“At some point, this league has to protect the players.”
Draymond Green’s recent press conference after a Warriors-Cavaliers game spotlights an ongoing source of tension in the NBA and beyond: Why are teams always regarded as making business moves when they want to trade players, but players are seen as being selfish if they want to initiate a move themselves?
Athletes who have vocally addressed this in recent weeks include Russell Wilson, NBA players protesting this year’s All-Star Game, and QBs like Deshaun Watson making their preferences known. From the time the term “player empowerment” surfaced around LeBron James’ move to the Miami Heat to the present, the role of players in their own careers has shifted and will never be the same. Pierce Simpson takes on this often uncomfortable topic on the latest edition of “More Explanation Needed.”
