They did...until it didn't suit their interests. Every team was told Demps had authority to make the deal.
Yeah, the whole "more attractive to buyers" may have made sense if he didn't approve the Clippers trade a week later. Seems like a team with a star player on it would be more attractive than 1 without. It would have given the new owner a nice trade piece if the player didn't want to stay...or a nice piece to build around if he did.
Stern was trash. A black eye on the sport and just a guy who was lucky to be there when Al Gore invented the internet.
That's a bit harsh, imo. He basically exploded the league and made the decisions that moved it from a niche sport with it's finals games being broadcast on tape delay to what it is now.
Maybe another commissioner could have done the same...but he's the one who did.