The top man behind one of the most prominent and profitable sports leagues in the world was not too pleased with how a recent blockbuster trade panned out.
Adam Silver, Commissioner of the NBA, has stated that he wishes the massive trade between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, which saw the two teams swap superstars (James Harden to the Sixers, Ben Simmons and others to the Nets) was handled a bit differently.
The primary aspect which Silver had a problem with was not the trade itself, but the theatrics surrounding it. Harden and Simmons made quite the drama on their respective teams, essentially forcing their way off their previous teams. Silver appeared to lean towards the idea that players in the NBA wield too much power, a problem that the NBA, in particular, has suffered with for a while now.
“Players forcing their way out of situations is not new in this league,” Silver said. “It’s important to have that context. I’d love to find a way where to the extent there’s player movement, it didn’t happen in that fashion.”
Simmons had previously not played a game with the 76ers, refusing to play due to personal issues (Simmons denied that these were “mental health issues” as previously thought), while James Harden was accused of faking (or at least exaggerating) a recent hamstring injury to avoid playing with the Nets.
Silver acknowledged that these issues occur in other sports as well, but appear to become more public in the NBA. “I accept that there will always be conversations behind closed doors when teams are unhappy, or players are unhappy, [but] the last thing you want to see is for these issues to play out publicly…But this is not the way I would have liked to see it happen.”
As the NBA Commissioner, Silver and his $10 million income could certainly implement some changes to fix this issue, but with Silver simultaneously advocating for player power, the solution doesn’t appear to be as easy and as straightforward as some may initially think.
What do you think of Silver’s reaction to the trade? Do you think NBA players wield too much power over their team, or is the balance justified? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
