The NBA is taking a dim view of the public declaration by Anthony Davis‘ agent Rich Paul that his client wants to be traded. League spokesman Mike Bass said the NBA has “commenced an investigation” upon reading reports regarding the Pelicans superstar and that “the process is ongoing,” the New York Times’ Marc Stein tweets.
An on-the-record request for a trade by an agent or a player is punishable and Davis could be fined, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
Paul told Wojnarowski that Davis had no intention of signing a super-max extension with New Orleans this summer and wanted to be dealt to a contender.
“Anthony wants to be traded to a team that allows him a chance to win consistently and compete for a championship,” Paul said. “Anthony wanted to be honest and clear with his intentions and that’s the reason for informing them of this decision now. That’s in the best interests of both Anthony’s and the organization’s future.”
There is precedent for league action, according to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Nate Robinson was fined $25K in 2009 when his agent, Aaron Goodwin, told reporters he asked the Knicks to trade his client. The league says players are responsible for public statements relating to them made by their representatives and that public trade requests are considered detrimental to the league, Zillgitt adds (Twitter links).
They should have fined Lebron for talking about him a month ago.
Stay out of it King James
Mind your own business
I mean that’s really the precedent they have set. Lebron was allowed to publicly say things about another player coming there, why shouldn’t said player be allowed to make a request without a penalty? I think the rule is dumb regardless. I mean Kobe publicly wanted out too. Idk that he was fined.
Didn’t even think of it, but it is a clear violation. No way around a fine. He could have just told the team, and the media could have made it public, but felt there was something to be gained by a public statement likely for the player’s image. Might be worth the fine.
I feel like Rich Paul is the real puppet master when it comes to getting his star clients to leave their current teams. If you’re a small market and your star player signs with Rich Paul, may as well kiss your player goodbye.
Would love it if teams simply refused to work with him. Take your big clients and your “3 – 4 team lists” and let them fight over a limited amount of cap space. If 20 teams all stood up to him, he’d have a pretty hard time getting clients outside his top 2 and the “LeBron is my idol” young guys.
Collusion?
They can’t stop their talented players for signing with Paul. Are you crazy, they will just piss them off and get trade request even faster.
If 20+ teams don’t deal with Rich Paul, he will have a hard time getting them what they’re worth with the remaining teams.
They can all sign with him, they just won’t get any contract offer from that team.
Pretty sure davis last year was saying how he looked up to and wanted to be like tim duncan and be committed to a single team lmao. Amazing how a little bit of struggles, boogie leaving, and lebrons mouth changed things so quickly. Interesting take i must say
Little bit of struggles? He’s been in the league for 7 years and has only made the playoffs 2 times how is that a little bit of struggles?
Boogie leaving without an attempt to keep him in the fold was more than just the loss of a talented player. It erased one of the few wins this organization has had in attempting to put a core around AD that could compete for championships. It’s been 6+ years. No single player should have comprised so much of their non-AD talent base that his leaving would make their franchise player view the roster they put around him so differently.
but I thought the word was that davis didn’t want boogie back?
Lebron ad and kyrie would be nice on lakers squad especially if they trade lonzo, bi and kuzma.
I definitely agree with your statement!!!
Lol at kyrie joining lebron again
Oh how you children forget
His handle is “mindless”
Kyrie is coming this summer. AD will be traded for Ball, Ingram, Hart and two 1st round picks.
Doesn’t work on trade machine. Kyrie doesn’t want to be LeBron’s shadow.
Lakers fans live in such a bubble. Kyrie forced a trade away from LeBron very recently. You should try paying attention to the rest of the league
imagine someone taking away your freedom of speech, then threaten a fine for talking.. communism
no.
so many folks who comment here have no idea what a contract is. you choose to sign it. making a fully free, grown man’s choice to agree to rules in exchange for wealth.
There’s no such thing as “freedom of speech” within the confines of your employer/contract.
Hopefully Lakers don’t give up Kuz. No one wants Ingram anymore.
His current team should be given the option of shutting him down and not having to pay him.
Furthermore, if a player asks to be traded publicly, his current team should receive a considerable trade exception should they choose to shut him down.
When a player requests to be traded and signals they will not sign an extension, you’ve essentially taken away any future optimism regarding that player’s association with the team hurting souvenir and ticket sales, shelving marketing campaigns that are already underway, and harming franchise valuation.
The same when teams say they wanna trade a player… Which happens every day, right? Come on man, who cares about the teams, is all about the players, they’re the show.
The teams employ the players. They are employees and frankly vastly overpaid employees with a general lack of professionalism as witnessed with the Chicago Bulls situation and the early trade requests.
In many professions, if you express a desire to be let go the employer can do so without facing any penalties not allowing the employee to collect unemployment.
Also – the players aren’t the show. The marketing of the NBA has created the show.
Alright so in addition to my love of sports, I’m a nerd. You ever watch the Marvel Civil War movie?
So the players are the show, right? So say players feel that way and start up their own league with their own money. Not all of the players feel the same way some do and would not leave for a new league. On top of it most of the sponsorship, tv money, etc. is typically tied up in the NBA so this free speech, do what we want league is going to be hard pressed to do there own thing.
And of course you’ll have the constant talk back and forth between players calling the ones who didn’t leave traitors. Building a more contentious relationship instead of being a united front.
And you know who would really not have to worry too much? The owners. Because a lot of the money they have coming in will continue to come in via the sponsors and tv money committed already.
Maybe the Civil War thing is a stretch but really what you’re looking at is that players negotiated contracts with teams knowing that unless they also negotiate a no trade clause, that they are at the mercy of the employers. Why this is such a new concept is really odd.
Rich Paul, after announcing AD wants out, 1.5 years before his contract is up:
“That’s in the best interests of both Anthony’s and the organization’s future.”
Blatant lie. The organization does NOT benefit from ANYTHING having to do with this. AD cannot leave without compensation for another 1.5 years. They are perfectly capable of reading the situation closer to expiration.
Kyrie at least, when he pried himself out of Cleveland with 2 years left, never claimed he was doing the Cavs a favor, or likely even privately imagined that.
RP should be able to realize he stole money and respect from his client’s employer. IDK what AD had to do with this but he should pass along the fine.
Of course I, as an innocent arms-length poster, can speculate on trades all I want to!
I am suspecting now that Lebron’s “camp” (that doesn’t care for coach Walton) is Rich Paul. Guy’s just on a roll. Needs to shut it.
As long as the fine remains a cup of coffee, nothing will change. If the penalty were a 1-year suspension for the player and a 1-year playoff ban for a team once they qualify none of these shenanigans would go on.
Yeah that hurts the NBA a huge value loss of a superstar.
Would love a 1 year ban AFTER the end of the contract terms levied on the player for, among other things, influencing the outcome of the game and at a larger scale the season.
Would love if the Pelicans said screw it and just played him 48 mins a game for the next year and half.
there is no way the NBA would ever fine Lebron James period.
I am dumbfounded…Nate Robinson demanded a trade?