"Trade a legend, bad things happen to you" - Shaquille O'Neal had a brutal response to the Knicks' downfall in 2002

Patrick Ewing will forever be remembered as one of the best centers to play in the NBA. Most will recall his dominance inside the paint with the New York Knicks, the first team he suited up for in 1985.

However, it was not always smooth sailing for the Georgetown product. Ewing dealt with injuries throughout his career, which is why he missed games. In fact, in his first two seasons in the league, "Big Pat" played only 113 games.

Although his availability was erratic, the 7-foot player dropped huge numbers. He was a double-double machine each time he took the floor for the Knicks. In fact, in 15 seasons in New York, the two-time Big East Player of the Year averaged 22.8 points and 10.4 rebounds in 1,039 regular season games.

Legends deserve better

Ewing made a big difference in the 15 seasons he played with the team. However, the franchise still needed to make critical decisions. They reached the point of needing to revamp, especially with Pat aging and struggling with injuries.

Talks between Ewing and the Knicks didn't run smoothly. In the end, the 1984 NCAA champion requested that he be traded. He felt disrespected and wanted out.

New York did get players like Glen Rice, Luc Longley, and Travis Knight in the four-team trade involving Ewing. Unfortunately, that haul hardly paid off for them as the franchise headed in a woeful direction.

Shaquille O'Neal, who was a franchise center himself for the Los Angeles Lakers at the time, assessed the Knicks' misfortunes. He felt it was a case of bad karma trading off someone as legendary as Ewing.

"Trade a legend, bad things happen to you," O'Neal said via the New York Times.

Avoiding the negativity

If Ewing had a choice at the time, the 1990 All-NBA First Team member would have preferred to finish his career with the Knicks . However, with the negative energy around the organization at the time, Pat felt it would have been better for him to move on to a different team.

"He wanted to finish out his career there, I'm almost sure of that. But when you're around people that don't want you around, then you don't want to be there yourself," Alonzo Mourning, Ewing's good friend, shared .

The Georgetown product would continue his career with the Seattle Supersonics and briefly with the Orlando Magic in the succeeding seasons. Unfortunately, it was no longer the Patrick of old. He would retire in 2002, ending a storied NBA career and spot on the 50th and 75th NBA Anniversary teams.

Related: Shaq on the difference between Pat Riley and Phil Jackson: “In the long run, if you have a little more humor, you can get more done”