CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After two weeks of Anthony Davis’ trade request dominating conversation around the NBA, Commissioner Adam Silver on Saturday sounded sanguine about any possible negative effects it was having on the league.
“Some of the greatest players in the history of this league have demanded trades at various points of their contracts,” he said at his annual All-Star weekend address. He added that there was “very little” he could do to completely stop players from trying to force trades.
Davis was fined $50,000 for the public trade request made by his agent, Rich Paul. Silver said it was healthy for players and their agents to have ongoing conversations with their teams about future intentions, but that he preferred that such conversations happen behind closed doors.