10 ugly NBA trade sagas since 2000s featuring Jimmy Butler, James Harden and more
NBA trades are almost always interesting. Teams often use this move to build a championship-contending team or to set up the franchise for future success.
Superstars demanding a trade is another sort of spectacle. Sometimes, a standoff between the player and the team could drag on for months and bring even more controversy.
Over the past 20 years or so, there have been impasses that captured basketball fans’ attention.
Here are some NBA trades that turned nasty before they were resolved:
#10. Dwight Howard vs. LA Lakers
During the 2012-13 season, the LA Lakers had NBA superstars Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash and Metta World Peace. However, they had a 45-37 record to finish a disappointing seventh place in the Western Conference.
Howard’s first year in Hollywood ended after the San Antonio Spurs sent the Lakers home after just four games. The elimination at the hands of San Antonio capped off a tumultuous season for Howard where he clashed often with Bryant.
“D12” left LA with a year on his contract and nearly $30 million on the table. His style of play and Bryant’s no-holds-barred personality were likely the main reasons he took his talents to Houston.
#9. Kyrie Irving vs. Boston Celtics
There was strictly no trade standoff between the Boston Celtics in Kyrie Irving regarding a trade. The mercurial point guard earned the ire of Cs fans after failing to live up to his promise.
In October 2018, he said this to the media and some fans:
“I’ve shared it with some of my teammates as well as the organization as well as everyone else in Boston. If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here.”
Irving left Boston to form an NBA super team with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn. He has since said some things about the franchise and the fans that have made him one of the city’s most hated villains.
#8. Jimmy Butler vs. Philadelphia 76ers
In the 2018 NBA playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers had Jimmy Butler, Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons in the lineup. But they still lost to the eventual champs Toronto Raptors. Kawhi Leonard’s iconic last-second Game 7 shot sent the 76ers home.
Harris, Redick and Butler were free agents that summer. Philadelphia chose Harris over Butler as “Jimmy Buckets” reportedly didn’t see eye-to-eye to coach Brett Brown. Butler’s sometimes aggressive personality probably rubbed the Sixers’ coaching staff the wrong way.
The 76ers then sent him to the Miami Heat in a four-team trade. Jimmy Butler has reminded them time and again that they made the wrong decision.