Adam Silver sets record straight as the NBA commissioner has no power to veto trades after Luka Doncic deal

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made it clear that he has no authority to veto trades, addressing speculation following Luka Doncic's recent deal. Speaking on the matter, Silver shared that league rules do not grant the commissioner power to block or approve trades, even if a move generates controversy. His comments come after discussions about whether the NBA could have intervened in Doncic’s trade involving the Los Angeles Lakers as it created a huge uproar among fans.

Adam Silver says he has no authority to veto Luka Doncic’s trade

The Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade was a headline grabber as the trade has left the NBA world in shock and awe for a long time. Following the bombshell report of the trade, fans immediately protested as the Dallas Mavericks let Doncic go to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for their veteran Davis. It was not enough for the Mavericks fans as they were upset with the departure of the 25-year-old standout star. Amid protests and social media outrage, some fans dragged the Commissioner of the NBA Adam Silver’s name asking if he could veto the deal.

No! Silver has recently clarified the question among fans. Appearing for a chat with the Barstool Sports' Pardon My Take podcast, Silver addressed that he has no authority over the trade. "No, believe it or not," Silver clarified.

"And there's some confusion. People have yelled out to me for some reason in the last week or so when I've been at games that I should be vetoing that trade the way David Stern vetoed a trade back in the old days. There's always some confusion there. David never vetoed a trade. When he was the acting owner of the New Orleans [Hornets] and the commissioner at the time, he turned down a trade that was proposed to him by the general manager of the team," the Commissioner explained clearing the air about an old trade.

Silver’s comments reference the infamous 2011 trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, forming a superstar duo with Kobe Bryant. At the time, the NBA owned the New Orleans Hornets, and then-commissioner David Stern blocked the deal, acting as the team’s president of basketball operations. Several fans have associated the said trade with the current Doncic-Davis scenario, however, per Silver, there is a striking difference between the two instances.

"We don't put a thumb on the scale, so to speak. When a trade comes into the league office, what our basketball and legal folks do is they make sure that that trade works under the confines of the collective bargaining agreement, whatever rules are in place. And then it's up or down—it gets approved or not based on those rules. We don't get to weigh on what we think the merits of the trade are or should be," he explained.

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Dallas landed Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2019 first-round pick in exchange for Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris. The Mavericks, however, received stern criticism following the trade as protests rallied the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks, Nico Harrison. Reportedly, he was also at the receiving end of the death threats.

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