Leading up to the 2018-19 NBA trade deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly were willing to trade Kyle Kuzma and the entire young core for Anthony Davis.
As president of basketball operations Magic Johnson does not believe the New Orleans Pelicans acted in good faith, he eventually met with the players to address the trade rumors prior to the team’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.
While player movement is a part of professional sports, it clearly impacted the young core’s performance as they were involved in trade rumors for the first time.