Suns' Kevin Durant Says NBA Star Trade Requests Are 'Great for the League'

Kevin Durant is all for the player empowerment era of the NBA.

The Phoenix Suns star told reporters Saturday that player movement and trade requests are "great for the league" and bring the NBA more attention.

"Teams have been trading players and making acquisitions for a long time," he said. "Now a player can dictate where he wants to go, leave in free agency or demand a trade. It's just part of the game now."

There was no shortage of headlines ahead of this year's trade deadline, as the Brooklyn Nets traded Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks and Durant to the Suns. It brought an official end to the era when Brooklyn seemed like a potential superteam with that pair and James Harden all on the floor together.

The Nets traded Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers last season.

Durant's comments stand in stark contrast to those of NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who appeared on SportsCenter and said: "player trade demands are a bad thing. We don't want them to happen, and we've got to focus on that and make sure that everyone is honoring their agreements."

He said it's "not a new issue" but pointed out social media has created an environment where they receive far more attention.

Durant notably requested a trade from the Nets this past offseason but walked it back some and took the floor for Brooklyn to start the 2022-23 campaign. Yet he was eventually moved after Irving was traded and now has an opportunity to compete for a championship alongside Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker.

The idea of players having the power to demand trades and dictate where they end up even while they are under contract with a specific team will surely remain a contentious one between the front office side and the player side.

Silver even acknowledged there are ongoing discussions about the subject in current collective bargaining agreement talks, although reaching a compromise that leaves both sides satisfied may be a difficult proposition.

For now, the trade rumors and player movement have served to generate more interest in the league and will serve as backdrop storylines once the playoffs arrive.