Trade requests and rumors have been one of February's biggest storylines mainly because of Anthony Davis' open desire to leave the Pelicans. Commissioner Adam Silver weighed in on the drama during his annual All-Star Weekend news conference.
"I would just say, blanketedly, no, I don't like trade demands," Silver told the press. "I wish they didn't come, and I wish all those matters were handled behind closed doors."
Davis' trade demand pushed teams to put together trade packages for the center. He ended up staying put after being fined $50,000 for "violating a collectively bargained rule prohibiting players or their representative from making public trade demands."
Of course, Davis isn't the only trade-related story line: Jimmy Butler was at the center of trade rumors last year and was eventually shipped to Philadelphia. Silver didn't call out any player and spoke about trade demands in general terms.
"In terms of trade demands, again, certainly, that's nothing new in this league, and I won't name names, but some of the greatest players in the history of this league have demanded trades at various points in their contract," Silver explained. "Having said that, no one likes to see an instance where a player is demanding that he be traded when he still is in the middle of a contractual obligation to a team."
