Clippers plane delayed takeoff until after NBA trade deadline passed

The hours before the NBA trading deadline pasted can be a stressful time for players whose names have been bounced around in rumors. For the Clippers, who were heading out on a road trip to Memphis, a bit of added tension resulted as their plane sat on the runway, waiting until the deadline cleared before taking off.

Matt Barnes, who was one of the players named in rumors as a target for a trade with the Knicks described the experience as players checked text and Twitter for two hours before the plane finally took off.

“The plane was a sweatbox today,” said Matt Barnes, who was prominent in trade talks with the New York Knicks for Iman Shumpert. “It’s just a business and it’s tough. We sat on that plane for almost two hours looking around in silence, looking at Twitter.“No one was really talking. We were looking around and the captain said [the delay was caused by] bad weather and we’re like, ‘Yeah, bulls—, we’re waiting for that trade deadline.’ I’m just glad it’s over.”

Two players actually ended up not making the cut, Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens.