NBA commissioner Adam Silver has often used his platform in previous years to address some of the biggest issues in basketball. Now, he’s once again taking aim at what he sees as one of the biggest problems in pro basketball today.
The NBA recently announced new rules for the 2023-’24 season regarding how teams rest star players. Under the new policy, clubs will be fined far more than before if league officials believe that All-Star players are being rested at the expense of a more entertaining on-court product during the regular season.
The move is expected to have a significant impact on championship contenders next season, forcing them to either incur larger fines each time a star sits out, play them far more minutes than they previously would’ve, or come up with an injury that excuses an absence.
It’s apparently only the first step Silver and league officials want to make to change the game. In an interview with Howard Beck, Silver also brought up teams and players needing to honor their contracts. Specifically, he seems to be tired of trade demands.
“Don’t like them, as a league. I want players and teams to both honor their contracts. I’m watching everything going on in Portland and Philadelphia and hoping they get resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. I’m glad it seems to have calmed down as far as public discourse.”
Adam Silver on NBA players, teams not always honoring contracts (H?T Sean Highkin)
It’s not the first time Silver has gone after players for demanding trades. In February, he said that the league’s biggest stars should more consistently be “honoring” their contracts and he believes the same applies to teams as well.
Related: Adam Silver calls on players to start ‘honoring’ their contracts
Silver was critical of Kevin Durant in 2022 for demanding the Brooklyn Nets trade him and the recent instances of James Harden and Damian Lillard requesting trades provided his latest instance of what he sees as players exercising their power too much.
While Harden’s situation is a bit more unique, because of what he believes were broken contract promises, Silver and other NBA executives would obviously prefer Lillard and other stars cut down on trade demands. However, it’s unlikely to change anytime soon based on the level of influence the best NBA players have over their teams.
