Talk about Ben Simmons’ trade demand has dominated the NBA preseason. The saga has apparently become so big, it could lead to significant changes in the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
According to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the frequency of trade requests — and the lack of consequences star players have to consider when making them — is becoming an even bigger concern. It goes along with the fact that supermax contracts, which were meant to keep stars with their current teams, have seemingly had the opposite impact.
The speed with which some players demand a trade after signing a long-term contract is another huge concern. This is exemplified by Simmons, who requested a trade just one year into a supermax deal he signed with Philadelphia.
There is a desire among ownership to see penalties introduced for players who demand trades, from financial repercussions to draft pick compensation for teams. The union would be unlikely to accept this without a significant concession, perhaps in the form of additional basketball related income going to players.
One NBA capologist outlined the issues the supermax has caused for teams, arguing that handing out that kind of contract either leads to the luxury tax or the player ultimately being traded.
“If you look at every team that has signed that contract, they’ve either ended up in the tax or that player has been traded,” the capologist said. “Players get disgruntled because they sign the contract early in their career, you have less cap room to build around them, then you’ve stalled your building process. You can’t pay everyone, it becomes too expensive. It’s a mess.”
It’s clear that the supermax has not worked. It limits the ability of teams to build strong supporting casts for stars. Then those players become frustrated as the team does not contend and they seek a trade elsewhere. That cycle has repeated itself multiple times, and has sparked concerns for years. It sounds like Simmons may well be the last straw from the league’s perspective.
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