I've read up until page 6 so I don't know if this was addressed already by the end of the thread but
@Saint Cy of JFC is right about there being a rumor Haywood asked for a trade. It was the summer before his free agency. The problem is that the rumor came from a 'reporter' who has been known for very shady reporting. Both Haywood's agent and the Jazz refuted the rumor at the time.
Now this doesn't mean that it didn't happen, but if it did IMO that's a malpractice by DL for trying to keep him despite him requesting a trade, even if privately and not publicly. That's a fireable offense in my books. You cannot lose an all-star for nothing if he told you he wants out and you decided to stick your head in the sand and pretend it didn't happen and then act shocked when he left the very next year. I would have much rather preferred Haywood did what AD did than what he supposedly did (kept quiet and left for nothing).
I think it's not much of an argument about which is better - if a player wants out (and excluding some fringe circumstances, like the team being on the precipice of a title run), I would much rather know that he wants out and trade him, than not know and lose him for nothing in one years' time.