Photo Credit: Iman Shumpert Instagram
For many players, being suddenly traded away from your team in the middle of the season could be a nightmare but for Iman Shumpert, it was a saving grace. The guard was traded from the lowly New York Knicks to the eventual champion Cleveland Cavaliers in a three-team trade in January 2015. Shump says the Cavs grabbed him out of “hell.”
HoopsHype interviewed players who were traded midseason.
What was your initial reaction when you found out you were traded?
For me, it would’ve been cool if [things ended differently with the Knicks]. I was hurt when I got traded, so it would’ve been cool for me if I had at least gotten to play my last games with them. I was sitting out for like a month and by the time I got traded, it was a deflating feeling, especially with that season that we were having. I felt like I didn’t get a chance to help get us out of the hole, you know what I mean? (winces) I just felt bad and felt like we had dropped a bunch of games. I felt bitter that I had to leave on such a bad note. I just remember the feeling [sucked]. It was like, ‘Ah, I’m hurt, we’ve lost a bunch of games in a row and then I’m traded.’ Then, shortly after we walk in and we get to playing with the Cavs, we go on a long winning streak. I kept thinking back to my old teammates like, ‘Damn, I was hurt and we were losing. Now I come here and I’m playing well and the energy is great.’ I just felt like they kind of grabbed me out of hell. And every game was being showcased on TV and we’re winning. It was just crazy. I was happy, but I felt bad too.”
