The NBA trade deadline is Thursday at 3 pm ET, and the action is heating up on Wednesday night. That also makes for a very uncomfortable situation for players.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s between the Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center, Blazers players gathered around a phone to learn about a reported trade.
That trade features Blazers guard Josh Hart going to the New York Knicks in exchange for Cam Reddish, Ryan Arcidiacono, Svi Mykhailiuk, and a protected future first-round pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Knicks are trading Cam Reddish and a protected future first-round pick to the Blazers for Hart, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/whB5mS8lfs
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 9, 2023
Austin White of the Portland Tribune took a couple of incredible photos showing Hart and the Blazers learning about the trade during warm-ups.
Reaction from Hart being traded right before warmups, he's off to the Knicks #RipCity https://t.co/39Oo4Vrs1u pic.twitter.com/BBGLv9XE77
— Austin White (@ajw_sports) February 9, 2023
That’s a great example of the world we live in now, and a reminder that the athletes don’t know much more than the average person when it comes to trade rumors.
While Hart may be disappointed to leave Portland (and to find out he was traded the way he did), he’s at least going to a Knicks (30-26; seventh in the Eastern Conference) team that would be in the playoffs at the moment, unlike the Blazers (26-28).
Hart, 27, is averaging 9.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists this season.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.