The free-agent trade in the NBA offseason is thawing and yet superstars like Damian Lillard and James Harden are still in the look out for a new team. Amid this chaos, Harden’s ex-teammate blasted Damian Lillard and other superstars for their peculiar decision. Moreover, the 30-year-old star highlighted the plight of middle-aged players in the NBA.

Lillard and Harden expressed their wish to find a new franchise after the 2022-23 season. Even though the superstars expressed their wishes way before the trading season, they are yet to find teams. Eventually, it led to several trade speculation and predictions among the hoops community. However, criticizing the superstars, Austin Rivers listed out the issues involved in the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Austin Rivers goes all out on Damian Lillard and other stars

The 30-year-old Austin Rivers, who played for Minnesota Timberwolves under a one-year contract, is currently a free agent. With only months left for the next season, James Harden‘s ex-teammate is yet to find a team for himself. Amid these testing times, Rivers recently opened up his frustrations on superstars and the recent CBA contract in a podcast.

In a video clip on Twitter, Rivers criticized the star’s action to jump teams while existing in a contract. He said, “If you get traded somewhere, you gotta go play man. James [Harden] and Ben [Simmons] and all these guys this sh** is bad for the league.”

He highlighted the instance where Harden forced a mid-season trade in the 2019-20 season. Subsequently, he took a jibe at Damian Lillard who is currently forcing a trade out of the Portland Trail Blazers. “I’m a big fan of Damian,” Rivers said, “but I don’t like when stars do that, because it’s just that what does every other player do.”

The star further went on to criticize the latest CBA contract that the players signed. “You either make 50 million or two,” he said.

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Rivers also raised his concern on the number of middle-aged players taking up NBA Veteran Minimum before it’s time.

What is the NBA Veteran Minimum?

It’s no secret that the NBA players bag home heavy pay checks. Meanwhile, the story isn’t the same for every player as the superstars capture the major chunk of the salary cap. Eventually, the upcoming players and others get the bare minimum.

Whereas in the case of veteran players with 10 years of experience, its hard for them to land a contract for more than two years. However, to ensure that, league promised a minimum of $2.6 million salary for the players under the Vet minimum category.

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Moreover, Rivers seemed disappointed with the CBA contract, as he termed it ‘top heavy’. Whatever said and done, if the players live up to their expectations, the deal would flow in.