Steve Kerr recently found himself in an unfamiliar position after criticizing the nature of Anthony Davis' move from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Golden State Warriors' coach has been almost exclusively lauded by his NBA peers for his pro-player stance on labor issues, progressive political views, and widespread reputation as a so-called player's coach. Kerr faced pushback among players almost immediately for his critical stance on the genesis of Davis' trade from the Pelicans to the Lakers, though, comments he clarified on Wednesday.
“If it’s done behind the scenes, there’s no harm done,” he said of Davis' trade request, per Gary Peterson of The Mercury News. “I have no problem with a player requesting a trade quietly, My point was just the manner in which that happened kind of alienated a fan base, and it put a lot of players in a weird spot on both teams.”
Davis requested a trade from the New Orleans in late January, with rumors immediately surfacing that his preferred destination was Los Angeles. The teams engaged in trade talks from there, with the Lakers reportedly leaking details of the discussions to the media, but ultimately couldn't find common ground before the trade deadline, leaving the six-time All-Star to finish last season under awkward circumstances with the Pelicans.
The situation changed following the spring departures of Magic Johnson and Dell Demps as chief decision-makers of Los Angeles and New Orleans, respectively. Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin worked quickly to address the matter after it became clear he couldn't convince Davis to change his mind about continuing his career in New Orleans, trading him to the Lakers for a massive haul of players and picks in mid-June.
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