Today we look back and see how the league could have changed with some heavily rumoured trades and F.A moves that didn’t end up taking place. We see if teams are better off now because of it or how past champions could have been different.
Number 5: Klay Thompson to the Timberwolves for Kevin Love.
Now first up we have a trade that was rumoured for weeks on end… With Kevin Love being shopped by Minnesota it became clear that several teams wanted him but Minnesota were waiting for the right offer. A trade between Minnesota and Golden State was widely talked about with Klay Thompson and Kevin Love being the main part of the deal.
Imagine how different the league would have been!! The revolutionary small line-up would never have been a thing, instead a much larger line-up with Green playing the 3 and Love the 4. Minnesota would never have had Andrew Wiggins and may have won more games with Thompson meaning Karl-Anthony Towns could be a Los Angeles Laker. The Cavs would have had Wiggins and James together barring other trades which could have led to 2 NBA titles or maybe 0… We most likely never would have had the 73 win Warrior team and the Oklahoma City Thunder may have been NBA champions and Kevin Durant could still be at the Thunder?
Hindsight is an amazing thing.
Number 4: DeAndre Jordan goes to the Dallas Mavericks
A deal that to most was pretty much done, so much so that the Mavericks had moved onto their next free agency move only to see DeAndre Jordan end up signing again with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Dallas Mavericks called it a franchise changing move after they believed they had got Jordan bu a day later the Mavericks were left scrambling to find another player after hearing the news.
Dallas ended up a respectible 6th in the west last season but now with the departure of Parsons and Dirk’s career coming to an end they have no young big men to build around. The Mavericks are in the worst shape they have been since before Dirk joined the franchise and are still feeling the effects of Jordan not joining the franchise. The Los Angeles Clippers are currently leading the West and looking better than ever as they look to finally push for a title.
Since the 2015 free agency both teams have gone on different paths and it looks like a deal that could have left both teams in the middle of the West now has one north and one south on the standings.
Number 3: The Indiana Pacers do not trade Kawhi Leonard to the San Antonio Spurs
Kawhi Leonard was drafted by the Indiana Pacers but immediately sent to the San Antonio Spurs for George Hill.
This one is the hardest of all to predict the impact it would have had on the league but lets have abit of fun anyway. There are 2 big questions, the first being if Leonard would have grown as much as a player outside of the Spurs system and if he would be anywhere near the player he is today? The second being who the Pacers would have had at PG without George Hill.
The Spurs probably would not have won the 2014 NBA title, the Indiana Pacers may have been able to get over the line against the Cavs that year. Lamarcus Aldridge would have gone elsewhere with no other star to play beside in San Antonio and Myles Turner would not have been drafted by the Indiana Pacers (Still subject to Paul George’s injury possibly).
Although the Pacers experienced some good years after the pick up of Hill, it will always be in the back of their minds what could have been if Kawhi was a Pacer!
Number 2: The Nets do not trade for Garnett, Pierce and Terry
This one will go down as one of the worst trades of the new millennium. Giving away 5 years of your franchise’s future for 1 year of competing in the playoffs and coming up short. It’s easy to look back and throw stones now but 3 1st round draft picks and a pick swap in the 2017 draft for 3 players over 35 was a bigger gamble than picking the 76’ers to win the 2018 NBA championship.
Jaylen Brown was the first of 3 probable lottery players the Celtics will receive from the Nets and currently as we stand the Celtics are a contender in the east while the Nets will be hoping for 25+ wins this season. It is weird to think what would have happened if the trade didn’t happen… The Nets could have stayed in the race for the east for years to come while the Celtics rebuild would still be slowing growing as we speak, I’m not saying that the Nets would have gotten the same picks as the Celtics but they could have found a far better trade for some younger up and coming players. Mix this trade in with the one for Joe Johnson and the Nets ruined their future for a year or 2 of prominence.
Number 1: Chris Paul to the Lakers goes throughÂ
One of the famous non-trades in NBA history has to top the list! What could have been if Chris Paul joined the Lakers, another title or 2 in the Lakers franchise? Kobe and Dwight did not work together due to their clashing personality traits but would Chris Paul being in the team be able to sort out those chemistry issues by have a ball handler in the team?
The Lakers ended up getting Steve Nash who played 50 games in his first season and then 15 in his 2nd season at the Lakers. With CP3 the Lakers would have had one of the most dangerous backcourts in history and would have had Chris Paul to carry the team throughout Kobe’s injuries. There is no certainty that they would have won a title but the likelihood would have been alot higher with Paul compared to Nash.
Almost 5 years since the veto and all 3 teams involved are on completely different paths with the Lakers and Pelicans still in the retooling phase whilst the Chris Paul led Clippers sit on top of the West due to “basketball reasons”.
Anything that we missed on our list? let us know below!!
The Nba Wire 