In an era of player empowerment, teams around the league are always on the lookout for the next star to force his way out of his current situation.
Rival executives are keeping close tabs on a few situations in particular, according to Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated. Zion Williamson‘s status with the Pelicans, Damian Lillard‘s in Portland, and Donovan Mitchell‘s in Utah are chief among the situations that could shift the future of franchises around the NBA.
The teams that have a star are feverishly doing everything to keep them happy. The rest are plotting to poach them. Around the league, team executives are already bracing (and/or plotting) for the next disenchanted star to ask out, with speculation focused on Zion Williamson in New Orleans, Damian Lillard in Portland and Donovan Mitchell in Utah.
Team Building Remains in Problematic State
The Nets are among the franchises that have seen the highs and lows of trading for a star and having a star request out. Other franchises have been similarly impacted.
In the last five years alone, nine stars have forced trades, including two who did so twice: Harden and Paul George. Even for a league that has championed player empowerment, this is a jarring, destabilizing trend.
Commissioner Adam Silver didn’t hide the fact that it’s an issue when speaking with the media during All-Star Weekend. Executives no longer can assume roster stability with stars forcing their way to wherever they please.
“You want to make sure people are honoring their commitments,” one Eastern Conference executive told Beck. “Teams should be able to plan through it.”
Surely, the job of putting together a championship roster is ultra-difficult, even more so when you are trying to optimize the roster around a star who may not be there in 2-3 years. Perhaps, for smaller market teams like Portland, Utah, and New Orleans, there is no perfect formula; teams just have to do their best to maximize the star talent they have while bracing for the day they will have to say goodbye. Such is life in the NBA and it doesn’t look like it’s changing anytime soon.
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