There are so many great players who went to another team, and it just didn’t look right. Michael Jordan on the Washington Wizards is number one on that list, and it’s not close. However, we have Shaquille O’Neal on the Boston Celtics, Dwyane Wade on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hakeem Olajuwon on the Toronto Raptors, and Allen Iverson on the Memphis Grizzlies as reminders of what happens when greatness hangs on too long.
But the opposite can happen, too. Players can find a new home and a new lease on their NBA lives. Many players have had bad chemistry with the team that drafted them. Think about how many players were drafted by the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans for years. Many times, those players are moved and their careers hit another level.
We want to find the very best examples of this. Who was great but became a superstar? Which players are now considered part of the most lopsided trades in league history? Let’s jump right into it.
30. Kahwi Leonard
- First team: San Antonio Spurs
- Breakout teams: Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Clippers
This one is going to be a controversial one immediately, but what is Kawhi Leonard without controversy? Leonard started his career with the San Antonio Spurs, one of the best franchises in the league, playing for the best coach in the league, Gregg Popovich. This was the perfect opportunity for a budding star with a chip on his shoulder. To the Spurs' credit, they turned a young Leonard into a championship opportunity, with Leonard winning Finals MVP in 2014. He was dominant with the Spurs, also winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award twice.
Then, the Spurs traded him for DeMar DeRozen and a first-round pick. Leonard was going to the Toronto Raptors with only one year left on his deal. And we saw the greatest example of a one-hit wonder in league history. Leonard’s season with the Raptors is one of the best seasons of this era.
Leonard averaged 26.6 points per game in his one season in Toronto. In the playoffs, as the Raptors made their first run to the NBA Finals, he averaged 30.5 points per game. He won another NBA Finals MVP, and he left for the Los Angeles Clippers as a conquering hero. His Clippers career has been interesting, but he’s still been a special player in the playoffs. His scoring averages for the Clippers in the postseason are 28.2, 30.4, 34.5, 12.0 (in two games), and 25.0. Leonard is the Clippers’ best player, and we did not see this overall dominance in San Antonio.
29. Gilbert Arenas
- First team: Golden State Warriors
- Breakout team: Washington Wizards
Gilbert Arenas is one of those players who doesn’t feel like he was real. His career feels like a dream, and the start of it is part of that dream. Arenas was a second-round pick with the Golden State Warriors. Many said that Arenas tanked the pre-draft interview process, and it’s why he fell to the second round. He played just two seasons with the Warriors. In his second season, he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
The Wizards offered Arenas a six-year deal as a restricted free agent. It was a poison-pill deal that the Warriors could not match, so Arenas was heading east. He made his first of three All-Star teams in his second season in Washington, D.C. He made an All-NBA second team in 2007. He quickly became one of the highest-scoring guards in the league.
Injuries and some insane decisions really derailed his career, limiting his legacy in the NBA. Many young fans might not even know about Arenas and his run with the Wizards, but it was truly special. He could score on anyone at any time. The Wizards were relevant specifically because of Arenas during this era.
28. Julius Randle
- First team: Los Angeles Lakers
- Breakout team: New York Knicks
Julius Randle might be a controversial name in NBA circles today, but there’s no doubt that the former top-10 draft pick did not work in his first stop but turned himself into a quality NBA starter at the very least. The 2014 draftee went to the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of Zack LaVine, but overall, the Lakers got the talent right. They just got the development very wrong.
After four seasons with the Lakers, they renounced their rights to him, removing his restricted free agency status. He signed with the New Orleans Pelicans and played there for a year before signing with the New York Knicks. That signing revitalized his career. There, he made three All-Star Games and was second-team All-NBA in 2021.
As much as Knicks fans might have turned on Randle by the end of his career there, his choosing the Knicks and playing so well might have led to the championship they won in 2026. Changing the culture in New York was not done overnight. Randle brought a different energy to New York. It was clear that it had an expiration date, but he should be appreciated for what he did and how he turned his career around.
27. Bernard King
- First time: New Jersey Nets
- Breakout team: New York Knicks
From one Knicks “legend” to an actual Knicks legend, Bernard King is one of the greatest players to wear blue and orange in NBA history. And yet, he played for three franchises before the Knicks, including the New Jersey Nets. He was pretty good with the Nets, coming in third in Rookie of the Year voting and averaging 24 and 21 points per game in his first two seasons.
Then, the Nets traded him to the Utah Jazz. They gave up King, along with John Gianelli and Jim Boylan, for 7-foot center Rich Kelley. Kelley was on the Nets for less than a full season and averaged just 10 points during that stretch. The Nets traded Bernard King for 50-something games of Rich Kelley. Because King didn’t last long with the Jazz, it saved the Nets from being considered one of the worst trades of all time.
King eventually made his way to the Knicks, and he was exactly who they needed. He helped the Knicks win two championships while actually being on the team. He made both his All-NBA first-teams with the Knicks. Then, he suffered a major leg injury that included a torn ACL and a broken femur, and he was never the same. At least he had the Knicks career that he did have!
26. Rasheed Wallace
- First team: Washington Wizards
- Breakout team: Portland Trail Blazers
Rasheed Wallace has a reputation as one of the most difficult players in NBA history, so it’s no surprise he's on this list. The Washington Bullets selected Rasheed Wallace fourth overall in the 1995 NBA Draft. He was a superstar with North Carolina in college. He was on a stacked team that won the National Championship. He was expected to be a game changer at the next level. He ended up doing just that.
Unfortunately for the Washington franchise, he was not a game changer for them. In fact, he only lasted one year with the Bullets, which is insane for a top-five pick. After the season, Wallace was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, along with Mitchell Butler, in exchange for Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant. It actually wasn’t a bad move for the Bullets, but Wallace was easily the best player in the trade.
Wallace became a star with the Trail Blazers, and he became a legend with the Detroit Pistons. He was all over the place on the court, scoring about as efficiently as anyone in the league, but he also had 38 and 40 technical fouls in single seasons. He finished his career as a four-time All-Star. He led the 2003-04 Pistons to a championship. Everything fell into place for Wallace, and who knows if that’s how it would have worked out if he had never been traded after his rookie season.
25. Chauncey Billups
- First team: Boston Celtics
- Breakout team: Detroit Pistons
We might as well stick with that 2004 Pistons championship team. Chauncey Billups has his own issues today, but back in the late 1990s, his biggest issue was becoming an NBA regular. Billups was drafted third overall in the 1997 NBA Draft. Billups famously didn’t jive with Celtics head coach Rick Pitino. Despite his issues with the coach, he was very productive in his first season. Despite this, the Celtics traded Billups less than a year after drafting him. The draft itself was a miss for the Celtics, who were trying to get the first-overall pick, which ended up being Tim Duncan.
In the middle of his rookie season, Billups was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a six-player deal that sent Kenny Anderson to Boston. Less than a year after that, Billups was traded again, this time to the Denver Nuggets. He was traded a third time in his first three seasons. This time, he was sent to the Orlando Magic, but he never played a game for them because of a shoulder injury.
In 2002, Billups finally made it to Detroit, and that’s where he became a household name. There, he became a three-time All-Star and a Finals MVP. He went on to have a great career and even made it to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He became a stellar point guard once he found a home.
24. Jalen Rose
- First team: Denver Nuggets
- Breakout team: Indiana Pacers
The Fab Five changed the scope of college basketball. However, their impact on the NBA was uneven. All five of them had some level of impact in the league. Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, and Jalen Rose probably had the biggest impacts, but Rose’s impact was interesting to say the least. He was drafted 13th overall by the Denver Nuggets, but he was moved two years later. The move, which sent Rose to Indiana, sent Mark Jackson to Denver.
The Larry Brown connection wasn’t working for Rose at first. There are multiple examples where he would be listed as a DNP coach’s decision. After three mediocre years, Rose finally blew up. The 1999-00 season was the first one where Rose was a real contributor to the Pacers, scoring 18 points per game. He broke 20 points per game that next season, and he was between 18 and through his trade to Chicago in 2002.
Rose led the Pacers to three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances, and he took them to the NBA Finals in 2000. He faced off against the dynasty Los Angeles Lakers, taking Reggie Miller along with him. It was short-lived, but Rose was incredible for the Pacers.
23. World B. Free
- First team: Philadelphia 76ers
- Breakout team: San Diego Chargers
World B. Free was selected by Philadelphia with the 23rd overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft. During his first three seasons with the 76ers, he showed potential but was not yet the explosive scorer he would become. He averaged 8.3 points as a rookie, then improved to 16.3 and 15.7 points per game in his next two seasons. It's not bad for a player in this era, and he'd have a long career either way, but there was much better on the horizon for Free.
After Philadelphia, Free joined the San Diego Clippers, where his career really took off. In 1978–79, he averaged 28.8 points and 4.4 assists per game, earned All-NBA Second Team honors, and finished sixth in MVP voting. The following season, he averaged 30.2 points per game and made his first All-Star team. It showed how important finding the right system is for a star player. So many players fail just because of the situation, and many succeed because things just worked out perfectly.
Free continued to produce after moving to the Golden State and later to Cleveland. He became known for his scoring ability, confidence, and fearless style of play, finishing his career with a 20.3-point-per-game average.
22. Kyle Lowry
- First team: Memphis Grizzlies
- Breakout teams: Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors
The 2026-27 season will be the first in more than two decades that Kyle Lowry won't be in the National Basketball Association. Last season, he was deep on the bench with the Philadelphia 76ers, acting as a veteran presence for a team on the rise. Now, that role is held by LeBron James, but something tells us he averages more than one point per game during his leadership duties.
The Memphis Grizzlies drafted Lowry 24th overall in 2006, but his time there never really gave fans a glimpse of the player he would eventually become. As a rookie, he played just 10 games and averaged 5.6 points and 3.2 assists. He improved the following season, but Memphis was never really the place where Lowry established himself. Houston gave Lowry a bigger opportunity, and he started to look much more comfortable as a starting point guard. Then, Toronto got the fruits of all this labor, turning him into a star and franchise legend.
He developed into an elite two-way point guard, making six All-Star teams and earning All-NBA honors in 2015-16. More importantly, he became the emotional leader of the Raptors and, along with Kawhi Leonard, helped them win the 2019 NBA championship. All six of his All-Star selections came during his nine seasons with Toronto. Lowry was never a top-10 player, but he was always a star who helped his team win.
21. OG Anunoby
- First team: Toronto Raptors
- Breakout team: New York Knicks
From a player the Raptors made to a player the Raptors fumbled. OG Anunoby’s arrival to the New York Knicks came with a mediocre response. The trade sent fan favorites and owned draft picks RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Now, after the most epic tip in league history, Anunoby is a legend in New York. He was on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, and his play led to the first Knicks title in almost 50 years.
There’s a reason the Knicks paid such a hefty price to acquire Anunoby. He was still very good in Toronto. His points per game didn’t really get better with New York, but his clutch gene grew at MSG. Even ignoring the tip that won the Knicks Game 4, Anunoby was incredible during last season’s playoff run. He averaged more than 20 points per game, something he never did in the regular season.
It’s possible we haven’t seen the best of Anunoby yet. He’s still just 29 years old. There’s still some growth to come before we see the post-30s fall off. He’s become an elite defender, and the scoring just makes him one of the best of the best in terms of two-way play.
20. Joe Johnson
- First team: Boston Celtics
- Breakout teams: Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks
Sometimes, we see teams get top 10 draft picks when they have no room for them. It’s a developmental disaster, and it’s one where teams put themselves in this position despite knowing the history. It’s the flaw with the “best-available” draft strategy in basketball. When a team has no room to develop the “best” talent, then it doesn’t really matter.
And that’s the example of Joe Johnson and the Boston Celtics. He was taken 10th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft. Then, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns during his rookie season. Immediately, he showed what the Celtics were missing. His 3-point shooting was clear, and he eventually became an important part of the offense led by Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudamire.
Johnson then went to the Atlanta Hawks and became “Iso Joe,” where he could be the star leading the team. Right away, he was a 20-point scorer. He was one of only five players in the league to average at least 20 points and six assists in the 2005–06 season, along with Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Gilbert Arenas. Johnson became a seven-time All-Star, and he even finished his career with the Celtics in 2022.
19. Jermaine O’Neal
- First team: Portland Trail Blazers
- Breakout team: Indiana Pacers
Jermaine O’Neal was a six-time All-Star with the Indiana Pacers. And he became that because of where he started. While most of the players on this list were complete failures or quick to quit in their first situation. Here, O’Neal was given the best teachings and trainings the NBA could offer by starting his career with the Portland Trail Blazers. Why this was important is that O’Neal skipped college and went to the NBA out of high school.
The Portland situation was odd, as they kept investing in players ahead of O’Neal, and in his third season, his minutes dropped to under 10 per game. Right after that season, they offered him a $24 million extension. Strange.
Eventually, O’Neal was desperate to find a place where he could be the starter. In his first season in Indiana, he averaged around 13 points and just under 10 rebounds. In his second season, he was up to 19 points, and he broke 20 points in his third season. He would break that threshold for four seasons in a row, including averaging 24 points per game in 2004-05. He wasn’t great for a long time, but he was great for much longer than expected during his Portland years.
18. Carmelo Anthony
- First team: Denver Nuggets
- Breakout team: New York Knicks
This one is going to be controversial, but Carmelo Anthony is going to be a Hall of Famer because of his time with the New York Knicks, not his time with the Denver Nuggets. He was really good in the Mile High City, but he became great in the city he calls home. Now, did that greatness cause an actual detriment to his team’s success? That’s a conversation for another day.
Anthony played almost eight seasons in Denver. Revisionist history will tell you he forced his way out during his rookie contract. This was a guy who gave his original team a ton of time to put a champion around him. Anthony was averaging between 20 and 29 points per game every single season. Unfortunately, he has more first-round losses than anything there, even when he scored more than 30 points per game in the postseason in 2010.
In NY, they were building something, but we’re thinking of how well the Knicks did to keep building on fun teams which led to the 2026 championship. The Knicks front office completely messed up the 2013 roster, letting too many important pieces go without replacing them with something better. Anthony ended up being a scorer on a team that couldn’t make the playoffs, but he was undoubtedly a better player after Denver.
17. Jimmy Butler
- First team: Chicago Bulls
- Breakout team: Miami Heat
What a strange and interesting career Jimmy Butler had. He’s one of the greatest players ever drafted at the end of the first round, but he’s been on so many teams for a reason. Known for incredible play at the most necessary times, Butler has taken teams to the NBA Finals that had no business being there. He’s also forced his way out of multiple franchises.
That first franchise is the Chicago Bulls. Butler was always in trade rumors because he felt like a big fish in a little pond. Which is crazy to say because the Bulls have a history, with six championships and play in the third-biggest media market in the country. However, after making the third-team All-NBA in 2017, Butler was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The time with the Wolves is not why Butler is here. It’s when he went to Miami after a quick stop in Philadelphia that put him on this list. Butler did not have better regular-season numbers in Miami, but he was a playoff superstar. He took the 2020 and 2023 Heat teams to the Finals with them on his back. He upset multiple teams along the way, including making it there as an eight seed. He helped take down Giannis and the top-seeded Bucks in 2023. In one of those games, he scored 56 points, a Heat franchise record.
16. Donovan Mitchell
- First team: Utah Jazz
- Breakout team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Donovan Mitchell wasn’t bad with the Utah Jazz, but too many people needed the ball. Mitchell needed to be a star to fulfill his potential, and he did that with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Mitchell has led this team to yearly contention, despite some playoff failures. He’s still one of the best in the league, and despite those New York rumors, he has continuously committed to Ohio.
This is a player who scored 20.5 points per game as a rookie. The thought was that we were seeing the best of Mitchell right away, and he was doing the best with the situation he was given. He loves being a big fish in a little pond, and Cleveland lets him do it again.
Last season, he averaged 27.8 points per game in the regular season and 26 PPG in the playoffs. He gets Cleveland to a top-five seed in the Eastern Conference, and he’s doing it while helping build up a young roster around him. He was always a scorer with Utah, but he’s become a star and a leader in Cleveland.
15. Pau Gasol
- First team: Memphis Grizzlies
- Breakout team: Los Angeles Lakers
One of the most famous trades of the 21st century might not even have a top 20 star in it. The trade of Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers had such an outsized impact on the NBA because of the impact it had on Kobe Bryant's legacy and the era in which it happened. This was before the Player Empowerment Era, where star players were one bad day away from asking for a new franchise to call home.
Gasol was great as the giant Spaniard on the Memphis Grizzlies, but that always had a ceiling that didn’t include multiple championships. The Lakers knew that they needed to change the narrative after blowing up their dynasty team by exiling Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson. They almost lost Bryant to the Clippers, but keeping him on the NBA’s premier franchise became huge for the league.
Getting Gasol on the Lakers was how this team went from good/great to championship level. When Gasol departed the Grizzlies, he held twelve franchise records, so it wasn’t like he took it up a level. He just got to show how great he could be on the biggest stage. He won back-to-back championships, made multiple All-Star teams, and had his No. 16 retired in the Staples Center rafters (we refuse to acknowledge any other naming convention).
14. Adrian Dantley
- First team: Buffalo Braves
- Breakout team: Utah Jazz
Adrian Dantley’s early NBA career was defined by movement. He was drafted sixth overall by the Buffalo Braves in 1976, won Rookie of the Year, and looked immediately ready for the league. In his first season, Dantley averaged 20.3 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 52 percent from the field. Buffalo had found a player who could score efficiently and create offense without needing to dominate the ball.
And if they worked out, maybe there’s still an NBA team in Buffalo. After only one season, the Braves traded Dantley to Indiana for Billy Knight. He lasted just 23 games with the Pacers before being moved again, this time to the Los Angeles Lakers. Dantley was productive in Los Angeles, but his role was complicated by playing alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other established players. He averaged 19.4 points in his first partial season and 17.3 the following year, numbers that hardly reflected the offensive player he was becoming.
Then he went to Utah. He averaged 30.7 points in 1980-81, won two scoring titles during his career, and made six All-Star teams. This didn’t start until he was on his fourth franchise. He was always a gifted scorer. Now, he could be the Hall of Famer that he was always meant to be.
13. Tyrese Haliburton
- First team: Sacramento Kings
- Breakout team: Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton is the player everyone looks at today when it comes to fumbled superstars. He was on the Sacramento Kings, a team that is desperate for a modern star. The Kings chose De'Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell over Haliburton, making the now-Pacers star expendable. Indiana knew exactly what they got when the trade happened, calling Haliburton an “elite” point guard who they considered to be a long-term centerpiece.
And they were right. Haliburton is one of the best players in the NBA, carrying the Pacers to the 2025 NBA Finals. Many say the Knicks would have never won a title if Haliburton had never torn his Achilles during his Finals run. He’s a two-time All-Star and a two-time All-NBA Third-Team winner.
Haliburton is only 26 years old. He has a lot of career left, and the Kings can only kick themselves for making the wrong move. Even with the injury, Haliburton is one of the most valuable players in the NBA. He’s at that next level that can carry a team in today’s league. Meanwhile, Davion Mitchell is in Miami, and De’Aaron Fox is in San Antonio. Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. is projected to be the starting point guard for the Sacramento Kings for the 2026–27 NBA season.
12. Andrew Wiggins
- First team: Minnesota Timberwolves
- Breakout team: Golden State Warriors
Most are going to say this is way too high for Andrew Wiggins, but a first-overall pick in one of the most anticipated drafts in recent memory, putting up mediocre results in his first stop in Minnesota only to become the star that brought Steph Curry his most recent (final?) championship, has to be on this list and considered one of the most interesting stories.
Wiggins was “drafted” by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he was immediately traded in the move that brought Kevin Love from the Minnesota Timberwolves and built LeBron James another super team. He ended up winning Rookie of the Year for the T’Wolves, and he became a 20-point scorer for them, but he was receiving backlash from his fanbase for his style of play. There were criticisms of his court vision and basketball IQ. He needed a change and the Wolves needed someone else. So, they sent him and a first-round pick (that became Jonathan Kuminga) for D’Angelo Russell, Omari Spellmen and Jacob Evans III.
By any metric, it’s a bad trade by the Wolves. Wiggins went on to be a great role player for the Warriors. In just his second playoff appearance, he put up 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while playing stellar defense. He finished the NBA Finals as the leading rebounder, blocker, and second-highest scorer for the Warriors after averaging 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Jayson Tatum was a non-factor because of Wiggins, and that’s why he is deserving of his spot on this list.
11. Alex English
- First team: Milwaukee Bucks
- Breakout team: Denver Nuggets
Alex English is a lot different than many of the names on the list. Milwaukee selected him 23rd overall in the 1976 draft, so it’s not like they made him a top pick and the centerpiece for their future. This shows why it wasn’t surprising he had his best years later in his career. For his first two seasons, he was largely a reserve. He played behind established wings and averaged only 5.2 points as a rookie. Even after his minutes increased, Milwaukee never built its offense around what English could do.
After a stint in Indiana, English became a superstar in Denver. Denver’s fast-paced offense gave English room to use the part of his game that had been difficult to showcase elsewhere: his ability to score efficiently from anywhere on the floor. He didn't need elaborate isolation sets or constant attention. He let the scoreboard tell his story. And that story was usually loooong.
He became the decade’s (1980s) most prolific scorer, beating the many superstars of that era. Larry Bird? Moses Malone? Michael Jordan? Nope, Alex English beat them all with more than 21,000 points (the only one to break 20,000 points in the decade). If he had stayed loyal to Milwaukee, he probably would have been a complementary scorer off the bench with some spot starts. Instead, he became a scoring leader.
10. Mitch Richmond
- First team: Golden State Warriors
- Breakout team: Sacramento Kings
Mitch Richmond is one of the most controversial Hall of Famers in Springfield, but he’s a Hall of Famer for a reason. And it’s not because of anything he did with the Golden State Warriors. They drafted him with the fifth-overall pick of the 1988 NBA Draft, but he was gone by 1991. Then, he became a star in the most uncommon of franchises. It’s the one that sits in California’s state capital.
During his prime, Richmond was recognized as one of basketball's all-time best pure shooters, and he put the Sacramento Kings on the map. Prior to Richmond, the Kings never really had a star worth building around. Richmond stayed in Sacramento until 1998, and he did his best to lift that team up to the same level as the best of the West.
Richmond made six All-Star teams, all with the Kings, and he was even the 1995 All-Star MVP. Later in his career, he won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, an era many forget existed. He finished his career with more than 20,000 points, and while he was scoring with the Warriors, it’s hard to say that he was going to hit that milestone if he was never traded.
9. James Harden
- First team: Oklahoma City Thunder
- Breakout team: Houston Rockets
Say what you want about James Harden today, but there’s no way the Oklahoma City Thunder knew what they were doing when they traded him for a package centered around Kevin Martin. The Thunder were building a dynastic roster, but they fumbled it at every level, and it started when they moved Harden to the Houston Rockets.
Harden was a bench player in OKC, but he played like much more than that. In his final season with the Thunder, he started two games and averaged 16.8 points per game. He put up 16 points, five assists, and three rebounds in the playoffs as the Thunder went to the NBA Finals.
When he was traded to the Rockets, he immediately became the top scorer in the league. He added 10 points per game to his already impressive stats in his first year with the Rockets. He never had fewer than 25 points per game in Houston, hitting 36 points per game in 2018-19. It’s the highest PPG of the 21st century. He’s played around the league since his time in Houston, and his reputation has taken a hit, but if Harden stayed in Oklahoma long term, they probably win a title with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
8. Robert Parish
- First team: Golden State Warriors
- Breakout team: Boston Celtics
There are bad trades, and then there’s the Robert Parish trade. The Boston Celtics have made a habit out of scouting the draft with the number-one pick, finding someone they like better, then getting a haul out of the deal. Before they turned Markelle Fultz into Jayson Tatum and a future first-round that was used to get Derrick White. The Parish trade was even worse.
The Golden State Warriors traded Parish and the number-three pick for the first-overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft. The Warriors wanted talented center Joe Barry Carroll. Red Auerbach wanted Kevin McHale, and he got Parish as part of the deal as well.
Parish and McHale brought new life into the Celtics, starting a dynasty with Larry Bird. Being around so much talent allowed Parish to focus on what he does best. He dominated the glass for a championship contender. He made the mid-range jumper as popular as ever. He was a small center who cleaned up around the rim and won three championships along the way. Carroll earned the nickname "Joe Barely Cares,” which kind of tells you how the trade worked out for the Warriors.
7. Tracy McGrady
- First team: Toronto Raptors
- Breakout team: Orlando Magic
Tracy McGrady’s career is one of the best examples of an NBA player who needed a change of scenery despite already showing the makings of a star. It's incredibly hard for a franchise to admit it has a talent it can't fully develop. McGrady and Vince Carter became one of the most talented one-two punches in the NBA, but it was short-lived in Toronto. In a rare example of a team looking to cash out before they saw a star shine, the Raptors performed a sign-and-trade with the Orlando Magic to help McGrady cash in.
In Orlando, McGrady realized what he could do with that talent. After averaging a little more than 15 points per game in his final year with the Raptors, he averaged 26.8 points in his first season with the Magic. Two years later, he led the NBA with 32.1 points per game. He won the scoring title again in 2003-04, putting him in the upper echelon of NBA players.
Unfortunately, McGrady was on a Magic team that wasn’t built to win, so they traded him to the Houston Rockets for a package that included Steve Francis. Now on a playoff team alongside Yao Ming, McGrady had real pressure to show he was more than a scorer. He was never able to take the next step on the biggest stage. However, he got to that stage because of the steps he made after he was traded by the Raptors.
6. Shai Gilgeous Alexander
- First team: Los Angeles Clippers
- Breakout team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is becoming one of the best players of the era. And he was supposed to be on the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s not like the Clippers didn’t do enough to make the signing worthwhile for Kawhi Leonard, but they also traded SGA to the Thunder for Paul George. The Clippers gave away a future of success for a present that… wasn’t really successful. Woof.
Meanwhile, SGA is a perennial MVP candidate who, at just 28 years old, already has a championship to his name. He’s averaged 30+ points for four consecutive seasons, and he’s already one of the best players ever drafted outside of the top 10. This could have all been with the Clippers! Reports say they didn’t want to trade SGA. So don’t! It’s a massive mistake by that franchise that brought zero returns.
There’s so much more to the career to come. The Thunder are still considered the best roster in the league. Missing the Finals for one year shouldn’t impact their ultimate aspirations, which is championships. By it’s all said and done, SGA might be at the top of this list, but as we stand today, he’s sixth.
5. Jalen Brunson
- First team: Dallas Mavericks
- Breakout team: New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson and Luka Doncic were together in Dallas. How did they mess this up? Brunson was not the superstar he is now. Honestly, he wasn’t close. Brunson was a good player, but most were floored when the Knicks gave him a $25 million-per-season contract. “Same old Knicks,” is what fans heard over and over again. It was the move of a “desperate” organization just looking for someone to play point guard.
Now, he’s a champion. Something no Knick has been able to say in four decades. Jalen Brunson is the NBA Finals MVP for the New York Knicks. It almost sounds like it’s fake. For so many years of mismanagement and being the laughingstock of the league, there are not many players who have had the impact that Brunson has had on a franchise, and he did it for arguably the most important franchise in the league.
For the sake of this article, we’ll go over some of the statistics. He averaged 16 points per game in his final year in Dallas. He’s never averaged less than 24 in New York. He’s taken a step forward in the playoffs, averaging more than 28 points per game during last year’s run. Brunson has never lost a first-round series in New York, something that was becoming a regular thing for the Knicks. Prior to Brunson’s arrival, they hadn’t won a series since 2013. To say he’s a game changer is downplaying his importance. He’s a franchise changer.
4. Steve Nash
- First team: Dallas Mavericks
- Breakout team: Phoenix Suns
Steve Nash is one of the most famous versions of this conversation in the history of sports. He’s the traditional version. He was a pair with Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas before moving on to sign with the Phoenix Suns. He was always a grear distributor, but with the Suns, he became the best passer in the game. He led the league in assists most years. When he got his points to close to 20 per game, he started winning MVPs. Nash was one of the best players in the NBA during this era.
The Mavericks were just playing the wrong offense to make the most out of Nash’s skills, and the Suns were looking for the perfect point guard to lead their seven-seconds-or-less style of play. That offense was legendary, putting up points at a scary clip. Nash, Joe Johnson, and Amar’e Stoudamire were a dominant trio.
This was more than a team overlooking talent, which is what happened with the Mavericks and Jalen Brunson. They just weren’t the right fit. Nash might never have become what he was if he stayed in Dallas. He wasn’t necessarily a round peg in a square hole, but he was at least a rectangle.
3. Moses Malone
- First team: Portland Trail Blazers
- Breakout team: Houston Rockets
If this was a list of underrated superstars in the history of the league, we’d expect Moses Malone to be as high on this list, if not higher. Moses Malone did not enter professional basketball through the usual route, and his early career led to adjustments more than development. He began with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974, then moved to the Spirits of St. Louis before the ABA folded. Still, when he entered the NBA, Malone was still only 21 years old.
He was sent to the Trail Blazers in the dispersal draft, but they only gave him nine games before trading him away. Seriously, how many of the top players were in Portland’s clutches before they either traded them or failed to draft them? Anyway, Malone was traded to Buffalo, who then traded him to Houston before he could even put on their jersey. Houston became the place where his reputation was established. He led the league in rebounding in his second NBA season, eventually won two MVP awards with the Rockets, and carried them to the 1981 NBA Finals.
To this day, Malone is the greatest offensive rebounder of all time, with nobody touching his 5.1 ORB per game. He eventually won a championship in Philadelphia, being named Finals MVP for his efforts. Malone was one of the best all around centers in league history, and he does not get talked about enough in the GOAT debate.
2. Chris Paul
- First team: New Orleans Pelicans (Hornets)
- Breakout team: Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Paul might be the greatest point guard of all time. His time in New Orleans was very good, but it wasn’t that. When he joined the Los Angeles Clippers, he changed the NBA. His combination with Blake Griffin was second to none in the league at the time, and their offensive firepower mixed with Paul’s knack for shutting players down on the other end made him the ultimate game changer.
Paul joined the Clippers after the league got involved. See, the New Orleans franchise had no owner, so the league took them over, and the front office had a trade in place to move Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers. The league vetoed the trade and let a deal with the Clippers go through.
It’s one of the biggest what ifs in league history. Would Paul have been as dominant if he went to the Lakers? Would he have a championship right now, solidifying his legacy even further? It’s hard to play that game, but his move to the Clippers was one of the best legacy builders of anyone in this era.
1. LeBron James
- First team: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Breakout team: Miami Heat
Was LeBron James great in his first run in Cleveland? He sure was. James became the best player in the league, and he was living up to the “best prospect since Michael Jordan” moniker. He came into the league with the weight of the world on his shoulders, and he was doing it miles away from his hometown of Akron. James was always going to be a star, but if he stayed in Cleveland, where the team famously didn’t build around him and his best teammate was Larry Hughes, then he would have tanked his legacy.
The Decision was a nightmare for James, making him the top villain in sports. He was more hated than Bill Belichick and Tom Brady ever were. Entire arenas would boo him like he was a wrestling heel who just insulted their city. However, he was unequivocally a better player in Miami, especially when considering the playoffs.
He won back-to-back Finals MVPs, finished his career with four Finals MVPs, returned to Cleveland to win them a championship, then won the Bubble Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was still putting up incredble statistics, and if it wasn’t for voting fatigue, he might have 10 MVPs at this point in his career. He was at the top of his game for so long, seeing him finally able to do it in the postseason was a sight. Still not better than Jordan, though.
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