Former Suns Player Gets Honest on Trade Deadline

Former Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson offered his perspective on the deadline.

Dec 13, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson (2) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- Former Phoenix Suns forward Cam Johnson was part of one of the NBA's most notable trades in recent memory, as he and Mikal Bridges were part of the major package that landed Kevin Durant in the Valley years ago.

Speaking on The Young Man and The Three podcast, Johnson offered his perspective on what the deadline has become.

"What people don’t get about these trades and I think there have been plenty of players who have vocalized this before, is that you don’t get downtime, you don’t get time to go home, you don’t get time to straighten things out, you are just… your life is moved," said Johnson (h/t HoopsHype).

"Everybody that you’ve worked with, put sweat equity into, blood, sweat, tears all that, coaching staff, fan base, four years I was there, five years Mikal Bridges was there, gone. One night I’m getting ready to play, watching my film, watching whoever was playing, I think it was like a Dallas- Clippers game before that was just finishing up on TNT, and then in a moment everything, all that, just gone.

"I think the trade deadline has become entertainment and it’s a unique thing for professional sports. Our trade deadline being so viewed, so watched, people anticipating movement, but it’s just like when you put so much into it and a trade kind of sideswipes you like that, it leaves your head spinning, and you have to turn around quick, we played in the Brooklyn uniform two days later."

Johnson is correct - the NBA's trade deadline has emerged into a spectacle, more so than any other sport. With the NBA being a drama-driven league, it makes sense for rumors and speculation to take top spot in terms of attention for fans and media.

It's unfair for players involved in those talks, certainly, though it doesn't appear that time is going anywhere.