By the Los Angeles Lakers trading Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to the Cleveland Cavaliers, fans of the NBA were reminded again at the trade deadline that for owners and team executives, basketball is indeed a business.
For the players, however, there is a human element that is often overlooked. The Lakers front office has been uniformly applauded by making a deft trade, which helped create salary cap space needed for the team to chase two superstar free agents this summer.
But for the players, it is more about camaraderie and friendship. Clarkson and Nance are, by all accounts, great teammates and solid human beings, and they played their hearts out for the Lakers.