NBA players know they can be traded at any minute, but nobody expects to be traded in the middle of a game. In the case of Trae Young, that’s exactly what happened in his move to D.C., which has drawn some condemnation from NBA legend Isiah Thomas, a two-time champion and 12x All-Star.
“It was very awkward,” said Thomas on FanDuel TV. “Very unprofessional to trade a player like that during the middle of a game. It happens, but I think the players’ association needs to get a better handle on how trades are made and how humane the treatment is for the player and the teams.”
Young, 27, had been on the block for months leading up to his trade to the Wizards. Finally, on Wednesday, he was sent packing in a deal involving CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. While the trade itself was no surprise, he never thought it would get finalized in the middle of a game against the Pelicans. It made for an awkward and tense moment as he left the floor for the final time as a Hawk.
Trae Young going to the locker room after being traded 😳 pic.twitter.com/RmxZ3Z7g78
— Overtime (@overtime) January 8, 2026
In the end, only Trae knows what he was feeling in that moment, but it couldn’t have been great to leave the floor in front of guys he called his teammates. While there are no rules against it, Thomas believes the deal was cruel, and it goes beyond just the timing. He also called out the lack of communication to players, stressing the importance of proper notice and respect before life-changing moves.
“A lot of times the players are finding out via Shams or from someone in the audience who will know before they do. These are human beings, and we like to use the words ‘assets,’ but let’s not forget that these are human beings with families, and there needs to be some parameters around when and how a trade is announced, and there needs to be a protocol that is developed.”
The NBA Players Association doesn’t have any protocol for this, but it might be time to set a new precedent. Trae Young is hardly the first player to get disrespected in a trade, but they can work to help ensure he’s one of the last.
While the NBA is a business, players still deserve the respect to be treated as people rather than assets. What that means going forward is unclear, but Isiah Thomas isn’t the only one who wants to see the system change.
