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Consider the following when trading players: The lead

Posted on by angelo

Yes, these people are making millions playing a children’s game, but keep in mind the human element. As trades mount, some players are shocked as they thought they were part of their current team’s plans for the future.

Here are some things to consider when trading players.

How news is spread

When a trade was announced, some players expected to be traded because they had discussed with the team that it was best to part ways.

Some players, like Robert Covington and Kelly Oubre Jr., however, find out they’ve been traded via Twitter insiders Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski.

Davion Mitchell didn’t seem to know he was traded to Toronto just last week.

At last season’s trade deadline, now-former Brooklyn Nets player Mikal Bridges found out via FaceTime with Damion Lee that he was being traded from Phoenix to Brooklyn.

Of course, this is a commercial activity, but the news must nevertheless be disseminated in a professional manner.

In reality, they should first be informed of the news by their agents. Or, management can inform a player that he was traded before Charania and Wojnarowski.

There should be a delay for players to be informed of a trade through their agent before Charania and Wojnarowski post it on Twitter.

Family

Most NBA players have families.

When a player is traded during the season, he has a short period of time – usually 48 to 72 hours between games – to move his belongings into a new house or apartment.

If it’s the offseason, players’ kids may have to switch schools. Damian Lillard revealed to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes what was going through his mind after being traded from Portland to Milwaukee last September.

Lauren Holiday, a former professional soccer player and wife of two-time NBA champion Jrue Holiday, had harsh words for the Bucks after her husband was sent to Portland β€” and eventually rerouted to Boston β€” as part of the Lillard trade.

Holiday’s former teammate Grayson Allen, who was also part of that trade, was asked about Lauren Holiday’s message and the impact of having family across the country after being traded.

One thing to note is that players traded to Toronto must have a work visa when moving outside of the United States.

Change of terminology

Changing teams means learning new plays, new teammates and new coaches.

Vocabulary may vary from team to team. For example, different teams may have a different word for the position.

Different teams may run the same strategy but call it a different name. It’s muscle memory that traded players have to adapt to.

More importantly, chemistry is a work in progress upon joining a new team.

Situations

Things can change in an instant. Some players are on the worst team and before they know it, they end up on the team with the best record in the league.

And vice versa.

Some players get a change of scenery. Players who were on the end of the bench start getting playing time. Other players get lost in the shuffle of a deep team and see a ton of DNPs (did not play).

These are just things to consider if you put yourself in the shoes of an NBA player who has just been traded.

One thing is for sure: life follows you everywhere.