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Los Angeles Clippers superstar Paul George demanded a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he believes there's nothing wrong with it.
During his introductory press conference as a member of the Clippers, George opened up about the increasing player empowerment in the league. he argued that players choosing where they want to play shouldn't be an issue as long as there is proper communication and respect between the player and the team.
Article Continues Below“I don’t think there’s nothing wrong with it and I think there should be a mutual and pretty even thing if both parties can be on the same page. At the end of the day, they’ve got a career as far as the team and the players have a career as well. As long as there’s a mutual respect between the both [sides], there shouldn’t be nothing wrong with it,” George said, per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.
This offseason, George and the Thunder mutually parted ways after the 2019 MVP Finalist expressed his desire to leave the team and join Kawhi Leonard on the Clippers. The trade demand was not made public, and OKC and George handled it so that both sides emerged happy with the deal.
This is in direct contrast to the Anthony Davis trade drama. The superstar forward demanded a trade mid-season and then proceeded to sit out games while healthy. It was a mess for all parties involved. Davis was unhappy the team wouldn't trade him, the Pelicans were furious their star refused to suit up for them, and fans were robbed of watching one of the best players in the game.
George is right that the key part of the process is for both the player and the team to coordinate and have mutual respect. As long as that's present, player empowerment shouldn't be an issue.
