Has Player Empowerment Gone Too Far?

Damian Lillard was recently issued a memo along with the rest of the NBA saying that what he and his agent are doing isn't something the league condones. But NBA players have been doing this type of thing for decades... so what makes Dame different?
#basketball #commentary #nba
@alsorustybuckets @SHOOTAROUND

[@liamkengla8120]

I’ve lived in Portland my whole life; I think most of us expected this to happen way sooner than it did. He could have left back when Lamarcus Aldridge joined SA.

[@baseupp12]

He was still a young player in his early 20s would make 0 sense for him to leave at that point

[@braydon1361]

Him leaving after La left would have been dumb.

[@FGPlus]

Nah his best time was after 2019

[@TheOriginalPoon]

Shit he could've left when CJ was traded. Shit he could've left two years ago

[@KINGKAYLEB-vq2tb]

Bro that was so early in his career 😂

[@hiphopotamus69]

The league cannot let a player tank his own trade value publicly in order to force his current team to take a bad trade in exchange for their star player just because he wants to play for one specific team, especially when he has 4 years left on his contract. That is going to lead to the league becoming like European soccer where 90% of the teams just exist to feed talent to the top 10% and almost never have a realistic shot of competing for anything.

[@ollytropics1735]

Realistically to get Dame on a competing team and getting Portland a return it has to be a multiple team trade. He's a point guard every competing team has a good to great one and all competing teams aren't chalk full of young guys and or high value picks

[@2Slay3]

Funny considering the league let Vince Carter tank his trade value back in 04 so the Raptors would get a bad return for him

[@Vipa567]

That wouldn't happen because NBA teams are franchises not clubs.

[@RafitoOoO]

@@2Slay3 Vince Carter just decided to play badly and you couldn't really prove he was griefing lol.

[@Mark-The-Tenor]

I think signing the extension is what is making this look bad on Dame. He should have just gone into free agency and would have still probably gotten a bag elsewhere. He could have easily gone where he wanted then. Now he has put himself in a rock and a hard place.

[@codymiller5027]

Probably helped blazers. Now they can trade him for trade assets. As a blazers fan I've been watching the management do the opposite of building a team around Lillard for years. He obviously intended on staying with the blazers when he signed his extension until they decided to rebuild while in his prime

[@user-dp5qh1wq3u]

He woudlve gotten significantly less from other teams. Signing that supermax gave dame also allowed him to have one more guaranteed year on his contract

[@DunningKrugerJnr]

Yep, handful of greedy stars sticking around to sign max money and then leaving with 4-5 years on their contract…all American players interestingly as no Euro has has pulled this bs

[@joshruiz809]

They wouldn't make as much. They lose the extra year.

[@DeshTheDirector]

He was still trying to give the Blazers a chance to do what they said they would do: put a good team around him. They didn’t 🤷🏿‍♂️

[@fortynights1513]

Player empowerment. Definitely a topic worth having a conversation about.

[@willemdaho3]

I'm all for it. But if players can sign BIG contracts then a year later demand a trade without a No Trade Clause... isn't that a bad look for the league?

[@TheOriginalPoon]

When the next CBA eviscerates it or a lockout starts, it's going to be because of Dame, Kyrie, Ben Simmons, and potentially Harden. Those situations are going to bite the players in the ass.

[@boy_savage110]

This is the one that made me sub

[@alexnguyen1284]

@@willemdaho3 ben simmons perfect example. Signed a max contract with the 76res and then a year later demands out.

[@rektz2457]

Player empowerment is ridiculous, and these players should not have any say on where they get traded, too

[@kingoffedoras9932]

People wanna make this about "Dame is being targeted this isn't fair" Please take into account that the NBA just signed in a new CBA that was strictly designed to STOP superteams from forming, now people will point to "what about Beal or Harden?" And to that I say, Phoenix was already a superteam with or without Beal, and the Clippers have not shown any heavy interest in acquiring Harden who is a pure rental requesting his 3rd trade in 3 years while Dame signed an extension very recently and is under control for the foreseeable future.

[@marshall1137]

phoenix is a superteam?

[@dominiquerosemond5682]

​@marshall1137 right, that's s huge stretch

[@zsomborszigeti6797]

If phoenix is a superteam then there are atleast 4 superteams currently in the league

[@goatjames6244]

Everyone miss me with this „loyalty“ bs. He was/is being compensated very handsomely for his services. He didn’t have to sign an extension. He’s not playing for free .

[@jac23mj]

He earned that contract. The organization didn’t do him any favors “giving” him that money. His play and work ethic is what got him the money.

[@GothPaoki]

Nobody saying he didn't earn it. We're saying it isn't Santa Claus who's paying him and shouldn't act like he's a slave..

[@hunnidtabss4467]

​@GothPaoki no one e is acting like he's a slave. He's been loyal to this franchise for a decade and signing the extension allows the Blazers to get a return instead of losing him for nothing. He's literally looked out for the Blazers every step of the way while they've lied about putting a contending roster on the floor and have show no aggression in the trade market

[@GothPaoki]

@@hunnidtabss4467 he didn't sign the extension because he wanted the blazers to get sth but because he wanted to stay. You make it sound like he had it planned ..

[@BrothaGoneBased]

@@GothPaoki lmfao wtf no one acted like he's a slave. Including him. That's you inserting that goofy ahh narrative. You sus asf

[@maximusorbis2548]

Rusty is so infatuated with employee employer power dynamics he genuinely thinks lillard has been taken advantage of and the blazers should just help him out. The blazers front office owe their fans and everyone who has put in effort to make them what they are, not a single super star who’s throwing a tantrum

[@kevinb1277]

Yea I didn't realize Rusty was a Tankie.

[@davidperezjr.3335]

@@kevinb1277what did he say that was tankie? I mean ig progressive or even socialistic, but nothing was said that sounded tankie.

[@PerkyPineapple]

It just really seems that he wants to read into things and break them down without having the actual experience or logic to make it make sense. I like when he actually talks about basketball and I'm not a huge basketball fan, but to even act like these players are struggling in any way is just nonsense. These guys will make more in a year than everyone in the comments will make combined but they are the oppressed? If you are going to be someone that will criticize the owners or bosses, then be willing to criticize the players or employees more fairly than you are and then we can talk.

[@Laz4r96]

@@kevinb1277 his soy face should be indicator enough

[@Anthony-yu6xj]

If you don’t want to be somewhere…. DON’T SIGN A 6 YEAR DEAL

[@MoGhadas]

It was a confluence of circumstances with Dame that made this situation untenable for the NBA. Dame having FOUR years left on his deal while asking for a trade to one team AND his agent going to all other teams saying that he wouldn't play for them at all was something the NBA wasn't going to tolerate.

[@croskoal]

Agreed, this kind of thing has been so normalized for years now. I'm fine with the NBA finally stepping in. It's just dumb that Dame is the one getting the shaft for it.

[@alainlamour5868]

@@croskoalit’s no accident they do it against Miami. There’s history with the nba and Pat Riley regarding deals. But truly this should not come down in this particular circumstance. There’s more egregious scenarios of this happening EVEN CONCURRENTLY with James Harden. And yet there’s zero mention of harden in this memo

[@croskoal]

@alainlamour5868 Yeah, the messaging is bad. The memo should have been open, not targeting anyone specifically. As you said, there are other instances of this happening at the same time

[@kyletucker3811]

​@@alainlamour5868No, not nearly as egregious as this. In the past its been kept much more quiet and usually only been one or two teams told not to trade for them, not the entire fricking league dude.

[@alainlamour5868]

@@kyletucker3811 nah not that quiet, KD through out Pheonix and Miami and NEVER intended on signing with Miami. But what happened in Brooklyn to that entire organization, fan base … all three of those circumstances were more foul than this. Dame asking out was expected, for warned and even encouraged. His reluctance and insistence on loyalty is exactly why nobody should give a shit what happens to Cronin and the blazers. And the blazers fans should be furious with Cronin for lying to them, to lillard and to everyone about his intentions of rebuilding. He’s the reason Dame is doing this

[@nicksandoval5434]

I think a big point missed here is the dude has multiple years left on his contract. That’s what makes this unprecedented. All those guys named before were on the last year of their deal and could go anywhere they wanted to that summer. Portland has a lot more leverage here than those other teams did.

[@nwinsto602]

KD did it twice last year

[@managed9348]

⁠@@nwinsto602what he did twice last year?

[@TShelb30]

Totally cool with the idea of him asking for a trade to a certain spot, not so much telling other teams he would practically be an unhappy liability. I get you’re all for worker empowerment but dude these are millionaires playing basketball not dudes stocking shelves in Walmart

[@GothPaoki]

Rusty is completely tripping when he says dame is excused because he's a worker for a billionaire. Like it doesn't matter he's getting paid 51 millions because hus owner is a billionaire. I swear people be acting like these players are slaved.

[@AbdullahKhan-wi9oj]

​@@GothPaoki it's also worth noting imo that he isn't just screwing the billionaire owners (they will hardly lose sleep tbh) but also the fans by not giving them back a solid package!

[@christophergraves3113]

So they shouldn't be happy either...last time i checked he is allowed to have his way he doesn't have to cater to any of us😂

[@TShelb30]

@@christophergraves3113 Not saying he can’t be happy Im just saying as a Nets fan, for example, if my team gives up a lot to trade for him, and he does nothing but complain and sulk about being there imma be pissed

[@christophergraves3113]

@@TShelb30 then be mad at your organization for making that move not dame...he literally saying i just want to be in one area

[@Dan_PM]

I don’t like the slippery slope of convincing your former team to giving you super max deals then immediately bailing. Dame did his time in Portland so I’m fine with him wanting out but I just don’t think it’s always gone be done in good faith

[@rektz2457]

Portland literally paid Dame for his loyalty with massive contracts

[@hwarang5652]

Don't sign the super long contract then. He could've easily taken big money for one or two years and kept his options open. It's his fault for wanting to have his cake and eat it too.

[@marcviola30]

Exactly, rusty takes the players side a little too much…this is ridiculous…a team supposed to settle for Tyler hero when they could get way better return…at least give them a damn list of teams…so he’s ready to sit out for 4 years if he goes somewhere else?

[@nwinsto602]

​@@marcviola30bro people are so off on this, they're completely absolving Portland, there is zero for us to act like Portland didn't have a hand in convincing dame that they would do right by him. I whole heartedly believe that I wish dame would just air out the front office. They couldn't get it done in building a competitor and now they're going back on their word. Also this notion that they're only getting Tyler herro is bs cause herro is an asset as and they have their replacement for dame!!!!!!!!!!!! They want to compete and rebuild at the same time. It makes no sense

[@austinparks5917]

I think he took the extension on hopes it would should how committed he was so the front office would help him…they did not help him lol

[@marcviola30]

@@nwinsto602 I just disagree…how bout the Knicks who could provide size that the blazers desperately need as well as picks…what about KAT in Minnesota, what about Toronto maybe they can grab siakam, or San Antonio and get a bunch of young assets and pair same with wemby

[@marcviola30]

@@austinparks5917 ok, that’s fine…he still signed…front offices don’t try to suck, they’ve made moves throughout his career and been pretty close. Dude do what lebron did his entire career then and sign short term deals so you have an out…it’s not 4 years or nothing

[@javiervargas4813]

The funny thing is that Dame made his loyalty to the Blazers such a big deal, and talking down on others for requesting trades to different areas. He of course deserves to request a trade but the fact that he essentially turned heel and did the thing he has looked down on others for doing this will stir criticism from fans for BLATANT hypocrisy. When he ends up in Miami now, which will happen, there will also come the expectation to win or else be the next victim of slander.

[@danielmokobia106]

I do not him to win on the heat. The teams looking at winning is the suns, Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks,

[@LordAntman]

@@danielmokobia106ahem. Denver.

[@johndotcue]

@@danielmokobia106 I mean they made it to the finals and got 1 win off the best NBA team. With someone like Dame at the point, plus more smarter additions to the roster, I am sure they have more of a chance.

[@zsomborszigeti6797]

​@@danielmokobia106I would take them over the suns and Celtics all day every day, I don't think either is going to 7.

[@tttoasterr8923]

I agree with everything besides the "they should do him solid and trade him to Miami" part. Like Dame, a team needs to look out for themselves and they're future first so if the best offer they get is from the Celtics or whatever they should take it

[@masonnodar5140]

Which is exactly why player empowerment is so important. Teams will always look after themselves first and foremost and it’s up to the players to do the same for themselves

[@tttoasterr8923]

@@masonnodar5140of course! But there’s nothing wrong with a team looking out for themselves as well. Both have to do what’s best for themselves

[@GothPaoki]

He's getting 51 millions per year. He ain't doing anything for free. Stop acting like he's a slave..

[@tttoasterr8923]

@@GothPaokiare you having an episode of psychosis who mentioned his money? And if you want to bring that up the people in the suits are being paid just as much if not more

[@GothPaoki]

@@tttoasterr8923 lol I'm not replying to you.

[@braydon1361]

The league does need to nip this in the butt though. Players being able to sign an extension with a team and demanding a trade to only one team significantly hurts the smaller market teams. Which overall hurts the entire league and the players.

[@CheepsAhoy69]

Let’s be real Dame liked being associated with his loyalty it gave him more clout and he liked being the franchise player, he didn’t just stick with the blazers out of the kindness of his heart. I’m not saying Dame had shitty intentions but acting like he gave Portland so much and got nothing in return is just wrong and naive. They also gave him max contract after max contract that he consensually signed. People make sacrifices for money or comfort and Dame CHOSE more money instead of comfort that’s on him, the alternative was still $40+ mil per year btw

[@Woidso]

It’s so unfair to call people who hate players forcing their way to large markets bootlickers to NBA owners for so many reasons. The owner is a billionaire, the player is often a multimillionaire, the FANS of a small market team are the ones clocking in for a job and spending money on the product. More over, why do we side with the NBA superstars and not the role players traded to a worse market while doing no wrong?

[@davicito3702]

The power should be in the owners hands. It’s a business. The players sign up for this and know what can happen. I know it’s sucks for them at times, but it comes with the job. The team can control their players and where they go because that’s the way it works. The boss can tell the employee what to do. That will never change in any industry.

[@dunnowy123]

He hates that the owners are wealthier than the players so...the players, with their fickle and self centered interests must take precedence, and us, the people, must stand by them. Fuck that lol

[@Kingdomhearts1495]

Its not player empowerment anymore. Its player entitlement. These guys don't even want to honor contracts they signed. No one forced him to sign for hundreds of millions of dollars. Sorry but i don't feel an iota of pity for these millionaire babies.

[@GONZUdAce11]

What about Charlotte and Utah fans? Arent they deserving to have a competitive team? Are we all as NBA fans entitled to a fair, competitive league? Instead of star players only wanting to play for 3 teams? At a certain point the basketball player's job comes with the "sacrifice" of the possiblitity of living somewhere you dont want (in exchange for a million dolar salary). (PS: btw im also in favour of screwing billionars and player empowerment).

[@kyleholtzen6739]

I think making it workers vs owners is reductive, you can be on the side of neither. I want the game to be successful and entertaining, and letting star players chose wherever they want to go is a bad thing. Owners are making their money regardless, but letting Dame fuck over the Blazers hurts their fans, and hurts the other players left on the team. They deserve to have good situations as well.

[@form8409]

I feel like it isn't on the players to satisfy the fans. They're there to play as well as they can to make as much money as they can. Dame played his heart out for 11 years and could have so much more added to his already strong resume and the opportunity to increase his value as a player to new levels. Portland failed their fans as they forced Dame into a situation where he even felt the need to leave. Dame has been with the team ever since I was 9 years old and now I'm 20. They wasted most of his prime years rebuilding and as players get older their value lessens. Yeah these guys are already as rich as can be but if these athletic stars can earn more money through their play and accolades then they deserve that money

[@jeppep95]

@@form8409 The reason why dame is rich is because of the fan. If NBA stars keep screwing the fans the fans won't pay as much and the stars will become poorer. Dame is sacrificing the leagues popularity and fans trust for his own career

[@Not_Sal]

@@form8409then they should stop pretending they care about the fans

[@AquarianAngel]

​@@jeppep95The fans overvalue themselves.

[@icouldhavebeenyourfather8840]

@@AquarianAngelwithout fans and viewership the NBA would be in the same boat as the WNBA

[@daltonbaxter6892]

Player empowerment has gone too far. Players should be allowed to choose where they want to go, and that’s what free agency is for. Dame should’ve hit the FA market and gotten his bag from Miami, or wherever he wanted to go. Nowadays, contracts mean nothing in the NBA, and it will hurt the league long term if player empowerment stays this radical.

[@Recovery305]

Comparing "player empowerment" in the NBA to worker's rights and unionization is certainly a take lmao

[@Mrjdog304]

I was so confused I thought I accidentally hit a young turks video.

[@Recovery305]

@@Mrjdog304 😂 😂😔

[@jgg6932]

​@@Mrjdog304it's a different scope but same principle and most regular ppl should be supporting unions and workers not just the young Turks who're cringe lol

[@ice_springtrap8225]

He does it a lot its pretty annoying seeing commie propaganda from a basketball video like is this the CCP or some shit? 🤦‍♂️

[@GIUDY11]

I don't agree for the most part. One thing is to eliminate a possible destination or give a set of 5 "preferred" destinations. But to eliminate all possible offers except one team is taking it way too far. A lot of the examples you mentioned doesn't work either, both CP3 and Kobe said "I don't want to play there" not "I will only go to X team". AD and Harden are the most comparable but in all 3 cases (both Harden trades) came with fair returns. Dame is trying to force Portland's hand and give in into a bad return, which I think is too much. If Dame and his agent doesn't say anything, I feel like there would be 3 or 4 teams interested with better offers than Miami

[@EmmanuelAniTheSchism]

Thank you for objectively laying out facts. I hate seeing heat fans that whine about this scenario unfolding without them realizing the state of their own team

[@TheOriginalPoon]

Didn't Kobe directly state that he wanted to play for the Bulls? Or was it just that the Bulls were his number 1 choice but won't sit out except for a handful of stated teams

[@milesdeep0]

uk they can have multiple teams in the trade to help make it a better deal. they wasted their time with dame, now go be a good gm and make it work. u shouldn't screw ur best player in the last 25 years. they can make it a 5 team trade to get a better return if they have to. just be a good gm.

[@GIUDY11]

@@milesdeep0 if it was that then it would have been done already No matter how many teams you get involved, the Heat simply do not have enough assets to make it work. If you cannot understand that you are being too obtuse

[@kehlanakareem9319]

I mean it’s either that or have Dame retire on the Blazers without playing at all. The Blazers would benefit far more from trading him to the Heat than not. The NBA can’t do anything about the personal freedoms in the United States so it is whatever.

[@GothPaoki]

I do not agree with rusty here. Nobody blames lillard for wanting a trade but when rusty says it's ok if blazers take less for him , especially since heat have not much to trade for then no it's not ok. Blazers are under no obligation to take scraps for him especial since they have already respected his trade request. You can't expect to take everything if you're lillard and give nothing in return in a situation like this. As for lillard giving much to blazers yes. He was also handsomely rewarded for it with a fat loyalty bonus. People should stop acting like these players are playing for free or as if they're slaves. He's getting paid 51 millions per year. So yes rusty player empowerment has gone too far!!!

[@GothPaoki]

Should also add if heat want him so much they should give more to trade him, wanting to take him for free means they don't believe in him either

[@epcarter6]

Right, this dude comparing a guy getting 50 mil a year to the average worker and making a worker/employer comparison is beyond ridiculous. He totally lost me on that.

[@user-dp5qh1wq3u]

Realistically tho dame is underpaid relative to the market value and profits he generates for the Trailblazers

[@kyletucker3811]

​@@user-dp5qh1wq3uNo, no he's not.

[@GothPaoki]

@@user-dp5qh1wq3u according to the nba his jersey isn't even top15 last year in sales. I really don't think he's making blazers as much as you think he is..

[@GothPaoki]

This argument of dame still being a worker and it doesn't matter he's being a millionaire is completely bollocks on the part of Rusty. And I don't see how his employer being a billionaire is connected to anything. Not every employer - employee connection is the same. These billionaires have workers who get paid basic salary. Are you telling me they're the same as Dame who is getting paid 51 millions??

[@michaelkeitof4666]

You can see he’s projecting worker v employer . A millionaire is not the same as a guy who works 9-5

[@sethlangford238]

everybody had a problem with kd asking for a trade w 4 years left on his deal, especially when he asked to go to the top 2 teams in the nba

[@BIGRYOJ]

How Tf You Gon Call People Dweebs For Wanting Him To Stand On What He Said. And Then Say Keep It Civil In The Comments. Bra Stfu😂😂

[@whiteguuy]

It wouldn't have been wrong for Dame to request a trade 5 years ago.

[@riccracc6547]

I guess the only gripe I have with that is the team is well within their rights to get max value for their team. They aren't beholden to their players just like Dame isn't beholden to the franchise. It negates the commitment associated with a contract, and that's really where the issue lies. If he wanted specifically to go to a certain team, then before he signed his contract and could've entered free agency was the time. He fucked that up and wants the teams to fix his bad business decision in resiging with Portland when in a situation where say a Ben Simmons is ridiculously overpaid, the team can't then start bitching about paying them. They pay them and that's it because that was the deal.

[@awardedaqua580]

Exactly

[@malcolmhodnett8874]

You’re almost purposely ignoring the trend of just blatant unprofessionalism in these millionaires lately. The problem isn’t that Dame wants to go to Miami, the issue is he’s basically sabotaging the deal by saying that he will only play for Miami. Don’t sign the contract if you’re going to do something like this, same as an owner shouldn’t sign you and then decide they don’t wanna pay

[@rubaiyat300]

You mean when they stop paying you cause they trade you? Like happens with every team every year?

[@christophergraves3113]

How is that unprofessional he is doing business like Portland is doing...like make that make sense 😂

[@joshruiz809]

It's not the NFL, they get guaranteed. Make sure your contract is not a team option lol

[@kyletucker3811]

​@@christophergraves3113Because he's very literally NOT doing business. It's not doing business to intentionally sabotage the deal by telling the entirety of the rest of the league not to trade for you. Doing business is behind the scenes telling them you only want to go one place, and then letting them use their leverage to get the best deal out of that one place. That's doing business. Not trying to have your cake and eat it too.

[@christophergraves3113]

@@kyletucker3811 something is telling me you don't know how to run a business 🙄

[@youknoeli_5407]

I think the 2 things that are actively killing player empowerment are the ridiculous trade requests and overload management

[@iterationfackshet1990]

The trade requests are definitely ridiculous. If you sign a supermax which is meant to keep players retained and they go and immediately demand a trade then it ruins the whole idea of the supermax. I think they should ban trade requests for the first few years of a supermax contract and require the player actually plays so that they can earn it. Players no longer earn their contracts, they’re just given them and we’re getting younger players who just don’t care as long as they’re paid.

[@ianardell4660]

@@iterationfackshet1990you couldn’t ban trade requests. There’s been hostile work environments that players want out of. You can offer incentives to stay tho. Like a super max but it becomes a regular max if the player is traded

[@randomguy6152]

​@@ianardell4660so don't resign? many players resign then immediately leave, if you resign you shouldn't be allowed to be traded or paid until you play a certain amount of games

[@rubaiyat300]

@@randomguy6152 Shit changes. Just look at Blake Griffin. Wined and dined by the Clippers to resign, then shipped off to Detroit the next year.

[@ianardell4660]

@@randomguy6152 environments can change. I agree maybe there should be a trade penalty especially with super max contacts but not a bar from trade.

[@xClunky]

You put this as a player vs owner thing but it's really the fans who are getting penalized. You get excited to finally get someone to root for (and granted Dame was there a while) but then, despite having been handsomely compensated they decided to leave and your team is trash until you get lucky enough to find another player. Sometimes it takes decades.

[@daymon_1472]

Comparing the average employee vs employer power dynamic to Dame who could have left in free agency but decided to sign a multi year extension is insane. He’s not working for pennys and being mistreated he’s making hundreds of millions of dollars and is purposely tanking his value to force the Blazers to trade him to the Heat who don’t have a fair deal.

[@matthieusaade3616]

Why does the Portland Trailblazers owns anything to Dame? Portland gave him the opportunity to play in tbe NBA and gave him GENERATIONAL WEALTH as a reward for his loyalty and services . That's plenty fair to me. Teams DO NOT owe nothing to players once they ask out .

[@ianardell4660]

They didn’t “give” him that. Any team could of offered him millions. They owe him that because he stayed and kept their 3rd tier franchise relevant for the last decade

[@malcolmhodnett8874]

@@ianardell4660nah he was paid for that time in money not “ I owe yous”

[@jac23mj]

Dame EARNED that money, they didn’t do him any favors. HIS play on the court got him that money

[@matthieusaade3616]

@@ianardell4660 any team didn't do it though. Portland drafted him , and paid him .

[@matthieusaade3616]

@@ianardell4660 relevant to where ? All Dame did is get bounced in the first round 5 times out of 8 2semi finals and only one conf finals. He got paid A LOT for a guy that can't go past the first round so much .

[@metalmythology6282]

You dont deserve to demand to only go to one singular team, for constantly taking supermax money

[@von5679]

So the most loyal player in NBA history is being persecuted by the NBA but Ben received no punishment by the NBA, makes sense

[@brylinsmith3797]

You’re moving the goalposts. Dame is “persecuted” and Ben received no “punishment” keep it consistent if you want to make an argument. Ben was persecuted also and Dame was not punished.

[@ayourmum8521]

Exactly if anyone deserves to do this it’s Dame. Others have done the same thing. I really hope other teams realize why would you trade guys that you would think like playing for you for a guy that doesn’t want to be there is stupid. Harden be doing this every damn season.

[@smoothjulio]

Idk if he’s the most loyal ever. The NBA didn’t start in 2010. But yeah. Lol.

[@von5679]

@@brylinsmith3797 Ben was punished by the 76ers, not the NBA while we all know who this new fine message was directed to

[@von5679]

@@joelman1989 all under the same umbrella (the NBA)

[@Silver-lo6db]

He has all the rights to do it honestly but dame dug his own grave with all his talks about loyalty

[@xtxond]

+

[@form8409]

I dont agree tbh, he stayed there for 11 years. That is a whole decade +1 and instead of heavily building around him they wasted most of his prime in a rebuild. His value as a player could be so much more worth than what it currently is now even though he is still a 7x all star. I get that he harps on and on about loyalty but again he stayed for 11 years and that's so much longer than most people

[@Silver-lo6db]

@@form8409 of course Portland is a shitty organization. But nobody forced dame to post stories praising his own loyalty, to say that requesting trades (and specify teams) is a weak ass move.

[@christophergraves3113]

​@@Silver-lo6dbactually it isn't...ill give you an analogy to you that you can still be loyal and want to leave...just imagine a relationship you're in...its going good for 4 years and boom that 5th year happens bad things start to happen over and over again...are you going to keep staying there...no who would

[@Silver-lo6db]

@@christophergraves3113 you can be loyal and not that vocal about it. At some point it seemed like is whole persona was loyalty. Then to request a trade and ask for only Miami… if it’s not hypocritical then what is

[@billyerickson695]

Almost like Dames return for staying was being payed hundreds of millions of dollars… not like he was doing charity work staying. They were paying him

[@unlimitedpower4101]

Damian Lillard does have a right to ask for a trade, however, he has no right to use leverage to only agree to play for 1 specific team. That reservation goes to players who were able to negotiate a No Trade Clause such as Bradley Beal. Also, most of these star players you mentioned aren't saying things like, "I won't play for any other team except this team." They just simply asked for a trade and gave preferred and unpreferred destinations and the teams honoured them by sending them to the team they wanted to go to.

[@rapgodreloaded9259]

Title of this video should've been called The Sad State of Player Empowerment.

[@goatjames6244]

Here’s an idea: don’t be greedy and sign an extension KNOWING the state of the team around you. Enter the free agency and sign for a little less money

[@ajmarine3937]

If he entered free agency the blazers wouldn’t get crap back

[@hunnidtabss4467]

He really did them a favor by making it so they can get something in return for him instead of leaving in free agency for nothing. The Blazers have made empty promises over and over about creating a roster with a chance to contend and have failed him while being the primary reason for them having people in the seats.

[@RD-zx6py]

@@ajmarine3937 he could have done a sign and trade if he wanted to do them a favour on the way out but he was crying all over interviews about how 'loyal to to the soil' he was. Now, as he put it - he's 'running from the grind'.

[@devontekuykendall3565]

These players generate the product while the owners don't do anything special. It's not greed. Damian Lillard is worth even MORE than his contract regardless of what you think, he just is.

[@RD-zx6py]

@@devontekuykendall3565 that's true with most employees but that's a different conversation. Very few people get anything reflective of what they generate/help generate for their companies. And I couldn't care less about the individual owner it's the franchise as a whole including the fanbase that he's screwing over by minimising the return Miami would be offering for him whilst they're looking for assets to rebuild.

[@interentnerd4729]

Two things. One don’t sign an extension. If you aren’t sure about wanting to stay there then just wait it out until you can make a decision. I love Dame so much, he deserves a ring. But you can’t sign an extension then whine about not being able to go where you want. Also it is important to remember that those GM’s also have a job. It’s their job to build the team regardless what the players may want. Not saying the front office is in the right(bc i don’t think they are)just something to keep in mind.

[@TheOriginalPoon]

I am also by default on the side of the worker than the employer, but Dame signing that contract effectively ruins any argument supporting the claim that he's being screwed over. If he had just simply said "this is the list of teams I'd like to play for" and didn't push a narrative that he will ONLY play for the Heat, there's nothing wrong. There's nothing wrong with demanding a trade. It is a problem when you just signed a super max extension and then ask out soon after. Free agency literally exists to alleviate this pressure and better tip the scales in the players balance, but outward situations like this is going to have severe implications for swinging the pendulum back into the hands of the owners in regards to power in the league by the time of the next CBA. Also, arguably the biggest reason why everyone is elevating this situation with Dame and not other players is a) Harden is not that player anymore and his demand can otherwise be ignored, he already phones it in half the time when he's unhappy, and b) Dame never stopped talking about loyalty, literally talking about it up til a few weeks before the trade. AND he only wants to play for the Eastern Conference Champions. Its a terrible look. KD caught even more flak but to his credit he went to the Warriors as a free agent.

[@thomasbrady3827]

Nah there is something wrong if he didn’t wanna be traded to places he should have signed a no trade clause

[@loganmattoon5284]

Bruh Portland AT LEAST needs to send Dame to a contender. Whether its Miami or not hes earned that, as their best or second best player in franchise history.

[@jac23mj]

Facts. He’s made that franchise so much more valuable since he’s gotten there. He’s made a lot of people a lot of money

[@ludicrousdreams6559]

Personally I think Portland and Dame fucked themselves over here. Loyalty is a two way street for sure, but loyalty is overrated, and the NBA is a business, and if you want to further your career and the team you pledged to isn’t doing anything, responsibility lies on the player to get out of that situation. I didn’t care that KD went to the Warriors(i am a warriors fan), I didn’t care about AD forcing his way out of New Orleans, or Melo to New York, or even Harden because they knew what was best for their careers, and if Dame wants to force his way out good for him; but don’t go around saying you won’t do shit for other organizations wheb you could’ve left to where you wanted instead of resigning. But at the end of the day just send him where he wants and save him the trouble.

[@rubaiyat300]

Lol Melo is a bad example here if that is your take. His agent was going around specifically saying to the Nets not to trade for him because he was gonna do the same thing. Its a testament to the Knicks' desperation and Masai Ujiri's, at the time unknown, savvy that he was able to extract as much as he did for that trade given the smoke out there coming from Melo's camp. New York wasn't enough it HAD to be the Knicks.

[@danestrada52]

Hey man! Been a fan for a while, and while I watch you for the basketball takes and level headed ness, I really appreciate the unionization shout out at the end. I work at UPS and while a deal was recently struck it still means a lot for you to take the time out of your video to bring up something like that. I hope more jobs will do continue to unionize and the labor force get the respect it deserves

[@kevinb1277]

Unions suck because they cover for shitty employees and protect them from getting fired and suppress the wages of the actually good employees especially when they are young/new to the organization.

[@nbarealtalker]

I’ve said for years that they should just institute significant fines for publicizing trade requests and trade business like the Anthony Davis drama. You’ll never truly hide a player’s desires or intentions and they can say whatever they want after they’re traded (or hate their team while still stuck on it ala James Harden) but just let the media run wild with it and players and their agents should simply be held to a more professional standard similar to tampering rules. As it is right now in sports, you can’t blame Dame’s agent. His job is to serve his client however effectively he can.

[@anaconda2371]

Rusty’s consistency with L takes should get him in the KZbin hall of fame

[@gangstuhpenguin3013]

Rusty claiming people who say Lillard should honor his contract are "bootlickers" is fucking hilarious. It's a contract he willingly signed for an outrageous amount of money, god forbid there are some barriers in place to prevent players from completely derailing entire franchises. Super chronically online moment

[@kenmarrocco]

dang dude you were spittin' at the end

[@thiagobrunoro455]

Man, what a freaking great video. So refreshing to see someone I love watching to actually side with the workers for a change. Love you even more now dude, keep up your awesome work!

[@Low_Tier_Elf]

"It's either you retire a hero of a franchise or live your long career enough to see yourself become a villain." ~Damian Lillard

[@alexanderboulton2123]

The problem is not that Dame's actions are affecting the billionaires. The problem is that they are affecting the team around him. Yes the NBA is a business, but it's also a team sport. And it's understandable to want the star players not to make it super super hard for a team to stay together and succeed. That takes sacrifice and humility, maturity and poise. Yes Dame has exhibited those traits in spades in the past, but he's not doing so now, and he absolutely could be doing better while still getting what he wants. The same especially goes for other stars around the league. We would say the same of any coach, GM or owner who makes careless, selfish and stupid decisions that hurt the community that is a basketball team.

[@hellboy30098]

Dame unfortunately is the straw that broke the camel's back not the main cause

[@alexanderboulton2123]

It's dumb is what it is. Dame is going about this in a dumb way. It's good that he's getting traded as per his request, but this is the dumbest way to move on.

[@bbro43]

Paul George was asking out of a solid playoff situation where Lillard is asking out of a top 5 lottery pick situation. Big difference in situations when discussing hypocrisy.

[@3H5N2]

If the players are so oppressed they can start their own league. This gotta be one of your worst takes I’ve seen.

[@Mayhem5150]

Feel free to hop right back on that soapbox anytime. Great video!

[@jacksonw9514]

The thing that gets me is this isn’t free agency, Dame signed the contract, I’m fine giving a couple locations but 1 is just ludicrous

[@atlien1988]

Dame isn't a victim here. No one forced to sign that extension 😂

[@Starvin-Marvin]

Dame should’ve negotiated a “no trade” clause… because he didn’t, he doesn’t have a right to pick which team to trade to. Nobody forced him to sign his contract extension.

[@salacommander2674]

As a Blazers fan I don't think it's wrong for Dame to try and go specifically to the Heat. But I do think it's silly to expect the Blazers front office to send him there for Tyler Herro and some corn chips.

[@vladovrgoc455]

The issue this time is that apparently the agent was telling other teams they'll get an unhappy player and not to trade for him

[@Lowkeybino]

They not telling a lie

[@Lowkeybino]

Look at harden this ain’t a issue it’s the truth why leave to deal with another front office who don’t care about winning and just using his name to sell more tickets

[@vladovrgoc455]

you're missing the point. look it this way: the whole World knows when a Team is tanking. Who got fined? Mavs bc Kidd said it publicly. Same stuff here. It's not the issue Dame said: I request a trade The issue is: apparently his agent was telling other teams not to trade for him, except the Heat.

[@ishyameru6232]

As a small market fan, with the new CBA agreement I have no issue with where the NBA is headed

[@edwinboateng7579]

Been a fan since 2019

[@TTLOSF]

Thanks for taking the time to talk about how important unionization is.

[@freeranger00]

If Lillard wanted to go to a specific team he should have entered free agency or just not signed an extension. That's BS.

[@stormtro0pr3]

i hate the way Rusty talks like dame has been doing Portland this huge favor as if he hasn't gotten over 200 million dollars from them in the process, it's a really shallow argument in my opinion.

[@Elwislipknot]

Dammit. I started watching your channel right as I started watching basketball. I then discovered you also have a channel where you talk about movies, and my esteem for you grew a lot. And now you openly talk about unionizing? If I ever tried to find a channel that relates more to me it would be impossible. All love to you and rudy

[@nasserotutaha7270]

People relating this to Harden, AD and Melo are slow. All were in the least year of their deals and didn’t just sign a max extension a year prior lmao

[@Mrjdog304]

This might be your wildest take yet

[@823jordanr]

Saying I don't want to go to Utah is completely different than saying I only want to go to Miami

[@SIGuy7480]

it is in Portland's rights to just not trade him

[@thomaslequesne5475]

Dame is taking this whole player empowerment thing too far but most importantly he's a hypocrite. Wanting to play in a better environment is normal but if you've built your image around loyalty, don't expect people to respect you when you betray your own principles. Also if he wanted out all he had to do was to not sign the extension. He would have been free to look for whichever team he fancied. He chose the money and now he wants to dodge the consequences of his choice. Oh and Dame doesn't have to care about what Portland gets in return for him, I agree with that for sure, but then why would you expect the team to care about where he wants to go ? I like your basketball takes but anytime the subject is even slightly political you're way too ideologically biased to have a coherent discussion. "Billionaires are bad" is not an argument and although I do not believe that people should have anywhere close to this amount of money, most billionaires contribute a lot more to society than basketball players.

[@Miles_305]

Portland poorly handled this man's entire career. Who has Dame played with to even stand a chance? All they did was trade away solid win now pieces. He endured enough (yes, they paid him but make no mistake they made wayyyy more off him!). Free Dame.

[@baseupp12]

Poorly handled it could've been way worst he could've been stuck in Sacramento like DeMarcus Cousins or stuck in Minnesota and not even reach the playoffs

[@matthieusaade3616]

They PAID HIM . A f*cking ton of money. They're even in my opinion.

[@jac23mj]

@@matthieusaade3616they paid him cause HE EARNED THE MONEY

[@huberthumphrey7499]

love the final message rusty, keep speaking your mind ‼️

[@orlandowright2323]

Portland owes Lillard nothing and Dame owes Portland nothing. This whole "loyalty" discussion is a mute point when at the end of the day everyone is trying to make money. Would it be nice if both sides got what they wanted, yes but life doesn't work like that. Employees need to realize that your employer isn't your family and employers need to realize that your employee isn't your child. I wish both sides the best but as someone who's seen this scenario multiple times, I'll stay neutral.

[@DatFatThor]

I personally find that asking for a trade to a specific team is okay. I also think calling other teams and telling them that you wont play for them and stuff is absolutely wrong on Dames end and he deserves punishment for that aspect

[@rubaiyat300]

This is the right take. Asking for a trade is fine. Asking for specific destinations is fine. To those with failing memories or not being keyed in way back when, commentators need to be reminded BOTH those have been part of the NBA for literal generations. No player empowerment needed. But yeah going around sabotaging every other trade is bad. Then again, that ALSO probably goes back generations at least as far as mass communication allowed it (just long distance phone calls used to cost real money to make). I know Melo's agent made that same noise just a decade ago.

[@christophergraves3113]

Why though if i want to go somewhere....why let others team with false hopes...this is a business and what dame did was in no shape wrong...if i want to go to a certain place why say ill be happy going somewhere else...like it makes 0 sense

[@DatFatThor]

@christophergraves3113 Exactly, it's a business. Which means Portland wants the best deal available to them for Dame. That means every team gets a chance. It's not Dames choice where he gets traded to or even if he gets traded. If he wanted to leave that bad he would've just became a Free Agent instead of signing a stupid big extension

[@christophergraves3113]

@@DatFatThor problem is Portland is asking for to much they are not going to get a rudy deal...teams are not the Timberwolves...and alot to most teams are not ever interested...and the deals maimi offered isn't terrible the only better deal is boston and they shown no signs in wanting him

[@christophergraves3113]

@@DatFatThor so again stop defending terrible organizations for being terrible 😑

[@richardw6034]

I’ve been watching rusty for years funniest thing you’ve said yet “I’m not gonna call you a boot licker but it wouldn’t be an unfounded accusation”

[@jorgecobelo]

Great video, so proud of you.

[@StevenPlesz]

Rusty, I hope you realize that taking this stance essentially that it relegates teams like Charlotte or Utah to being perpetually irrelevant, right? That's the logical end result of this trend. Players will only want the glamour markets and every other market will become a glorified farm team for their stars. I think you're over-focusing on the billionaire owners when its really the fans who are suffering the most in such a arrangement and they're who we should care about.

[@jaranda6913]

I think this lesson teaches those teams like Charlotte or Utah to actually try to build quality teams around their stars (to be fair Utah does try but I'm just quoting you). If NBA teams don't want their stars to want out, then they themselves should do their best to build a quality roster, rather than keep them around and be content with yearly first round exits. While markets play a factor, of course an NBA player would not stay at a team that is stagnant in their team building and results. That is why either actually try to build a quality team or pay the price. You would see players being chill on being a yearly first round exit before and being satisfied with stagnation, and that is not a good thing for the competition of the game.

[@Not_Sal]

And as always, the fans don’t matter

[@EmmanuelAniTheSchism]

I think that every player that only wants to go to ONE team is abusing the movement, not just Dame. That is an issue that will come back to bite players once GMs lock in on it imo

[@MegaCrow122]

Great video. It was super insightful and I look forward to more videos like this one in the future even if its the occasional because quite frankly its been mind boggling seeing how people have turned on Dame like that.

[@clearlyabot]

That’s not portlands Gm, that’s the president of media or someshit 🤣

[@evangrove2131]

He has done pretty much everything possible to make himself difficult to trade (took a huge extension, had his agent call interested teams and told them he wouldn't play / wouldn't play well for them, etc). It's like he expects Portland to wave a magic wand and teleport him to Miami. Portland wants to do good by him (seeing as his agent has made sure they can't do anything else) but the circumstances of his contract + his agent's antics give Miami so much leverage as to make any return totally infeasible for the Blazers. Basketball is a sport, the NBA is an entertainment business. I don't resent dame, I just think he made a stupid mistake by insisting on staying in Portland for too long. Ultimately he and Portland screwed each other over.

[@jak5714]

Here’s an terrible idea. Just let owners and franchises be able to void contracts whenever they want

[@rajaalahmar4371]

You talk about Portland owing lillard like he played for them for free. He got PAID and HE decided if he wanted to stay Portland or not. They don’t owe him anything and he doesn’t owe them anything as well.

[@thepiratepenguin_]

The NBA needs to institute a trade kicker that takes away money from players who ask for a trade a year or two into a new max deal.

[@3nim3nimabl3]

I really want to see another team call Dame's bluff and trade for him😂

[@bearcatfan1000]

9:50 “what else did you want from him” Maybe don’t sign those contract extensions which limits your ability to explore free agency moving forward if things don’t pan out? He freely chose to sign that supermax and he’ll have the face the lights that come with it. It’s also the not requesting out that’s bad. It’s the “I’m only going to play for X team” that’s the most annoying and then backpedaling when the NBA calls him and his agent out. I agree that employers have way too much power and player empowerment (already a spotty term in my opinion as is because it’s really only for the superstars of the league and screwing over everyone else in the process) should be more prioritized, but whether you want to admit it or not, it is a business where the Blazers have the right to look after themselves in getting the best return possible. Again, if Dame didn’t want to be stuck in this situation, don’t sign those extensions and explore free agency. Dame was already getting more and more frustrated by the year as time went on and the FO wasn’t putting the pieces around him. The writing was on the wall that they were going to fail him long before this. Absolutely absurd take Rusty Also, to the people saying he’s sacrificing money not taking it…oh no. Dame would be going from making 45 million to making roughly 38-39 million this year. Poor him

[@josephmatthews7698]

Remember when everyone was calling dame a fool for staying? Remember when everyone was celebrating because he asked out? Remember how everyone turned on him when he finally did but the negotiations were dragging on?

[@whatcolorareyour6championships]

Shouldve left years ago

[@madskimp3417]

I get Dame was loyal and his team should return the favor, but allowing star players to force their way to wherever they want will inevitably make the league super top heavy. The bottom 75% of teams will turn into farm systems for the top 25% teams

[@velikoslovog7526]

Man you can really see Rusty's young when listening to his political / sociap views. Amazing how naive we all are in our 20s

[@lunachurro6411]

really strange comment, just because you are in favor of unionization and autonomy and/or skew liberal doesn't mean you are naive. unironically could show your own age with a condescending view like this lol

[@omglolwtf9]

Bro watched like 3 videos on pop-leftism and is now spewing buzzwords and inserting political ideology into fucking NBA contracts 😂

[@jac23mj]

People really only mad cause of what team he wants to go to. If it was the Celtics or Lakers, nobody would bat an eye

[@coachvarnado216]

People made it seem like the NBA only made sent the memo out to Lillard. The NBA is addressing all the players

[@brennansmith5871]

The reason the nba and people are mad at dame in particular compared to everyone else whose demanded a trade is that its to the heat who have repeatedly replenished their depth and gone at the brink of winning a championship year after year outside of losing to the bucks in round 1 Finals game 7 of ecf finals Why would i as a gm trade my star player to a team where they can potentially win multiple championships with a minimal return while i have tyler herro Trade him to a better situation but get a better return Hes the one who signed the extension so its his responsibility to play for whatever team he plays for under said extension

[@FantusyFailure]

The reason why I always will be on the side of the players: Athletes have the most leverage and power in the worker - owner dynamic...and they still get screwed over. What does that say about everyone else?