5 most toxic NBA trade sagas ft Damian Lillard, Vince Carter
The NBA has seen it all in its 77-year-old history. The league has seen several players become superstars and help different teams win.
Today, we explore the five most toxic NBA trade sagas where the players tried to or successfully did force their way to another team.
#5 Damian Lillard
After spending 11 years with the Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard has finally asked for a trade. Lillard previously mentioned that he would never do this and is loyal to the franchise, so this request definitely came as a surprise.
That said, fans and critics are pleased with this request after years of speculation and pleading with Lillard to request a trade. Ultimately, they want to see Lillard on a contending team who has true potential to win it all.
The toxicity of this trade request is in forcing his way to the Miami Heat. It was been widely reported that Lillard will not be happy to be on any other team and could cause drama.
If Damian Lillard lands with a team other than the Miami Heat, he won't report to training camp, per @MarkG_Medina
"‘He just wouldn’t go,’ a person familiar with Lillard’s thinking told Sportsnaut. ‘He just wouldn’t report.'… ‘I don’t think the other team would trade for him… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/ETxLoXRUMH
It is even being reported that Aaron Goodwin, Lillard's agent, has been calling teams to warn them against trading for Lillard and trying to force their way to Miami.
Here is what Goodwin had to say:
“I do what I should for my client. Some teams I did call. Other teams have called me. It’s a respectful relationship with most teams. Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period.”
It remains to be seen how this situation plays out but it sure does look like a disaster in the making.
#4 Vince Carter
The Toronto Raptors were founded in 1995 and reasonably struggled as a new franchise. It was the NBA's new baby and fans wanted to see it succeed. This is when Vince Carter came into play and put the Raptors on the map.
Vince Carter began by winning Rookie of the Year in the 1998-99 season. Following this, the Raptors made trades to further strengthen the team.
In February 2000, Carter won the dunk contest. However, the team continued to struggle due to locker room and coaching issues. Despite significant trades and changes, the Raptors didn't have playoff success and constantly fell short of winning.
Several people argued that Carter's style was not conducive to winning and injuries plagued the Raptors as well. It was obvious that it was time to go despite Carter being a franchise player. Carter was having altercations with coaches and was putting up stats way below his career averages. In late 2004, the Raptors finally pulled the trigger and ended the Vince Carter trade saga.
#3 Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant enjoyed a lot of success together and even had an iconic three-peat with the LA Lakers. However, this wasn't enough to satisfy either of their egos. Both O'Neal and Bryant were looking to win individually and prove to the NBA world that they are not co-dependent.
There are several reported reasons why the LA Lakers traded O'Neal. One of them is that when Kobe Bryant dealt with sexual assault charges, he did not like that O'Neal did not contact him during his legal troubles. This caused friction between the two and they constantly took shots at each other in media sessions. Bryant even claimed that O’Neal was fat and out of shape.
“Since it is his team, no more coming into camp fat and out of shape.”
Kobe on the Lakers being Shaq’s team.
(via: @hulu) https://t.co/NNBCcL2g3S
The LA Lakers were tired of these controversies and they decided to continue to build around Kobe Bryant. Shaq also demanded to be paid since he was a major reason for the Lakers' success. Eventually, the Lakers traded O'Neal.
Looking back, this is what O'Neal feels:
"I didn't leave, I was traded. So I don't regret anything, it's business. They owed me money that they didn't want to give me, so they traded me. It's all about business."
The NBA world was somewhat upset with this trade because people truly believed that the two could've won a lot more championships. Perhaps, we will never truly know.
#2 Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving spent six years with the Cleveland Cavaliers after they drafted him in 2011. Alongside LeBron James, Irving won an NBA championship in 2015-16 where he hit a historic clutch 3-pointer in the Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
However, despite his success in Cleveland alongside James in three straight NBA Finals appearances, Kyrie Irving requested a trade. At the time, this was LeBron James' reaction to this request:
"I don't think anybody in the organization saw this coming. ... It was definitely a shock. I have no advice for him now. If my son went to another team and asked for advice, I ain't giving him s**t."
LeBron James wasn't the only person who was upset with Kyrie Irving. Fans and players across the league were shocked when the trade went down, which sent Irving to the Boston Celtics.
Sources: Boston, Cleveland nearing deal on Kyrie Irving, but details still working to completion. Isaiah Thomas, Crowder, pick(s) in talks.
Now that the dust has settled, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving did make amends publicly and have a positive relationship at the moment. Both of them have opened up to each other and to the media at large to the point where there are often rumors about the two teaming up again.
Kyrie Irving responds to fans asking why did he ask for a trade from the Cavs while playing with Lebron James https://t.co/wGHdqf7zRx
While Irving had his reasons, it was still one of the worst trade sagas ever. There is no telling how Irving or James' career could've been if they stayed together.
#1 James Harden
For most NBA players, there is no way to force their way out of a team. However, James Harden seems to have a recipe for it.
Harden's exit from Houston was one for the books. Harden began by demanding a trade. To force Houston's hand, Harden showed up late for training camp, had verbal altercations with teammates and played way below his potential. He blamed the Rockets' poor roster and was completely out of shape.
Houston Rockets James Harden says he will continue to eat Philly Cheesesteaks non-stop until he’s traded there, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/BxJZy5G4TF
Eventually, the Rockets were forced to trade Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in order to put an end to an all-time bad trade saga. It's almost comical that there are rumors around the NBA that Harden might return to the Rockets after a failed stint in Brooklyn and Philadelphia.