What is the ideal way for a player to handle not wanting to sign?

[eliteballer]

And how exactly would you enforce that?

You realize a player asking out has no actual power to demand a trade right? Its just a request usually to spare you losing him for nothing later. Very few if any simply refuse to play till its done. Though one could argue Jason Kidd and Vince Carter did. You still couldnt make a rule to prevent it.

What could you do?

Besides 75% of these usual 4 year deals is 3 full seasons. But you get MORE for the player when he has more time left. You get more for a star with a year and change on his deal than with 2 and a half months.

Teams would be hurting their own players trade value if they couldnt trade them till it was too late for the new team to make an impression on the guy and maybe get him to stay.

Its a problem but not very much of one really. All the solutions just make the team losing the guy more likely to get fleeced or nothing at all.

Simple, a trade request has to be submitted in writing by the agent before the team is formally obligated to do anything.

If they go public before that's done, fines and repercussions built into the clause.

You have a point about getting more value with more time left on the contract, but I think most teams would prefer the peace of mind and structure provided by a rule like that.

[Kblaze8855]

A team is NEVER formally obligated to do anything now. How could you formalize a trade request? What purpose would it serve? What...now the team is required to act on it? Of course not...so...whats the point?

The downside is always "Trade me or lose me for nothing" and there is no way out of that.

Whats a fine gonna do to someone already walking and leaving tens of millions to give up his bigger deal for the current team?

All it would require to get the same message across is answering a reporters question honestly. The NBA makes them talk to press. Makes them answer questions. How do you think a requirement you lie or be fined goes?

Press asks if you will sign back. You say no.

That isnt a trade demand.

Not technically.

But its exactly what we have now. You trade him or get nothing. No way to remove that threat.

[eliteballer]

A team is NEVER formally obligated to do anything now. How could you formalize a trade request? What purpose would it serve? What...now the team is required to act on it? Of course not...so...whats the point?

The downside is always "Trade me or lose me for nothing" and there is no way out of that.

Whats a fine gonna do to someone already walking and leaving tens of millions to give up his bigger deal for the current team?

All it would require to get the same message across is answering a reporters question honestly. The NBA makes them talk to press. Makes them answer questions. How do you think a requirement you lie or be fined goes?

Press asks if you will sign back. You say no.

That isnt a trade demand.

Not technically.

But its exactly what we have now. You trade him or get nothing. No way to remove that threat.

You mean like....pay the players what the contract says regardless of their performance, commitment, or effort?

Players and agents(At least most) aren't going to be running around creating drama with random trade requests if there's a formal structure in place.

They will do it within the framework.

The agents are professionals, the players are professionals and they will follow the obligations and procedures in place.

The press can ask whatever they want, or the NBA can control the process by saying a formal request has or hasn't been made or you aren't allowed to pose those types of questions until the 75% window has cleared.

It's just about controlling the process.

This isn't something to stop trade requests, merely something to give them structure so it's not a chaotic unpredictable process like we saw with Davis.

[Kblaze8855]

You mean like....pay the players what the contract says regardless of their performance, commitment, or effort?

I mean like...trade the player. They dont have to do it. They choose to because its in their best interests.

And you do know that guaranteed contracts are not in the CBA right? They dont HAVE to give you a guaranteed deal.

You know why they do? Because a player wont sign with your team without one. You wine and dine these guys. Try to get them to play for your team. If Team ____ offers 200 million no strings and the other offers 200 million "If..." you know who they go with. NBA teams competing with eachother made guaranteed deals the status quo. NFL players complain about it all the time but its a matter of player discipline to get it. Kirk Cousins got one fully guaranteed...by refusing to sign a deal for less than he wanted. Made them franchise him till it was too expensive...and would only sign a fully guaranteed deal on the free agent market. NBA players did the work to get that long ago. Now teams have 2 options...guaranteed deals or lose.

Also.....

If you thought the legal issues we discussed with the reserve clause were an issue wait till you try to tell a reporter in America they cant ask questions obviously concerning their job.

[DMAVS41]

You mean like....pay the players what the contract says regardless of their performance, commitment, or effort?

Players and agents(At least most) aren't going to be running around creating drama with random trade requests if there's a formal structure in place.

They will do it within the framework.

The agents are professionals, the players are professionals and they will follow the obligations and procedures in place.

The press can ask whatever they want, or the NBA can control the process by saying a formal request has or hasn't been made or you aren't allowed to pose those types of questions until the 75% window has cleared.

It's just about controlling the process.

This isn't something to stop trade requests, merely something to give them structure so it's not a chaotic unpredictable process like we saw with Davis.

This just isn't a big enough problem, if it even is a problem (I'm not sure it is)...to warrant putting in regulations on what type of requests players can make imo.

The fix might be hard, but it is simple...develop better relationships with players and take an honest and proactive look at the future that involves realizing what type of market a team is in, what the needs of said player are (can you provide them), what infrastructure you have, what assets said team has...etc.

I'll worry about this "problem" when the Durant situation becomes normal. Where a franchise does a great job building around a player and he still bolts despite an elite supporting cast and more money.

Until that becomes routine...there is nothing to really go on about. Franchises usually get about 7 years to do a good job...and when they don't, players should leave...or at least have the option to.

[Kblaze8855]

Durant was there for 9 seasons. Thats a career for a lot of guys.

Youre never gonna do anything about that. 9 years and leaves an unrestricted free agent? Thats just sports.

[DMAVS41]

Durant was there for 9 seasons. Thats a career for a lot of guys.

Youre never gonna do anything about that. 9 years and leaves an unrestricted free agent? Thats just sports.

Well, yea, that is my point though...it is a non problem if the worst we can point to is guys requesting trades after giving 7 years like Davis on a poorly run franchise.

Durant leaving a great situation despite being able to make more money....after 9 years.

Or some other shit franchise like the Knicks botching their salary cap so badly they essentially have to use their young player as a sweetener to dump contracts to open up space they already should have.

I don't want to stop Durant from leaving...I think he should be able to.

The reason I used that as an example as it is the rare example that a player chooses to leave a really well run franchise with an elite supporting cast...

So until I see guys in the Durant situation start demanding trades after a few years or something...

This is just a non issue to me.

[eliteballer]

I mean like...trade the player. They dont have to do it. They choose to because its in their best interests.

And you do know that guaranteed contracts are not in the CBA right? They dont HAVE to give you a guaranteed deal.

You know why they do? Because a player wont sign with your team without one. You wine and dine these guys. Try to get them to play for your team. If Team ____ offers 200 million no strings and the other offers 200 million "If..." you know who they go with. NBA teams competing with eachother made guaranteed deals the status quo. NFL players complain about it all the time but its a matter of player discipline to get it. Kirk Cousins got one fully guaranteed...by refusing to sign a deal for less than he wanted. Made them franchise him till it was too expensive...and would only sign a fully guaranteed deal on the free agent market. NBA players did the work to get that long ago. Now teams have 2 options...guaranteed deals or lose.

Also.....

If you thought the legal issues we discussed with the reserve clause were an issue wait till you try to tell a reporter in America they cant ask questions obviously concerning their job.

It's one in the same, you and I both know guaranteed deals regardless of performance, commitment, and effort are by far the biggest possible concession either side could give in any collective bargaining situation...and the players have it.

The players have them with or without a formal stipulation in the CBA as you yourself just said.

The point about this stuff regarding "they don't have to give guaranteed deals" is what exactly?

The teams being required to pay the players regardless of performance, effort, or commitment(ie a trade request) means everything is tilted in the players favor regarding trade requests.

They can request them when they want, how they want, and at this point holding teams hostage by demanding where they will go/only sign extensions with.

Add a clause that fines the agents if it won't affect the players, you can be damn sure the agents will care then. There are plenty of legal mechanisms and procedures to enforce a clause by putting the hurt on whoever is transgressing.

You say it won't give teams enough time left on the contract to get a good deal...the Lakers and Celtics offering the house for Davis pretty much torpedoes that theory.

Dont restrict the press from answering questions, just restrict players and agents discussing it openly with the press before the time duration.

Yeah people might "leak" stuff, but at the end of the day if a reporter is merely citing sources it's going to limit the chaos because it's not "real" yet.

Technically players/agents/teams whoever can leak anything, but common sense will usually prevail.

It also all evens out at the end regarding getting value.

If Team A doesn't get max value for Player A because of the clause, then it'll even out when they make the deal for player B trying to leave another team.

[DMAVS41]

Franchises should just do better...that is the real fix.

Take Towns...anyone gonna be mad at him if he demands a trade in 2 years or something after how shitty the Wolves have done around him to date?

Like, really, if nothing changes...he should just be cool to waste more of his prime with the kind of teams they've put around him so far while some other guys are playing with multiple all-stars?

The problem, in almost all of these situations, is franchises doing essentially nothing in 5 to 7 years to give these players great reasons to stay.

That is the problem? Towns? The team should be able to fall all over themselves for what would be 6 years...and he shouldn't be allowed to even say something, but the franchise should pay no penalty for being the ones that don't perform to expectations?

[eliteballer]

This also isn't a teams vs. players thing like you're trying to make it.

It's simply about what's good for the NBA.

Players making trade requests left and right hurts the integrity of teams and the league with their fanbases.

If I was a fan of a small market team like Indiana, New Orleans, or whoever my fandom would definitely be affected believing all the best players wanted to go to stacked teams or big markets and can make that happen on a whim.

[Kblaze8855]

Do you really not see the problem with your idea of guaranteed contracts being the problem? Guaranteed contracts are a team option just like they are in the NFL. But when teams are competing against each other there will always be a team willing to offer it. Unlike the NFL with dozens of players on the roster eating out of the same salary cap and all the violence NBA players can have a long healthy career on smaller teams that pay them better. They don

[DMAVS41]

This also isn't a teams vs. players thing like you're trying to make it.

It's simply about what's good for the NBA.

Players making trade requests left and right hurts the integrity of teams and the league with their fanbases.

If I was a fan of a small market team like Indiana, New Orleans, or whoever my fandom would definitely be affected believing all the best players wanted to go to stacked teams or big markets and can make that happen on a whim.

Again, do better.

You are never changing the fact that LA or Miami is a better market than Indiana.

You get, almost always, 5 years to do something...usually 6 or 7.

It is not "what is best for the NBA" to let these franchises off the hook for years and years of nothing and then turn around and say that all-star level players or better that perform on the court are the problem.

[eliteballer]

Again, do better.

You are never changing the fact that LA or Miami is a better market than Indiana.

You get, almost always, 5 years to do something...usually 6 or 7.

It is not "what is best for the NBA" to let these franchises off the hook for years and years of nothing and then turn around and say that all-star level players or better that perform on the court are the problem.

We all know that's not always possible due factors outside of a teams control.

Key supporting pieces get injured.

Previous regime traded away picks or gave out bad contracts.

You're applying a very simple thought process to a more complicated problem.

[eliteballer]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...-closed-doors/

[Kblaze8855]

Sure they should stay behind closed doors....and he also acknowledged you can