On Thursday afternoon, Raptors forward Jalen McDaniels was traded to the Sacramento Kings for guard Davion Mitchell, EuroLeague MVP forward Sasha Vezenkov and the 45th pick in today's NBA Draft. The news surprised not only NBA fans, but apparently McDaniels himself. His trainer, Clint Parks, broke the news to him and recorded his immediate reaction on his Instagram story.
In the video, Parks can be heard informing McDaniels of his move to the Kings, to which McDaniels responds, "Deada-- me? Me?!" and Parks confirms, "Yes, you!"
Jalen McDaniels finding out about the trade to Sacramento 😂 pic.twitter.com/UF2FZJDADE
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BASKETBALLonX) June 27, 2024
The brief clip is the latest viral moment of NBA players finding out they were traded. Previous notable examples include former All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins learning of his move to the New Orleans Pelicans during his All-Star weekend press conference -- which happened to be in New Orleans -- and Derrick Rose being informed that he was traded from the Chicago Bulls to the New York Knicks while being interviewed for a documentary.
In 50 games for Toronto, the 26-year-old McDaniels averaged 3.4 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game on 34% shooting from the field. He will join a Kings team looking to bolster its frontcourt bench and improve off of a Play-in finish last season. The Raptors, meanwhile, are adding a young, talented defender in Mitchell, a disgruntled Vezenkov who asked out of Sacramento and a third rookie with the 45th pick.
