As the trade deadline nears, you hear all about deals that were made, deals that weren’t and deals that should have been. Afterward, you’ll hear jeers, cheers, grades and analysis…and more analysis.

What you never hear is how a midseason trade can turn a player’s world upside-down for awhile, so we called on an expert. Desmond Mason was traded from Seattle to Milwaukee on February 20, 2003. He was uprooted again this past October, when the Bucks dealt him to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets just a week before the 2005-06 season.

Mason's on his third team since getting drafted out of Oklahoma State in 2000 by the Sonics. Gregory Shamus/NBAE/Getty Images

Feb. 23, 2006 -- At 3 o’clock (ET) on Thursday, February 23, a lot of guys will be able to exhale and stop worrying about their future for awhile.

Until then, the trade deadline just kind of stays in the back of everybody’s head. Some guys will be a little more edgy than usual, others won’t give it much thought and might get blindsided like I was three years ago.

There are always rumors out there, but those are for fans and reporters. You won’t hear too much talk about them in the lockerroom. It’s kind of a taboo subject that’s just left alone, because getting traded is something that most guys just don’t want to have to go through unless they’re in a really tough situation.

Even Ron Artest’s situation, as drawn out as it was, didn’t get much play in our lockerroom. We all know it’s part of the business, but you try not to worry about the things you can’t control.

Imagine your company telling you they’ve sent you to another company ... in another state ... and you have 24 hours to get there and start work. It’s not easy.

Both times, I was hurt because management had told me that I was part of their core. You get a guarantee that they want you, you give them everything you have on and off the floor, you build a relationship. Then it happens, and you feel double-crossed. I’d rather owners and general managers just keep their mouths shut and not say something they aren’t 100 percent sure about.

When Seattle traded me to Milwaukee, I was more worried about my wife. Her family was a couple of hours down the road, we had tons of friends in the city, and we were just getting comfortable in our house. The next day, I’m packing my bags, and she’s back with all of the responsibilities at home.

For the last two months of that season, I lived out of a hotel in Milwaukee. You’re not in your own bed. You can’t get a home-cooked meal. You go to the store, you come back, and the cleaning people are in your room. If you do it a couple months, it becomes uncomfortable.

But those were small issues compared to what we faced in October. The Bucks traded me to the Hornets less than three weeks after my daughter was born. We weren’t even sure it was OK for her to fly yet, until the doctor said it was fine. We all came down to Oklahoma City together right away so my wife wouldn’t have to be home by herself with the baby.

For another month, until we could rent a house, we were living out of a hotel again. Once you find room for the crib, the diapers, clothes, groceries - the room gets a lot smaller. It really starts to get under your skin, you get irritable. Also, we were at a hotel where visiting teams stay, so you come ‘home’ and there’s an opposing team in your lobby. It wasn’t comfortable.

In between selling our old house, finding a new house, getting the other car shipped from Milwaukee, getting our furniture moved and experiencing the joy and sleeplessness that comes with being a new father, now I’m in a new city, on a new team that traded an All-Star big man to get me.

I didn’t feel the same pressure when I went to Milwaukee. I came with Gary Payton, who I had played with for 2-1/2 seasons, and I was playing for a team that had a lot of veteran guys.

Here with the Hornets, next to P.J. (Brown), I’m the oldest player on the team. I felt like I had to prove myself. Once I reminded myself that I don’t have to prove anything to everyone, because people know that I can play, I started to relax, enjoy myself, and just play. When I did that, I started to play better.

I don’t think I’m quite there yet, but it gets easier every day. Guys like P.J. and Rasual Butler made me feel welcome right away. The younger guys, they really didn’t know what to say because they’ve never been through it, but I’ve built friendships with all of them in a pretty short time.

Hopefully, this is my last stop for awhile, but I’m a realist and I know it could happen again anytime. You always want to end up somewhere, solidify your role, get comfortable and feel at home with your team. Hopefully the third time is the charm, but if it isn’t, at least going through it twice already has taught me how to adapt, so I’m good with that now.