NBA Mailbag: How does it feel to be traded?

The NBA Mailbag is open with NBA legend and NBC analyst Jamal Crawford here to answer your questions during the 2026 NBA offseason.

Have a question for Jamal? Submit it here. 

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How did it feel to be traded so many times? – from Leo in La Rioja, Spain

It’s interesting because even though I played for nine teams, I was only traded three times (not counting sign-and-trades because I obviously agreed to those). I was drafted by Chicago, then I signed with New York, even though it was labeled a sign-and-trade. Then I was traded from New York to Golden State, so that was the first trade. Then the Warriors traded me to the Hawks for the second trade. Then I signed with Portland, signed with LA, and then I was traded from the Clippers back to the Hawks. From there, I signed as a free agent with Minnesota, Phoenix and Brooklyn.

So yeah, most people would see nine teams and think, “Oh, he got traded everywhere.” I would even think that if I didn’t know about myself.

But you would rather get traded in the summer than in the season. During the summer, it’s like, “Okay, I have time to process it. My family has time to move. We can actually take time to adjust.”

In the season, it’s hectic. You basically have 48 to 72 hours to report to your new team, no matter what. You have to immediately learn a new city and new roles. So I’m blessed that I was only traded once during the season. It was one of my worst fears, and that’s the first time I’ve ever said that.

When I got traded during the season, it was the New York to Golden State deal. Zach Randolph and I were both leading the team in scoring at about 20 per game. It was the best start at that time for the Knicks in the last 10 years. We thought we were both going to make the All-Star team.

The night before the trade, John Thompson did an interview with Mike D’Antoni on TNT and he was like, “Jamal may average 25 for us.” That interview played on TV the next day, and I was traded that day while we were in Milwaukee.

I was shocked and literally lying in my bed looking at the wall thinking, “This can’t be true.” I was there for all the bad stuff with the Knicks, and I wanted to be there when things were good, but I never got the chance. I stayed in New York until literally the 71st hour since Golden State was on an East Coast trip, so I met up with them on the road. It was a hectic time.

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Was it hard to choose your team in free agency? – from Colby in Irasburg, VT

Yeah, I’m an overthinker by nature, so choosing teams during free agency was a process.

I would get a bunch of opinions. I would talk to my wife, my friends, people who played for certain coaches, and lived in certain cities. Then it became more difficult as our kids started getting older because now they had a friend group and routine that you want to maintain. You’re also factoring in the length of the deal and the possibility of another move having to come a year later. 

It became a little easier towards the end because I had fewer options, but it was still a pros and cons situation for every team.

So it took some overthinking on some days, but eventually you feel good about a situation and make the decision.

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In your opinion, who has had the best offseason so far? – from Blair in Kyle, TX

I’ll go with an obvious choice and say the New York Knicks. They waited 53 years for the title. Now they can really enjoy being champs this offseason. The city is so excited. You saw the parade and everything they did to celebrate. You had Fat Joe and Jadakiss making videos while on the float. Ben Stiller was shooting special footage that hopefully will come out at some point. The energy is electric, and it should last all summer.

So I would say they’re having the best offseason to start. After them, I’ll go with Miami adding Giannis to pair alongside Bam.

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What’s your reaction to the Giannis trade to Miami? – from Kirubell in Toronto, Ontario

Shocking. I thought it was a joke. I didn’t expect him to be traded to an Eastern Conference contender without them giving up their best player. I didn’t think it was possible, but everything’s possible in this new era.

When you can get two players like Giannis and Bam together, you have to give it a shot. They may not be the perfect fit to start, and I’m sure it’ll be a work in progress. But Pat Riley has the vision, and Spo is one of the greatest coaches in the modern era. So I think they’ll figure it out.

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Do you think that LaMelo and Anthony Edwards will be an all-time duo? – from Asher in Arkansas

I’m not sure if they’ll be an all-time duo, but they’ll be an all-time must-see TV type of duo. They are going to be so fun to watch. They’re two of the most exciting young players in the league; they both have each other’s respect, and they actually are a perfect fit. LaMelo is a pure point guard. Yeah, he can score, run off buckets, shoot all these threes, but he’s the perfect person to play with Ant. And neither of them has ever played with a guard like this.

And you can tell, maybe secretly or loudly, they’re fans of each other’s games. Whenever two guys like that get together, it always makes things more fun, exciting, and must-see. So I can’t wait to watch.

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What do you think of the Jaylen Brown-Paul George trade? – from Seth in Florida

If Giannis to Miami was the most shocking, this deal was absolutely the second-most shocking. There had been rumblings and a feeling that the Brown-Celtics partnership was coming to an end.

I just didn’t think the deal would go like that. And no disrespect to Paul George, because he’s a great player. But again, just like Giannis to Miami, a trade inside the conference, and in this case, to a team that just eliminated you in the playoffs. 

So the trading partner being Philly was more shocking than the deal itself.

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What is the most important lesson you learned from a veteran when you were a rookie? – from Braxton in Melbourne, Australia

A couple of things. One was that there’s a difference between being a professional NBA player and being a pro. A professional is your job title. Being a pro is doing everything the right way and taking your job to the next level as far as professionalism. 

The second one was from Jalen Rose a long time ago, and I’ll never forget it. He was like, “NBA players have to have discipline in the summer.” I’m like, “Why?” And he explained how you have your money and no team responsibilities. You don’t have a set routine or practice schedule, and that’s when problems can arise. So I was careful in the summers and made sure to establish a productive routine. 

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When you were a veteran, did you ever attend Summer League games? Are there specific things vets are looking at when watching the incoming rookies? – from Mason in Portland, OR

I did it a couple of times. You’re watching their pace and seeing if they get sped up. You’re watching to see if physicality bothers them. And you’re just noticing if they have confidence.

It’s one thing to play against college players, but now you’re playing against some younger NBA guys, but also guys who are fighting for their basketball lives and fighting for another opportunity. So that’s a different energy you have to find a way to match.

So you’re looking for different things. You’re not looking for guys to score 30 just because they’re a top Draft pick. You’re looking at their swagger and how they play, and not necessarily trying to see if they can score 30. The better question is, can they get to those spots where they could have scored 30? You’re looking at little details like that.

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Which Summer League player has impressed you the most so far? – from X

Darryn Peterson. And that’s an obvious choice, but what’s impressed me isn’t his scoring, because I’ve watched him enough to know his scoring can translate anywhere. The bigger surprise for me was seeing him get 12 assists. I didn’t know he could see the game in that way. To his credit, he said he was a point guard. I still don’t know if he’s necessarily a full-time point guard, but it’s good to know he can see the floor and make those kinds of reads and plays for his teammates.

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What do you think about Wemby learning to use the skyhook as a weapon? – from Barry in Fayetteville, NC

It’s funny; I’ve heard people talk about that. Of course, I could see it as a weapon for him. By the time he shot it after he jumped, it would be like an 11-foot shot.

That said, I don’t think it would be a weapon he should depend on all the time. If I were him, I would continue to get stronger and continue to not only embrace physicality, but to initiate it.

That would be a game-changer because then all his skills could be unlocked on the other side of that. Once he’s more physical, his shooting and dribbling skills will flow together even more.

The skyhook could be unstoppable, but knowing him and his creativity, I don’t think he would want to rely on just one shot. 

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You’ve played in the most structured NBA offenses and the most chaotic, free-flowing streetball games. If you had to pick one unwritten rule or piece of ‘playground etiquette’ that you wish every modern NBA player brought to the league, what would it be? – from Kiyen in Springfield, MA

I would say the proper etiquette between both things is playing the right way.

I don’t care if you play at a slower pace or a faster pace. Structured or unstructured. No matter what, you’re looking for an advantage. When that advantage arises, you take advantage. It’s the same in the NBA or pickup. The open man gets the ball. 

Too many players try to get in their bag in the summer. Like, “Let me show you what I can do. If I can take 57 dribbles and make a fadeaway, that’s impressive.” No, it’s not. Very few people in the world can do that, and only 5% of them in the NBA are even allowed to dribble like that, so let’s act like we’re the other 95%.

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What was it like to watch your son play for Team USA? – from Jake in Chicago, IL

A surreal experience. It was crazy just to see him make the final 18, with him playing two classes up. It went from 90 players to 65 to 36 to 18 to 14 to the final 12.

He made it from 18 to 14. Then there was a final scrimmage against the Air Force college men’s basketball team. This was going to help decide who would go from 14 to 12. He didn’t start and subbed in during the 2nd quarter. He missed his first shot, and then he scored 11 points in six minutes. I said, “I think he’s going to make the team.” That was the first time I thought that. Then they made the cuts the next morning, and he made the team.

So seeing him do that, and then go on to win a gold medal in Turkey with people chanting his name in a place we’ve never been, it was otherworldly. There are so many layers to it.

With the year he’s had, it’s insane. I just thank God for it because it’s such a blessing for all these opportunities.

🔥🔥🔥🙏🏾 https://t.co/afsEao2amz

— 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) July 7, 2026

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When did you hit your first dunk and how excited were you? – from Alex in Aurora, CO

I was trying to dunk the whole school year. I would throw it off the backboard, get over the rim, but miss it. There was a rule: if you could hang on the rim with two hands, then you could dunk with one.

I was close but couldn’t perfect it. Fast forward to that summer, and I was playing a summer league game at Santa Monica Community College, I believe. I was in the dunker spot, and somebody shot, so I decided to jump and left-hand tip dunked the rebound in. People were like, “Oh, that was nice.” I was like, “What the hell just happened?” It was crazy.

After you dunk once, you feel like you can jump even higher, and so many different things open up after that. Everything becomes easier. 

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How did your jump shot off the dribble become so good? – from Kiyan in New Jersey

A lot of practice. I did a lot of countdowns … 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 … as corny as it sounds. But just a lot of reps.

I loved Allen Iverson so much, and it felt like every time he did a crossover, he made the shot afterwards. And I prided myself on that as well. My dad used to say, “Don’t do a million-dollar move with a ten-cent finish.”

So I connected my shooting with my dribbling and tried to make them equally effective. As you learn, you’ll find ways to make your dribble aid your shot, and vice versa. Like, if you can learn to shoot with the ball on the right side of your hip, then you don’t have to bring it back to the middle of your body to start your shooting form. As you get more practice, it becomes naturally connected. But it takes a lot of reps and intention.

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How do I make my ball handling faster and increase my acceleration with the ball? – from Gurkiat in Canada

One thing I do is I use the heavy ball for my daughter. It’s almost like a game. She’ll dribble 100 times with her right, 100 crossovers, 100 low pounds, 100 high pounds.

I’ll have her do like maybe 500 dribbles with the heavy ball, and she gets frustrated. Then I’ll throw her a regular ball, and it’s almost like somebody took over her hands and body; it’s all going so fast. She’s laughing and it’s almost like she’s being tickled while she’s dribbling because the heavy ball, down to a regular ball, increases your speed.

So that’s my newest way to increase the speed of your handles.

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