ESPN host says Isiah took out his anger on MJ by trading all of Falk's clients in NY: "He's going to try to get rid of every guy I represent because he doesn't like Michael Jordan"

The beef between Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan must run so deep that both continue to fire shots at each other.

But while Mike has limited most of his attacks to words, Thomas took his Jordan anger to the next level, or so David Falk , MJ's super agent, said.

According to ESPN's Frank Isola, Falk told him that when Isiah took the helm as President of the New York Knicks, he wasted no time in trading players for no reason except that they were associated with him.

"I see him at the All-Star game," recalled Isola. "I asked him about Keith Van Horn and he starts complaining about the trade. I said, 'Do you think Dikembe will be traded?' He says 'Oh no, I already told Dikembe, Isiah Thomas is going to trade you'. He's trying to get rid of every guy that I represent because he doesn't like Michael Jordan."

KVH and Dikembe didn't last a season in New York

Van Horn was one of the first stretch fours in the NBA, but after averaging a shade under 20 points per game in his first three NBA seasons, his numbers started to decline. After spending one year in Philadelphia, the Knicks took a gamble by trading the popular Latrell Sprewell to acquire Keith.

KVH averaged 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a Knick, but after playing 47 games, all starts, he was unexpectedly traded to the Milwaukee Bucks before the 2004 All-Star break. Six months later, during the offseason, the Knicks traded veteran center Mutombo to the Chicago Bulls.

Although Mutombo was past his prime at 37 years old, he was still a serviceable big man at 7.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. But like Van Horn, he didn't even get a chance to finish one season for the Knicks before getting the boot. Like Keith, Dikembe was also a Falk-represented player.

Related: Tracy McGrady answers which changes he wants to see in the NBA: "I think you can't score until everyone gets past half-court"

Falk helped make Jordan a megastar

While it was MJ's basketball abilities that made him an NBA star, it was David's deal-making prowess that helped MJ secure massive deals with Nike, Gatorade, McDonald's, and others that made him the biggest name in basketball. His work with Michael made him the most prominent player, along with other notable clients like Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson.

Meanwhile, Thomas' beef with Jordan began when MJ accused Zeke of freezing him out during the 1985 All-Star Game. Jordan retaliated by allegedly masterminding Isiah's exclusion from the 1992 Dream Team. In between those two incidents, Zeke's Pistons faced Mike's Bulls in four consecutive postseasons in a heated and very physical rivalry.

With Jordan already retired and Ewing no longer with the Knicks, picking on Falk in 2004 was easy. Unfortunately for Van Horn and Mutombo, they were mere collateral damage in the long-standing war between Zeke and MJ.

Related: “I don't remember the last time I heard Isiah say a good thing about MJ” - Doc on players genuinely hating each other back in the day