Adam Silver: Kevin Durant to Warriors not ‘ideal’ for the league
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver is concerned about the idea of the league being dominated by superteams moving forward, according to ESPN.
Silver made his comments at the NBA’s annual board of governors meeting on Tuesday, specifically referencing Kevin Durant’s decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors this offseason.
“Just to be absolutely clear, I do not think that’s ideal from the league standpoint,” Silver said about Durant joining Golden State. “For me, part of it is designing a collective bargaining agreement that encourages the distribution of great players throughout the league. On the other hand, I absolutely respect a player’s right to become a free agent and in this case for Kevin Durant to make a decision that he feels is best for him. I have no idea what’s in his mind or heart in terms of how he went about making that decision. ...
“In a way, the good news is that we are in a collective bargaining cycle, so it gives everybody an opportunity—owners and the union—to sit down behind closed doors and take a fresh look at the system and see if there is a better way that we can do it. My belief is we can make it better.”
• Adam Silver discusses Warriors’ superteam, “Hack-a-Shaq” and protests
Silver did say that the Durant situation may be unique, occurring because of the major spike in the salary cap this offseason. The cap jumped from $70 million to $94 million, giving Golden State the room to sign Durant and hold onto All-Stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
The current CBA is in place until June 30, 2021, but both the league and the union have the ability to opt out on June 30, 2017.
