NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media during a press conference as part of the 2022 All-Star Weekend at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 19, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday there is no “silver bullet” to fix the problem of NBA stars dictating where they want to play by demanding trades to playoff contenders.
Silver was asked at the NBA all-star game in Cleveland if the league was investigating last week’s trade between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, which saw James Harden join his third team in two seasons.
“There are no silver bullets here,” said Silver. “There isn’t anyone aspect of the package where we can say, ‘This will fix the problem.'”
In the aftermath of the blockbuster trade, some of Harden’s basketball peers called him out on social media, alleging the former league MVP wasn’t injured and was simply trying to get out of Brooklyn. Others wondered if the Sixers tampered to convince Harden to force a trade from the Nets.
James Harden #1 and head coach Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers pose for photos during a press conference at the Seventy Sixers Practice Facility on February 15, 2022 in Camden, New Jersey. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP
“He wasn’t hurt. He shut it down. Y’all think he’s hurt right now?… You don’t rehab a hammy by doing stepbacks,” former league all-star Tracy McGrady said.
“We all know Philly was his first choice before he went to Brooklyn. So, when things hit the fan, he wanted out of there.”
Silver was also asked by reporters about Ben Simmons, who in August 2021 demanded a trade out of Philadelphia and then stopped cooperating with the club.
Instead of trading him right away, the 76ers fined and suspended him, forcing him to miss dozens of games.
Ben Simmons #10 of the Brooklyn Nets on the bench against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Barclays Center on February 17, 2022 in New York City. Adam Hunger/Getty Images/AFP
Simmons was finally dealt along with Andre Drummond, Seth Curry and two future first-round picks, to Brooklyn in exchange for Harden and Paul Millsap.
“I have expressed my unhappiness before with public trade demands,” Silver said.
“We want players and teams to honor their contracts. In this case, we had two teams satisfied by the outcome of the trade.”
With Simmons, “there was a stalemate and he got traded. You have players with a unique skill on the planet and that gives them leverage,” Silver added.
Silver said no team has filed tampering charges against the 76ers over the Harden trade. The 76ers are run by Daryl Morey, Harden’s former general manager with the Houston Rockets.
“No team has logged a formal complaint,” Silver said.
“There is no ongoing investigation right now. This notion of player empowerment is not a new issue.
“There is a sense in the league that there are improvements we can make to our system to ensure every team is in a position to compete and that contracts are honored.”
Silver also expressed optimism that Covid-19 restrictions, such as the one in New York City that has prohibited unvaccinated Kyrie Irving from playing home games, could be scaled back if numbers decrease across the United States.
“I’m watching what’s happening around the country, many of these restrictions are being lifted,” he said.