The first time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar tried to force a trade - Oct. 6, before Durant and the Nets publicly announced plans to "move forward" together). (Note: This article was originally posted Aug. And with Durant himself asking Brooklyn Nets to move him, then rescinding the request less than two months later, history tells us that it is possible to salvage his situation in a similar way - or at least prolong the inevitable. This is far from the only example of a trade request going unfulfilled. Aldridge made the All- NBA Second Team in 2018, made his seventh All-Star team in 2019 and remained with the Spurs until they agreed to a buyout in 2021. Popovich changed his approach, and Aldridge signed a two-year extension before the regular season started. Their discussions had made Popovich realize that he had been "overcoaching" Aldridge, the legendary coach said. The trade request didn't become public until Popovich told reporters that it had been a catalyst for Aldridge's best season in San Antonio. So let's figure this thing out.' And we did." Because we're not gonna get for you talentwise what we would want. "I said, 'But short of that, I'm your best buddy because you're here for another year, and you ain't going nowhere. And I will drive you there, get you on the plane, and get you seated.' He laughed, you know, that kind of thing. You get me a talent like Kevin Durant, and I'll drive you to the airport. "I was very candid with him," Gregg Popovich recalled months later. It's not as if it could simply swap him for a player of equivalent talent.Īnd so the San Antonio Spurs did not trade LaMarcus Aldridge in 2017. The near 7-footer had been drilling jumpers over helpless defenders since he was drafted No. With him, the team projected to remain a contender, as long as it could stay healthy. Getting swept had been unpleasant, but that's what happens when you're nowhere near full strength and you run into an elite opponent. The trade request put the front office in an uncomfortable position.
In the two years that he'd been on the court, though, they'd come up short. The perennial All-Star had chosen this organization in free agency with his eyes on a championship. He informed the team at a meeting in the summer. After reflecting on his uncharacteristically poor performance in the playoffs, a star player decided that he wanted to be traded.
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