Not long ago, stars would provide a list of three or four preferred destinations, giving their team multiple potential trade partners and a chance to extract the best return. That’s given way to the “one team only” demand—see Lillard and Harden this summer, and Kevin Durant (Phoenix) last season. Even team executives who otherwise support player autonomy draw the line here. “You can’t get the contract that you want and then restrict the team from being able to extract the value of the contract if you’re not going to play [for them],” said a veteran Western Conference executive. But the hope is you’re able to do this in a way that’s in coordination and communication with the player and the agent, and it doesn’t turn adversarial.” -via The Ringer / October 2, 2023

Source: Washington Post October 03, 2023 07:05 UTC