers. Oscar Robertson and the Players Association envisioned a scenario where players would get paid fairly and not be exploited by the league and teams. However, it has now begun to adversely affect the league and teams as shown by the Simmons-Harden trade.
Ben Simmons and James Harden aren’t even the only two examples of this phenomenon that has proven detrimental to teams. Some examples where disgruntled stars just made their way out by publicly announcing their wishes include Anthony Davis from New Orleans, James Harden from Houston, and Paul George from OKC Thunder.
For the league, this is a problem that needs an immediate solution. Empowering players was a necessity but not at the risk of adversely impacting entire franchises. Players are increasingly seeking trades before their contracts run out, pushing teams back into building processes and impacting their seedings and hopes.
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