As we stated in our previous article, what the Luka-AD trade and other blockbusters over the years signifies is that anyone can be traded. Even the brightest superstars in the game.
When it happens, it is shocking, but with so many of the game’s greats playing on multiple teams, we wanted to take a look at five terrific players known for playing for a certain team when in reality their most productive seasons came with another franchise.
There are those special players who never were traded or left for another team, such as Bill Russell and Kobe Bryant. They are more the exception than the rule. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s terrific players who get traded so much it’s hard to define which team they are mostly associated with such as Spencer Haywood, Vince Carter, Kawhi Leonard, Dennis Rodman and Adrian Dantley.
Players change teams often nowadays, the Kobe’s or Dirk Nowitzki’s who play a long period of time for one team will be more rare.
Why are certain players associated or more known for playing for one team over another? We want to offer some insight in light of recent trades.
If you want to know why Dallas Mavs fans are so upset, look at it from this perspective. Luka or Nowitzki has been on the roster each season since 1998-99. That means if you’re a Mavs fan under 35 years old, you know the Mavs no other way. It’s a long time and a shock to the system for Luka to not be on the team.
With that in mind, we take a look at five terrific players who are associated with one team, when they probably were at their best with another.
1. Kevin Durant, SF, Oklahoma City Thunder (2007-2016)
Why He’s Associated With OKC:
Easy Money Sniper had some terrific years with OKC and was MVP runner-up three times before finally winning MVP in 2013-14 at 25 years old. OKC, as a team, had great talent but could never get over the hump dispute having three future MVPs on the same roster.
It’s always a case of “what if” and how much great young talent was on those teams. KD truly had a remarkable OKC run, but…..
His Prime Success Came With:
The Golden State Warriors. Durant joined a team that came off a 73-win season and won back-to-back championships. The debate if he should have left to "chase rings”, if he was a better individual talent than Steph Curry, and how he fit into the dynamics of that dynasty defines KD now and will in his retirement.
The Skinny:
Durant recently passed 30,000 points in his career and the bottom line is he’s too great of a player to just be defined by the Golden State championship run and his role in it. Another reason why he will always be associated with OKC is he was technically drafted by the Seattle Supersonics and played there one year.
He is the last active player for that franchise. Most of the NBA community wants the Sonics to come back and KD will always have that connection.
2. Dennis Johnson, PG, Boston Celtics (1984-1990)
Why He’s Associated With Boston:
It’s simple, the exposure he got and the championships he was part of in Boston made DJ a household name. It also made him an appreciated talent because the Hall of Fame talent he played alongside (Larry Bird, etc.) had such great respect and admiration for his game and made it known publicly.
Johnson went from an all-star scorer to one of the most dependable clutch performers who excelled on the defensive end.
His Prime Success Came With:
The Seattle Supersonics. DJ became an all-star by this third season after only one season on D1 college basketball and was named NBA Finals MVP in 1979 after leading the Sonics to the title.
Many thought Seattle had a budding dynasty, but after failing to return to the finals, he was labeled a malcontent. He was shipped off to the Phoenix Suns, where he was first team all-NBA in his first season with his new team (1980-81).
The Skinny:
Playing with Boston made DJ a Hall of Famer. If he would have toiled along with the Suns, he might be one of the best players to never make the Hall of Fame. More than anything, getting traded to Boston rehabilitated his image. Looking back, Seattle and Phoenix fans now appreciate how good a player he was, as players now have the ability to control the message of what the public thinks about them more than players did in those days.
3. Tim Hardaway, PG, Miami Heat (1996-2002)
Why He’s Associated With Miami:
The Miami Heat were prime contenders to be the team that could knock out Chicago and end Michael Jordan’s championship reign. It never happened, but Hardaway delivered big shots and memorable moments for a playoff team that never got to the NBA Finals. Hardaway was good enough to be first team All-NBA in 1997 and second team in 1998, but he had adjusted his game and was more of a scorer than the dynamic, shifty guard he was with…..
His Prime Success Came With:
The Golden State Warriors. When he came out of UTEP in 1989, Hardaway was a cat-quick guard whose first step and crossover dribble was known country-wide. Hardaway became known for his “Utep Two-Step” and by his third season in 1991-92 was rapidly developing into a legit NBA MVP candidate and All-NBA performer.
He teamed up with shooting guard Mitch Richmond and small forward Chris Mullin to create “Run-TMC”, as the trio was known for excelling in Don Nelson’s fast-break offense. Their success was fleeting, but they were exciting and a fun team to watch before Hardaway missed the 1993-94 season because of an ACL injury.
The Skinny:
It took some time, but Hardaway eventually re-gained the form that made him one of the best guards in the league. He became a household name with the Heat and after some rocky off-the-court issues, was eventually enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2022. Hardaway rehabilitated his game on the court with Miami and eventually his image off it, but his hard core fans know his game was most dynamic in his early Run-TMC days.
4. Rasheed Wallace, PF, Detroit Pistons (2005-2009)
Why He’s Associated With Detroit:
It seems as if his stay in Detroit was longer, but by that time Wallace was already 29 years old and somewhat matured on the court. He helped the Pistons win a championship in 2004 and return to the NBA Finals in 2005, flashing a championship belt in pre-game as if a WWE character. Wallace was known as much for his wit and run-ins with NBA officials as much as he was for his Stretch 4 game that is the norm with NBA big nowadays.
His Prime Success Came With:
The Portland Trailblazers. After Wallace got traded from Washington to Portland after his rookie season, he developed into an NBA All-Star at 25 when the Blazers went all the way to Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals.
He had four terrific seasons after gaining some NBA Sixth Man of the Year votes in the strike-shortened 1998-99 season. The Blazers’ players had some off-court troubles and because they never won big on the court, they are more remembered for coming up short and what could have been, instead of for their individual accolades and talent.
The Skinny:
As a few others on the list, Wallace became more of a beloved figure as he matured and eventually retired at 35. Even at 33, he still made the NBA All-Star team and his talents were respected. It’s clear, however, that Portland’s failures impact the legacy of each individual that was part of that “Jail Blazers” era. Wallace’s Detroit teammate Chauncey Billups could have also landed on this list.
He bounced around with four teams before finding a home in Detroit at age 26. Without the championship run he enjoyed as a Piston, it’s safe to say Billups wouldn’t have punched his 2024 Hall of Fame ticket.
5. Bob Lanier, C, Milwaukee Bucks (1980-84)
Why He’s Associated With Milwaukee:
The Bucks were a competitive franchise and he was part of a big, bruising frontline that defined that era: tough, close to the basket and inside-out. Lanier was on the back-end of a Hall of Fame career, but was well-respected playing alongside young talents such as Sidney Moncrief and Marques Johnson. Lanier played in his final of eight NBA All-Star Games in 1982 at 33.
His Prime Success Came With:
The Detroit Pistons, as Lanier was one of the game’s best big men in a decade (1970s) defined by the center. He was named an NBA All-Star seven times in eight seasons between the age of 23 and 30, but the problem was Detroit didn’t have any continuity and couldn’t field a winning team.
Lanier had eight head coaches in 10 seasons and all were fired mid-season, while management constantly traded away quality pieces around him. It also didn’t help that the Pistons weren’t on television much in those days.
The Skinny:
We wanted to save the final spot for an underappreciated talent who should be remembered as one of the game’s greats at a time when the competition at his position was fierce. Lanier had a serious injury his senior year of college that some speculate he never fully recovered from. He toughed it out and enjoyed a Hall of Fame career even though he never played in an NBA Finals game.
Just missed:
Chris Paul, PG, L.A. Clippers (2012-2017), Latrell Sprewell, SG, New York Knicks (1999-2003).
BALLISLIFE.COM
