The first blockbuster deal of trade season has been completed, but one NBA legend isn’t thrilled about how it all went down.
The Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night brought down the curtain on the Trae Young era. Young has been dealt to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum; news of the trade broke midway through the fourth quarter of the Hawks’ 117-100 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
MORE: Hawks altering franchise direction, going all-in on $186M 10-time All-Star after Trae Young deal
The late-game trade prompted a series of awkward-looking handshakes and goodbyes between Hawks personnel and All-Star guard Young, who was in street clothes as he nursed a reported quad injury. The scene left a mark on Isiah Thomas, who said Thursday that the National Basketball Players Association has to “get a better handle on how trades are made.”
“In my opinion, it’s very unprofessional to trade a player like that in the middle of the game,” Thomas said “A lot of times, the players are finding out through Shams (Charania), or someone in the audience will know before they do. … Let’s not forget that these are human beings with families, and there need to be some parameters around how and when a trade is announced.”
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) January 8, 2026 Thomas spent his entire 14-year NBA career with the Detroit Pistons, so it’s an interesting point for him to make as a player who never endured a midseason trade.
Maybe Thomas does have a point: social media has brought increased visibility to every move that NBA teams make, especially the franchise-altering ones. Perhaps the league and the players’ union need to be more sensitive to how these moves are scrutinized and perceived.
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