5 NBA superstars who forced their way out through a trade request
LeBron James is arguably the most important player to make player mobility a normal thing in the NBA. Of course, the King has never been traded but he has controlled his destiny, and it has been a good example for other superstars.
Russell Westbrook has been a hot name in terms of trade requests in recent years. Reports suggest the former NBA MVP wanted to be traded by the OKC Thunder after the 2018-19 season ended. Effectively, OKC traded him to the Houston Rockets.
After one year alongside James Harden, reports of Westbrook being unhappy with his role were published. Recently, he was traded to the Washington Wizards in exchange for John Wall and a future NBA Draft pick.
Without further ado, let us review five superstar players who requested trades in the 21st century.
#5 Chris Paul
Chris Paul was a member of the New Orleans Hornets from the start of his career in 2005 until 2011.
He led the league in assists twice while playing for the Hornets and guided the team to the NBA Playoffs three times.
Paul signed a four-year contract extension worth $68 million in 2008 to stay with the Hornets. However, only two years later, the team was left without real ownership, and the NBA took over during the search for a new owner.
With all the noise going on, Paul felt he needed to change his situation and asked a trade out of New Orleans. In 2011, the LA Lakers agreed a trade that would land Paul in Staples Center. However, NBA Commissioner David Stern vetoed the trade because he felt the return was not enough.
Eventually, Paul got traded to the LA Clippers.
#4 Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first pick of the 2011 NBA Draft.
In his six years at Cleveland, Irving was named to four NBA All-Star Games, won an All-Star MVP, was named Rookie of the Year, and made the biggest shot in franchise history. In the 2016 NBA Finals, he helped LeBron James give Cleveland its first NBA title.
With the seventh game of the 2016 NBA Finals tied at 89, Irving made a three-point shot in the last minute that turned out to be the game-winner.
After the Cavs lost the 2017 NBA Finals, Irving requested a trade.
According to ESPN, Irving had no interest in playing with LeBron James because he wanted to be the main player of a team.
Eventually, he was traded to the Boston Celtics.
#3 Dwight Howard
Dwight Howard was the first pick of the 2004 NBA Draft. Coming out of high school, he was chosen to lead the Orlando Magic and ultimately delivered.
His presence on both sides of the floor made the team a contender. In his eight years at Orlando, Howard made six All-Star teams and won three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards (2009-2011).
Orlando was a contender in the East during Howard’s prime. The center led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals, which they lost to the LA Lakers.
Before and after the 2011-12 NBA season, Howard requested to be traded by the Orlando Magic. He had clashes with the team management and then-coach Stan Van Gundy.
Howard was traded to the LA Lakers in a four-team transaction which sent Nikola Vucevic from the Philadelphia 76ers to Orlando, among many other moves.
Since his trade to the Lakers, Howard has played for five different teams in the last eight years.
#2 Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard was seen as a reliable player to have during his years with the San Antonio Spurs. However, as his prominence within the team and the NBA started to grow, things changed.
Leonard arrived in San Antonio after a trade from the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers had selected him with the 15th pick of the 2011 NBA Draft.
Leonard won a championship with San Antonio in 2014 and was named NBA Finals MVP. Moreover, he was an All-Star twice and won two DPOY awards.
At the start of the 2017-18 NBA season, Leonard (who got injured in the 2017 Western Conference Finals) was not with the team. Though he injured an ankle in the 2017 NBA Playoffs, a quad injury kept Leonard out of the 2017-18 action.
Eventually, Leonard played just nine games in that season (between December 12th and January 13th). The situation got tense between Leonard and the franchise as he allegedly felt the team did not handle his situation well enough. Discomfort from the Spurs’ side was allegedly caused by Leonard seeking a second opinion.
Leonard, born in Los Angeles, wanted to go home. However, the Spurs eventually traded him to the Toronto Raptors.
Leonard played 60 games in the 2018-19 season for Toronto (in accordance to his load management approach). Nevertheless, he led the team to their first NBA championship in the NBA Playoffs and won his second Finals MVP trophy.
Then, he signed in free agency with the LA Clippers.
#1 Anthony Davis
Anthony Davis was the first pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. New Orleans (then known as the Hornets) picked Davis.
AD was a huge talent since he entered the league, but he only got to a couple of NBA Playoffs with New Orleans. In his seven years with the Hornets/Pelicans, Davis made six All-Star Games and led the league in blocks three times.
In 2018, Davis became a member of the Klutch Sports Agency. Rich Paul, LeBron James’ agent, became AD’s agent too.
A move to the Lakers and joining James looked clear for Davis. Only months later, Paul informed the Pelicans that Davis wanted to be traded.
Davis had the option to sign a super-max extension with New Orleans, but his agent informed the franchise he was not willing to do so. After the team initially refused to trade him and some tension was created, Davis got traded to the LA Lakers in June 2019.
LeBron James and the LA Lakers got who they wanted in a trade that involved Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and three first-round picks.
In Davis’ first year at LA, the Lakers won the 2020 NBA title.
Also read: NBA Trade Rumors: 5 Teams who need to improve their roster before 2020-21 season starts
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