The New Orleans Pelicans trading Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers was just one of the many major moves made in the NBA this off-season, but Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr isn’t a fan of how it came to be.
Davis requested a trade from the Pelicans mid-season despite his contract running through to the end of the 2019-20 season. Kerr said he has no problem with players switching teams, but he is worried about the precedent Davis’s trade request will have on the NBA.
“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 (once the contract runs out) 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,” Kerr said on The Warriors Insider Podcast.
“If you come to an agreement with the team that, hey, it’s probably best for us to part ways, that’s one thing. But the Davis stuff was really kind of groundbreaking — and hopefully not a trend, because it’s bad for the league.”
Besides Davis, other superstars to change addresses in recent weeks include Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook and Kemba Walker, among others.
Kerr, a former player himself, says he supports player empowerment but also wants the league to address situations where the players hold teams “hostage.”
“There’s a way to move and a way to not move,” Kerr said. ”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.
“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.”
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