Soon-to-be San Antonio Spurs shooting guard DeMar DeRozan was traded after the Toronto Raptors brass had promised him he wouldn't be traded. The two sides met at the Las Vegas Summer League, where he quickly addressed the rumors surrounding him, getting assurance he would not be moved.
Yet all of this could have been prevented in hindsight if DeRozan would have signed his max contract during his eighth year of service (last summer) instead of 2016.
According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, DeRozan would have been able to request a no-trade clause in his contract, which would have penned him as Toronto's face of the franchise for the long run.
Only players on their eighth year of NBA service are able to request the famed no-trade clause, one which has been rather elusive for eligible players like Blake Griffin of the Detroit Pistons.
Griffin was traded during the middle of his eighth season in the league, shortly after signing a five-year, $173 million max deal with the L.A. Clippers, yet forced to pack his bags 33 games after being promised to be the team's franchise player of the future.
Getting a no-trade clause is usually considered reserved for a top-five player in the league, as the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Garnett have garnered that power in the past.
In today's NBA era of player control, teams and players are opting more for maneuverability than long-term protection, making it much more unlikely that DeRozan would have opted for a no-trade clause, even with the help of hindsight.
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