As the NBA preps for All-Star weekend, league commissioner Adam Silver had time to speak on the blockbuster deal between the 76ers and the Nets, which saw a disgruntled Ben Simmons, along with Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, an unprotected 2022 first-round pick and a protected 2027 first-round pick get sent to the Brooklyn Nets for James Harden and Paul Millsap.
In an interview with Yahoo! Sports, Silver wished the trade would've been handled 'behind closed doors,' which seems to be a direct shot at Sixers GM Darryl Morrey for using the media to his leverage in negotiations between him and other franchises interested in Simmons.
Simmons voiced his frustrations towards the Sixers since August, demanding a trade. He has yet to play a single minute this season. Harden, who has been accused of using similar tactics, sought advice from agents and execs outside of the Nets organization and was accused of faking a hamstring injury in his final weeks in Brooklyn which led to the deal being done on the Feb. 10 deadline.
“I accept that there will always be conversations behind closed doors when teams are unhappy, or players are unhappy, [but] the last thing you want to see is for these issues to play out publicly,” Silver said. “One of the things that I continue to do in my role is to think about ways we can improve the system.”
Silver, who has long been an advocate of player empowerment and free movement amongst its players, says the movement of star players is nothing new in the NBA and is built in its fabric.
“Players forcing their way out of situations is not new in this league. It’s important to have that context,” Silver told Yahoo Sports. “I’d love to find a way where to the extent there’s player movement, it didn’t happen in that fashion."
Simmons' disillusionment with Philly came after Game 7 in the Eastern Conference and refused to report to training camp and requested a trade. He did report for practice but was kicked out by Doc Rivers for refusing to do a drill. During his press conference in Brooklyn, Simmons said he's in a better place.
“It was a bunch of things I was dealing with as a person, in my personal life that I don’t really want to get into depth with," Simmons said. “But, I’m here now, it’s a blessing to be in an organization like this. I’m just looking forward to getting back on the floor and building something great here.”
During Harden's press conference, he told reporters that Philly was one of his original landing spots in a trade and when asked what his two trades in the span of two years means for player empowerment, Harden said the players now have a lot of power to control their environments.
“We can control our own destiny,” Harden said. “I needed to be around guys I know want to win and know that are willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
Silver says while he understands players wanting to work in a productive environment and have outlets for stress, but he still does not like the way things turned out.
“I did watch a little bit of James and Ben’s press conferences earlier today,” Silver told Yahoo Sports. “And you’re reminded that when you see them sitting up there, on those podiums doing these interviews, these are human beings, who, in both cases, have gone through very stressful situations.
“You want people to feel, at the end of the day, they have outlets for their stress, that they can be productive within their work setting. But I’m not surprised that we’ve seen some heightened flare up of some issues, you know, that might have otherwise been handled behind closed doors.
“But this is not the way I would have liked to see it happen.”
Follow Jasper Jones on Twitter: @jonesj2342
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