The NBA trade deadline occurred on February 10, and some shocking deals occurred. Many players are sold out each year to benefit the team. Players that are traded are inspected and given a rigorous physical—they are almost treated like property.
At the trade deadline this year, the moves of the Los Angeles Lakers were the biggest news. The Lakers sent star center Anthony Davis, along with a few young players and draft picks, for NBA star Luka Doncic. Doncic is arguably the best player in the NBA, averaging 28.6 points 8.6 rebounds and 8.2 assists over the course of his career. Doncic is one the next generational talents in the NBA, so this trade came as a shock to everyone in the league. The Mavericks’ only given reason for trading the NBA star was that he was out of shape, but many people believed this was a bad reason for trading Doncic.
“He averages 30 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. I don’t care if he is 300 pounds. Whatever weight he is fine with me,” said all-star guard Anthony Edwards when asked about the trade.
He is absolutely correct. Even though the Mavericks claimed Doncic was gaining weight, he appeared to not have gained much on his opening Lakers media day, leaving some to question if he really was out of shape, or if there was just a dispute between him and the front office in Dallas.
Doncic is a five-time all-NBA first team, one of the highest honors in basketball, so it should not matter what his weight is as long as he is putting up good numbers. He leads the NBA in points scored in the last five seasons and took the Mavericks on a run to the NBA finals. His achievements and skill outweigh his physical attributes, which is why the trade made no sense.
Another trade that the Lakers were involved in ended up being rescinded, meaning it was not completed. The Lakers had intended to trade rookie star Dalton Knecht, and a future first round pick for Hornets center Mark Williams. This trade however, fell through because the Lakers said Williams failed their physical and they would not give up their assets for a player they believed could not stay healthy, so all the players traded ended up having to come back to their respective teams.
Knecht appeared to be affected by being thrown around like property. “It was hard, I got drafted here, so L.A. means a lot,” said Knecht when speaking on the trade. It is tough mentally to go through something like that, and it is even more difficult for a young player. This is an unacceptable position to put a player into—they are people, not property.
A third trade that shed a bad light on the deadline was the trade of Heat star forward Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors. He led the Heat for many years and had even carried them to two finals appearances. His trade was a result of bad blood between Butler and the Heat’s front office. An argument with the General Manager of the Heat was then followed by a refusal to agree on a contract extension for him that started a downward spiral. Butler then tried to play his hardest, but felt like he and the Heat were not going to agree on an extension, so he decided to look for trade offers. The Heat front office did not like this and began to question his effort level.
After a series of small suspensions and disputes, Butler was then traded to the Warriors, leaving a bad taste in the mouth of all involved parties. The deadline had some flaws that need to be fixed, or else players will have no safety from being traded. If Doncic is not safe from being traded, then no player is. This will prevent fans from seeing any players as a symbol for their team or as someone they can take pride in—this is why something needs to change.
