In revealing the Jazz's and the NBA's granting of his wish to be released from his contract in the interest of moving and making his year-old daughter's cancer treatment more accessible, Fisher said, "Trust me."
He said that in this context: of having "gone through it a million times" about how to keep living and playing in Salt Lake City and still accommodate Tatum's needs, as he did during the NBA playoffs this past spring by twice flying her to New York and hurrying back to play basketball.
"It just didn't quite come together," Fisher said.
It all seemed so genuine, so heartfelt, so admirable that Fisher would jeopardize his own career to serve his family, and we all commended him. And then, not long afterward, came the news that Fisher and the Los Angeles Lakers were mutually interested in reuniting. They have agreed to a three-year contract - in essence, replacing the remaining three years on the deal the Jazz inherited last summer from Golden State for about two-thirds of the salary, or nearly $14 million.
So, then, should we view Fisher any differently? Were his motives completely pure? Or did Fisher cash in the season's worth of good will he had banked here to make a smooth exit? Is there anything fishy about D-Fish's tale?
This is not an easy subject. Clearly, Fisher made a family-first decision. Yet it was also a shrewd move, getting the Jazz and the league to support him. For all the wonderful things that Fisher has represented, he's now a sort of Rorschach test for our belief in people: Do you back him unconditionally, or do you wonder how much of this was calculated?
Is it a nice outcome for everybody that Fisher could find both employment and medical expertise in Los Angeles, or does this sudden convergence make you say judgmentally, in the words of "Saturday Night Live's" Church Lady, "How conveeeenient"?
"Trust me," Derek Fisher said.
Maybe that was just an expression, like when Carlos Boozer says, "Don't get me wrong" or when Chris Hill asks, "You know what I mean?"
I took it as more than a figure of speech. I trusted him. I wrote last week that Fisher was again serving as a terrific example to us, doing all of this for the right reasons and demonstrating proper priorities by walking away from the remaining $21 million on his contract. He said his career was now "at risk," and he will stick to that story, saying the Lakers' offer was simply an unexpected blessing. Maybe it was.
But soon after Fisher's news conference in Salt Lake City, his agent was talking about Fisher's being worth more than $5 million a year to the Lakers. Make that his former agent. Fisher fired Mark Bartelstein, apparently for coloring outside the lines of the family-first portrait.
Regardless, Fisher and his new agent made a deal with the Lakers this week, subject to some NBA procedural matters. It's for less money than the Jazz would have owed him, but it also will push his career earnings to $47 million. Try making that much on the PGA Tour.
"Trust me," Derek Fisher said.
I know, we're a little paranoid around here, going back to Derek Harper's "You go live in Utah" dismissal and, more recently, the Sports Illustrated survey establishing Utah as the least preferred destination for NBA players. Yet quite plausibly, Fisher decided he would rather play for the Lakers, who need a starting point guard (his natural spot) and want to keep Kobe Bryant reasonably happy by bringing back a friend and respected teammate, than live in Utah, back up Deron Williams at the point and spend the rest of his nightly minutes out of position.
The Jazz, to their credit, have not suggested any of this. Owner Larry Miller acknowledged being somewhat skeptical of Fisher's motives, but only briefly. Boozer, who recently described Fisher as "a brother of mine," endorsed his decision and the expressed reasons behind it.
"Trust me," Derek Fisher said.
By saying he might never be able to play again, just when teams were beginning to spend their free-agent dollars, Fisher was inviting cynicism that would surely surface as soon as he landed elsewhere. Nobody becomes the president of the NBA players association without having the ability to foresee an outcome like this in the open market.
The Jazz, meanwhile, are being punished only slightly for accommodating Fisher. They will miss his leadership and versatility, needing help at both guard positions this season. In the two years that follow, they will benefit by being free from the salary of Fisher, whom they were willing to overpay later for what he did for them now.
His positive effect in the locker room should live on through Boozer and Williams, and those of us who knew him during his season here will remain influenced by his approach to life and his profession. Will we look at him quite the same way, though?
Good question.
"Trust me," Derek Fisher said.
I want to trust him, to believe in him, to admire him, still. In time, I strongly hope I will. Trust me.
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* KURT KRAGTHORPE can be reached at kkragthorpe@sltrib.com. To write a letter about this or any sports topic, send an e-mail to sportseditor@sltrib.com.
