Pacers' Seraphin: I asked for trade from Wizards multiple times

Few players in the NBA were more eager to hit free agency last season than former Washington Wizards big man Kevin Seraphin.

The 6-foot-10 center stated in a recent interview that he asked for multiple trades throughout his tenure with the Wizards, a request that team management repeatedly declined due to fear of not getting fair value.

"Every year from my second season, I asked for a trade," Seraphin told L'Equipe, as transcribed by Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. "And every year it was the same thing: 'We love you, we do not want to see you leave, you have a lot of potential.' There was even a point when they said, 'If we do not get an All-Star in return, we will not trade Kevin.'"

In five seasons with the Wizards, Seraphin averaged 6.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and one assist, establishing himself as a solid bench option for Washington.

Despite noticeable development during his first few seasons in the league, Seraphin saw his role reduced over his final two years in Washington, a trend he says management blamed on the team's former head coach.

"(The year Paul Pierce arrived) may have been the hardest for me because I was really in shape. My playing time fluctuated without reason. I spoke a lot with Paul (Pierce) and John (Wall). And they did not understand. This summer, I met a staff member of the Wizards in a New York restaurant. He said, 'Your problem is that you got Randy Wittman.'"

After spending last season with the New York Knicks, Seraphin joins the third team of his NBA career to begin the 2016-17 season, and will look to become a valuable member of the Indiana Pacers' frontcourt.