Recent trade deadline shows fans' active engagement with league, says NBA deputy commissioner

The days leading to the NBA trade deadline last February 6 saw the likes of Luka Doncic being shipped to the Los Angeles Lakers, Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks, Jimmy Butler heading to Golden State Warriors, and Kyle Kuzma going to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The trades elicited different reactions from fans, and even players themselves, as they caught up with the developments in the association.

For NBA Deputy Commissioner and COO Mark Tatum, the reaction on the trades just showed the fans' engagement with the league.

"I think what it really shows is just the amount of interest, the amount of engagement that these trades and the movement of players demonstrate. It was remarkable," Tatum said in a virtual interview.

"It was all anything anyone talked about for the first few days. And the reaction on social media of the fans everywhere around the world, it shows how emotionally vested I think fans are in the players, in the teams that they root for, and generally how it impacts their team. So even if you weren't directly impacted, meaning if you weren't a fan of the Mavericks or of the Lakers, it still has an impact because it changes the dynamic of different teams in the league."

With trades, especially those involving big names, Tatum said this drums up more interest for fans as their respective teams undergo changes.

"I think anytime a trade happens that involves star players, you see the emotions on both sides of it. You see the excitement from a particular team who sees a potential for a renewed energy, and you see disappointment because so many people have a vested interest in that player, in that team," said Tatum.

"This trade deadline, obviously, there was a ton of movement there. And I think it makes it more interesting for the fans. It gives certain fans of teams hope that their team now is going for it, that they're looking to win a championship and going all in. And I think given the competitiveness this year, you're seeing more teams now sort of going all in and making the changes that they feel they need to make in order to make their team better. "

—JKC, GMA Integrated News