Kerr is not a fan of Davis’ trade demand
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr knows a thing or two about super teams, and he wants them built the right way, meaning players honoring their current contract and not publicly demanding a trade. And when he says that, he is looking at you, Anthony Davis.
“I’m talking more about the Anthony Davis situation, where a guy is perfectly healthy and has a couple years left on his deal and says, ‘I want to leave,’ that’s a real problem that the league has to address and that the players have to be careful with,” Kerr said on “The Warriors Insider” podcast on Wednesday. “When you sign on that dotted line, you owe your effort and your play to that team, to that city, to the fans. And then [once the contract runs out] it’s completely your right to leave as a free agent. But if you sign the contract, then you should be bound to that contract.
“If you come to an agreement with the team that, hey, it’s probably best for us to part ways, that’s one thing. But the Davis stuff was really kind of groundbreaking — and hopefully not a trend, because it’s bad for the league.
“There’s a way to move and a way to not move,” Kerr said. “What LeBron did, played out his contract. What Kevin [Durant] did both when he arrived at Golden State and when he left. You sign contracts, you play them out and you move on. That’s how it should be done.”
Davis was in the third year of a five-year max extension he signed in 2015, with a player option in 2020-21, when he publicly demanded a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, who sent him to the Lakers in the offseason.
Your favorite sports moment
What is your favorite all-time L.A. sports moment? And yes, if your favorite moment is about the Angels or Ducks or a team just outside of L.A., I’ll count that too.
Today’s moment comes from Randy Monte of Lancaster:
“My most memorable L.A. sports moment happened in 1982 while I was living 6,000 miles away and serving with the United States Air Force in the Republic of Korea. The fact that I was so far away is what made it so memorable.
“I grew up in the coastal town of Santa Maria, Calif., and had been a Lakers fan since I was 10 years old. Chick Hearn’s broadcasts had always been ‘the sound of basketball in L.A.’ for me.
“While in Korea, the only sports broadcasts we received were over Armed Forces Radio and Television. I think that network loved the Lakers [probably because of Chick Hearn] and when they broadcast a game in the regular season or playoffs, it was always the Lakers’ broadcast. Being so far away from home where it can sometimes be a real struggle just to make it through a day, listening to a Lakers game gave me a lot of comfort and enjoyment.
“The Lakers won the championship that season and I felt like I was right there all through the playoffs.
“The following basketball season, I was stationed at Edwards AFB in the Mojave Desert. I would often drive to the Forum on Friday nights for Lakers games. At the end of one game, I stayed in my seat to listen to the wrap-up show on the radio. I saw a man wearing Lakers credentials and asked if it were possible for me to meet Chick Hearn.
“He told me it would be OK, but wait until the wrapup show was over.
“The first thing I told Chick was that a year ago I had been in Korea and the best days I had were when I got to listen to his broadcasts.
“Chick’s eyes lit up and he shook my hand and asked me to sit down for a minute to chat! I’ll never forget that moment. I’ll never forget Chick Hearn. And I’ll never part with the autographed picture he sent me at a later date.”