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LeBron James had some thoughts on the Dallas Mavericks decision to trade Harrison Barnes in the middle of a game.
- Harrison Barnes was traded by the Dallas Mavericks in the middle of a game on Wednesday night, making for a somewhat awkward end of the night on the bench.
- After the game, LeBron James wrote about the trade in an Instagram post, arguing that players have just as much a right do what's best for them as franchises.
- James' message is sound, but comes with a bit of irony, as he has at times acted as something of a shadow-GM for the past few seasons.
The Dallas Mavericks traded away veteran forward Harrison Barnes on Wednesday night in a deal with the Sacramento Kings.
The deal was a fairly standard exchange at the deadline, save for the fact that news of the transaction broke while Barnes was in the middle of a game with the Mavericks, making for an awkward end to the night for him on the bench.
Read more: Dallas Mavericks trade Harrison Barnes mid-game, leading to an awkward finish on the bench
It was an unpleasant situation, but one of the realities of the trade deadline, and all parties involved seemed rather tempered about how the deal played out, with Barnes thanking the franchise after the game and Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle wishing him well in Sacramento.
Still, getting traded away mid-game feels a bit cold-blooded, and later Wednesday night, LeBron James made his feelings on the deal known in a scathing Instagram post.
"So let me guess this is cool cause they had to do what was best for the franchise right???" James asked in the caption.
He continued:
"Traded this man while he was literally playing in the game and had ZERO idea. I'm not knocking who traded him because it's a business and you have to do what you feel what's best but I just want this narrative to start to get REAL/CHANGE and not when a player wants to be traded or leaves a Franchise that he's a selfish/ungrateful player but when they trade you, release , waive, cut etc etc it's best for them! I'm ok with both honestly, truly am. Just call a ♠️ a ♠️!!"
You can see the post below.
While James' argument is framed around the treatment of Barnes, it's hard not to see as a case being made in defense of Anthony Davis, who recently requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans and favored James' Los Angeles Lakers as a potential destination.
If the Mavericks can trade a dedicated player mid-game because it's what's "best for business," LeBron asks, aren't players entitled to do what's best for them?
The message is rather sound, but it's also difficult not to find a bit of irony in James being the messenger. In recent years, James has had input in front office decisions and put pressure on his teams to seek upgrades to the roster.
Now, he's at it again, hoping to bring Davis to Los Angeles for what a package that would include several of the Lakers young players and future draft picks.
The trade deadline is tough business, and James' message about empowering players is a good one, but it might be taken with a grain of salt by teammates of his who fear of their own imminent departure.
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