“Nobody’s Safe”: Patrick Ewing’s Unexpected Trade Opened Shaquille O’Neal’s Eyes to the Harsh NBA Business

This NBA trade deadline once again proved that any player can be moved in the NBA, regardless of their talent or loyalty to the franchise. Hall of Fame players getting traded is nothing new in the league, but it still goes to show that even the most formidable stars can be moved for the right price. Shaquille O’Neal recalled a trade that left him heartbroken during an episode of The Big Podcast.

Shaq shared that the saddest trade he remembered was when Patrick Ewing was traded to the Seattle Supersonics after a legendary 15-year stint with the New York Knicks. “I was in the league, but still like d*mn, Patrick Ewing was traded, nobody’s safe,” O’Neal said.

The Big Fella remembered how Dominique Wilkins was traded soon after, underlining how owners don’t care about their players once they hit a certain point in their careers.

“I knew that the business of basketball, from the owner’s standpoint, nobody cares,” Shaq continued. The four-time champion emphasized how owners can decide to trade a player whenever they want, but if a player requests out, they’re the problem.

Diesel underlined how players who make a trade request will be blamed as a distraction to the team, but front offices can avoid that kind of backlash.

The Knicks’ trade of Ewing and the Mavericks’ unceremonious Luka Doncic decision have proven Shaq’s point. Both players were blamed for being overweight and out of shape near the end of their tenures. Especially in the 25-year-old Doncic’s case, Shaq believes there’s more to the story, as the transcendent guard has established himself as one of the best talents in the NBA, conditioning issues aside.

Shaquille O’Neal knows firsthand how unfair the business side of basketball can be

While he was far too dominant early in his career to be considered for a trade, Shaquille O’Neal bounced around the league quite a bit near the end of his career. This sequence started once his time with the Miami Heat turned sour.

The Hall of Fame center is no stranger to being blamed for his impending exit. In fact, Heat executive, Pat Riley, got personal with O’Neal once the former coach realized their relationship was unsalvageable.

“Pat started telling people that ‘[Shaq’s] faking [his injury], he’s getting a divorce, we’ve got a bad record, so he doesn’t feel like playing anymore,’” O’Neal said in his memoir, Shaq Uncut.

Shaq was surrounded by rumors of his supposed laziness and selfishness whenever his name surfaced on the trade block. So the 15-time All-Star certainly knows how Ewing and Doncic felt during their unexpected exits.