Shawn Marion Will Refuse to Play if Traded to a Bad Team

Shawn Marion has been around the NBA a long time, and played for numerous organizations. He knows that the struggling Dallas Mavericks could trade him by the February 21 deadline, but he’s got a warning for them and whoever may acquire him: Marion says that he won’t report to a terrible team if he’s dealt to one. Per the Dallas Morning News: “The thing is, right now, you come into a position like I am, this is my 14th season,’ Marion, 34, said after practice Friday. ‘If I’m going to get traded, they’re going to tell me what’s going on and where I’m going. Because if I’m going to a (crummy) situation, I’m not going. It’s just that simple.’ Marion does not have the ability, by contract, to veto trades, but he does have a 15-percent trade-kicker clause. ‘At this time, I’m too old to be trying to go through and (bad situation). . . and not have a chance to do anything,’ Marion said. ‘I’m at a point where I want to be playing for something right now.’ Marion probably doesn’t have to worry about that. His versatility and production would seemingly make him attractive addition to a contending team, but there is no reason to believe a rebuilding, non-contending team would want to take on a 34-year-old who after this season has one year left on his contract, at $9.3 million.”