Top 5 active NBA players to play for 4 or more franchises
NBA players often find themselves with different teams every season due to various reasons. It may not always be controversial, but sometimes players may switch a franchise to find themselves in a better championship-winning situation.
Players like Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan have all left their mark in the league by playing for only one team throughout their careers. However, some of the best active players in the league, like Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul, have also had a huge impact on all the teams they have been a part of.
In today's article, we discuss 5 active players to play for 4 or more franchises in the league.
Listing the top five NBA players to play for more than four franchises
#5 D'Angelo Russell
D'Angelo Russell was drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015. He came into the league with a lot of promise and was expected to be the next big star for the Lakers. Rusell had an impressive rookie season, where he averaged 13.2 PPG on 41% shooting from the field.
After two seasons with Purple and Gold, he moved to the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017-18 season, where he had some big performances. His best for the Nets came against the Sacramento Kings in 2019. The guard scored 44 points and recorded 12 assists while shooting 51% from the field.
Russell was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2019-20, where he had his career-best performance of 52 points. However, after just 33 games he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins. The guard showed glimpses of brilliance with the Wolves, but injuries kept him off the court for many games last season. He will be hoping to stay healthy and help the young and budding Minnesota team to their first playoffs since 2018.
#4 Tobias Harris
Tobias Harris was drafted 11th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in 2011 but was later traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night. He played two seasons for the Bucks but did not find regular playing time. Harris was traded to the Orlando Magic in the 2012-13 season, which was sort of a career move for him.
The forward's blossomed in Orlando as he averaged 17.3 PPG and 8.5 RPG in his first season. He was a vital part of the Magic team and was a starter for the team. He even signed a 4 year $64 million contract with them in 2015, but just one year later, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings.
In his first season at the Motor City, Harris averaged 16.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG. He was a regular in the starting line-up and looked to excel into being a great player. However, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2017-18 season as part of the Blake Griffin trade. The move paid off really well as he was sensational for the Clippers. In the 2018-19 season, Harris averaged 20.9 PPG for the Clippers, his best scoring performance in the league.
He moved to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018-19 season. His spell in Philly has been phenomenal. Last season, the forward looked in full contention to be named an All-Star. Although he did not make the team, his brilliance won the hearts of all the Philly fans.