By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
When the news about the possibility of the EuroLeague adding trades broke out, there were many positive and negative reactions, with many players expressing their concern about how the system may work.
However, while the talks on the matter are ongoing between ELPA, the EuroLeague Players’ Union, and EHCB, the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board, the mechanism of how this can be implemented is still a matter of discussion.
Everyone understands it will not be easy to implement the concept in a league that includes clubs from different countries.
Still, one of the main points about the issue is that per Eurohoops sources the proposal has not been submitted yet to the EuroLeague Board and the club shareholders have not yet expressed their stance on the matter.
Of course, with trades practically happening – the first big one dates back to 2012 when Eurohoops had revealed the “trade” between Panathinaikos and Malaga which sent Andy Panko to Spain and James Gist to Panathinaikos – and numerous players despite not having buyout clauses on their contracts, moving to other teams mid-season, maybe regulating those moves can be possible.
The fact is that the talks have started on a union level and it remains to be seen how the EuroLeague shareholders will approach the issue when it is presented to them.