With the NBA trade deadline ending yesterday, many NBA wives and families are asking, “what’s next?”  Trades are part of the business and to be expected, but most people don’t realize what goes on behind the scenes logistically when your husband is traded and has to report to his new city within less than 24 hours.

My husband has played for the 76′ers, Pistons, Wizards, Mavericks, Bucks, Heat, and now the Hawks. We have been blessed in that early on in his career, our children were not school aged, and we could easily pick up and roll out …well, relatively easily. We still had to pack, say goodbye to friends, neighbors, church family…people that had become part of our everyday lives, rather quickly. It was emotional…for me, anyway. As our kids got older, it became even tougher. We were faced with the decision that many NBA families are faced with at some point in time.  Do we take the kids out of school and  make them say goodbye to their friends, teachers, and teammates? Or do we split the family up, and have the kids and mom stay in the “home” city, while Dad moves across the country?  We never chose the latter. We felt that the most important thing was being together as a  family and we decided that I would homeschool the kids. What a major undertaking! (That’s another story in itself!) But it ended up being such a blessing. The kids are in school now…and I thank God for that too But I wouldn’t trade those years of being able to travel whenever we wanted to, being on our own schedule, and just really getting to know them and how they learn, for anything.

Fortunately there are now companies out there that specialize in assisting families who have to move on short notice. SportsRelocation.com is one such company  that can help with every aspect of the relocation process from transportation, living arrangements, to finding and researching new schools. Where were they ten years ago??

At the end of the day, trades come with the territory. We have been unbelievably blessed, so I won’t complain!! We’ve always had the mindset, that if God takes us somewhere new, He has a reason and a purpose.  We never questioned His plan for us. 17 years in the league, and He’s never failed us yet.