NBA needs to take step forward in confronting domestic violence

Kevin Porter Jr. — who is facing two felony charges tied to a domestic violence arrest for allegedly attacking his now former girlfriend in a New York hotel — was traded this week, essentially as salary ballast in a deal between the Rockets and Thunder (Oklahoma City waived Porter the day the trade was official).

Charlotte Hornet Miles Bridges turned himself in last week in conjunction with an arrest warrant for alleged violation of a protective order — including throwing billiard balls at the car belonging to the mother of his children while the kids were inside the vehicle. That protective order stemmed from a domestic violence case last year in which he pled no contest (accepting the consequences of a guilty plea without admitting guilt). The day after he turned himself in, Bridges was back at the Hornets practice facility working out.

This is all morally repugnant and a bad look for the NBA.

Forget that the NBA wants to think of itself as progressive on social issues — these moves are ugly from a simple moral and human point of view. The NBA must do better on domestic violence issues. Much better. And not just in perception.

In both situations, the teams and the league can rationalize the moves. In the case of Porter Jr., the trade ended up with him being instantly waived while both sides got something they wanted (Houston saved money and, with the addition of Victor Oladipo, got a player who could be traded later; OKC added two more second-round picks, plus helped clear up a roster crunch). In the end, Porter Jr. is out of the league faster than he might otherwise have been, and he gets no more money than he was already guaranteed (which was $16.9 million, he just re-signed this summer prior to the arrest).

That doesn't make it right. Any system that encourages this trade and makes a commodity of a player facing serious domestic violence charges is flawed. It reflects poorly on the system the league created.

In the case of Bridges, he is already suspended — out the first 10 games of this season, the end of a 30-game suspension by the league (in practice, Bridges missed all of last season) — and CBA requires the league to let the legal system play out before rendering its verdict. Lawyers like to be cautious and they write the CBA.

Still, Bridges should not be working out at the team facilities. How he has not been put on some kind of leave from the Hornets is inexplicable and a terrible look. That Hornets management or their new ownership haven't done it is wild, but the league office also should be all over the Hornets to clean this up.

All of it combined is flat-out bad for the NBA. The perception is ugly, but more importantly, the league is just on the wrong side of basic morality. Domestic violence cannot be tolerated.

There are no easy answers here, the league has to collectively bargain how punishment is handled, and in the case of Porter Jr. he is out of the league (and will be for some time, whatever happens with his legal case).

That doesn't matter. The league looks soft on a serious, dangerous issue. It cannot.

The NBA must do better on domestic violence — end of discussion.