On August 22, 2017, The Boston Celtics traded away Isaiah Thomas – who just came off a season where he finished 5th in MVP voting with averages of 28.9 PPG and 5.9 APG – and Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets pick to the Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving. This trade sparked massive media attention, given that Isaiah Thomas was the best player on the team, and played through a hip injury that may have jeopardized his career, along with forgoing any time to properly mourn his sister’s death, all in exchange for leading Celtics to a deep playoff run. Danny Ainge led IT to believe he was staying. That he would be resigned. And then they traded him.
Because of these factors, many players like LeBron James voiced support for Isaiah Thomas, criticizing fans and front office people alike for chastising players for being unloyal, when NBA front office and owners are willing to screw over players constantly.
The fallout of the situation along with Isaiah Thomas’s later misfortune (such as his short and miserable stint with the Cavaliers, and lackluster play with the Lakers) sent a notice to players all around the league that loyalty is useless. These owners and GM’s do not care about you.
Kawhi Leonard, of the San Antonio Spurs that season, decided to not take any chances playing through injury. This led to front office management, fellow teammates, and fans alike deriding for quitting on the team. You can’t blame him though, can you? There’s no doubt that Kawhi Leonard must have seen what Isaiah Thomas went through and decided that he wanted no part of that. Why play through injury, risking your future career success and career earnings, all for a team that a) was not going to win a ring that year (because of the Warriors) and b) can possibly cut ties with you and screw you over as soon as your value is reduced?
DeMar DeRozan was told by the GM of the Raptors that they would keep him. They signed him to big contract. He got tattoos that showed appreciation for the Toronto Raptors. Guess what? The Raptors traded him for a player that didn’t want to be there in the first place.
DeMar DeRozan caught on. Other players have caught on. Don’t be loyal to these franchises. Or even the fans. They are willing to toss you aside if they deem you unfit. So don’t be afraid to toss them aside if you deem them unfit.
It’s creating a real revolution; the era is loyalty is dead and gone. Kyrie Irving said it best recently when he claimed he doesn’t owe anyone anything.
Kevin Durant voiced support for LeBron James decision to go to LA, praising his support for player autonomy. He claimed that he “loved” LeBron’s choice.
Players are catching on. There’s a real culture shock. This is the NBA’s French Revolution. And the seeds of it may have started in the Isaiah Thomas trade. Thomas went from potentially getting payed $20-30 million to just $2 million (yes, it’s millions, but still, you get the point). He is turning 30 years old, is recovering from a hip surgery that was made worse from trying to be loyal for the Celtics. Now, he will not only never be the same (due to not getting surgery early enough), but he also will never get a big time contract again. All because of loyalty.
The era is over. And it started with the IT trade.
