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Twitter erupts after bad game of telephone kills Wizards-Suns-Grizzlies trade

Jack Baer
·Staff writer
They might have the same last name, but Dillon Brooks and MarShon Brooks are two very different players. The NBA learned that on Friday. (AP Photo)
They might have the same last name, but Dillon Brooks and MarShon Brooks are two very different players. The NBA learned that on Friday. (AP Photo)

A simple trade that was supposed to be bring Trevor Ariza back to the Washington Wizards and send some young talent to the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns turned into one of the most raucous nights in the history of NBA Twitter.

As details of the trade leaked out, the framework was established as Trevor Ariza to the Wizards, Kelly Oubre to the Grizzlies and Austin Rivers, Wayne Selden and Brooks to the Suns, with some second-round picks also being exchanged.

You might notice a first name missing in there. The Suns and Grizzlies certainly did when they were asked to confirm the trade.

Reportedly, the Suns believed they were receiving promising young wing Dillon Brooks. On the other hand, the Grizzlies thought they were shipping out veteran journeyman MarShon Brooks. As you might expect, it was all reportedly the Wizards’ fault, and it led to the two teams spiking the deal.

And so we now go to the incredible mixture of disbelief, speculation and unbridled joy that hit Twitter once it figured out just what was happening.

Twitter reacts to the Wizards, Suns and Grizzlies unfathomable miscommunication

Not everyone was joking around though, as some noted the human toll miscommunications like this can take. Every player involved in the deal now knows his team was ready to ship him away, and that can be a surreal feeling. It also isn’t great for a Wizards locker room that already seemed to be on the brink of devolving into a Mad Max-style Thunderdome of omnidirectional animosity.

Plenty of NBA players also had some reactions as the trade was unfolding then refolding.

And then, finally, there was the man at the center of all this silliness, reacting with only an emoji and a hashtag,

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