Charles Barkley believes a war is brewing behind the scenes in the NBA.
Due to the increase in players — specifically star players — changing teams and demanding trades, as well as the ongoing trend of load management, Barkley thinks NBA owners are becoming fed up and that could lead to a lockout.
Ahead of All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City, the media asked Barkley questions regarding the trade requests of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Barkley took his answer to the next level. He sees the action of signing huge contracts and then leaving a team in a short period of time as hurting the league.
“You can’t take my money and then say you want to divorce me in six months to a year,” Barkley explained. “You can’t take all my money and then say ‘hey I want a divorce,’ so I’m pretty sure that’s the next thing to come out of the CBA. I don’t think there’s no doubt in my mind that these guys are going to get locked out.”
The NBA Hall of Famer is notorious for getting into feuds with current players, including a battle with Durant over the summer. Barkley called out the ex-Net for his championships with the Warriors, calling him a “bus rider,” not a “bus driver.” Durant fired back, calling Barkley “an old head.”
But Barkley thinks the NBA is headed down a worrisome path.
“You can’t treat these owners and fans like crap,” he added. “which these players are starting to do now with load management and then demand to be traded.”
The NBA has not seen a lockout since 2011, but with the current CBA set to expire at the end of the 2023-2024 season the possibility looms. But in order for that to happen, the league or Players Association would have to opt out of the deal by March 31.
However, the league and Players Association are also currently working on a new CBA. Time will tell if they come to an agreement.
