The 6 Most Disappointing NBA Superstar Duos of the Last Decade

Pairing two superstars is a great way to pursue a championship. Unfortunately for NBA teams, plenty of memorable duos end up falling well short of a title.

The idea of being a disappointing tandem must be explained.

Put simply, winning a championship is extremely hard. On the other hand, that's the inarguable objective of the sport, so it's an understandable—even if harsh—way to draw a line between success and failure.

The choices are subjective but largely based on superstar tandems that never made the NBA Finals over multiple seasons.

Active duos (in their current location) are not considered.

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin

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LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 3: Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers talks with Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers during the game against the Washington Wizards on April 3, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Years together: 2011-12 to 2016-17

There is hardly a better example for this conversation than the dyad of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

After posting a 40-26 record in the strike-shortened 2011-12 campaign, the Los Angeles Clippers averaged 54.6 victories in five years with CP3 and Griffin. They made the playoffs in each season. Paul earned All-NBA recognition in five seasons, and Griffin landed four.

They were, in every regular-season sense, absolute stars.

The pesky playoffs, though, proved to be the Clips' undoing again and again. They dropped three opening-round series and fell in the conference semifinals during the other three postseason appearances.

Los Angeles shipped CP3 to the Houston Rockets in June 2017 and traded Griffin to the Detroit Pistons seven months later.

James Harden and Dwight Howard

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HOUSTON, TX - MARCH 27: James Harden #13 and Dwight Howard #12 of the Houston Rockets warm up on the court before their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Toyota Center on March 27, 2015 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Years together: 2013-14 to 2015-16

Houston acquired James Harden prior to the 2012-13 season, and he immediately helped the Rockets snap a three-year playoff drought. They rapidly sought reinforcements for the rising star.

The team landed on free-agent center Dwight Howard, who was still around the peak of his career.

Houston won 54 games, with Harden and Howard both receiving All-NBA honors in 2013-14, but the team fell to the Portland Trail Blazers in the opening round. The next season, a 56-win Rockets squad narrowly avoided a sweep by the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

But in 2015-16, optimism vanished.

Houston opened 4-7 and fired head coach Kevin McHale, ultimately sneaking into the playoffs at 41-41 as the eighth seed. Golden State made quick work of the Rockets, cruising to three wins of 26-plus points in a five-game series.

Howard left for the Atlanta Hawks in free agency.

Paul George and Russell Westbrook

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ORLANDO, FLORIDA - JANUARY 29: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder (L) celebrates with Russell Westbrook #0 against the Orlando Magic during the first half at Amway Center on January 29, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Years together: 2017-18 to 2018-19

Later reunited on the Clippers, Paul George and Russell Westbrook previously shared the floor with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

George and Westbrook each secured All-NBA honors in both seasons. They propelled the Thunder to 48 and 49 wins, respectively, and a pair of playoff trips in their shared years.

OKC failed to advance in the postseason, though. The brief stays ended with a six-game series loss to the Utah Jazz in 2018 and five-game departure at the hands of the Blazers in 2019.

The ensuing offseason, the Thunder moved both players—George to the Clippers, Westbrook to the Rockets—and embraced a rebuild.

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons

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ATLANTA, GA - JUNE 18: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Ben Simmons #25 of the Philadelphia 76ers talk during a game against the Atlanta Hawks during Round 2, Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Playoffs on June 18, 2021 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

Years together: 2017-18 to 2020-21

Given the parallel career paths, it would've been especially neat to see Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons thrive on the same roster.

Injuries robbed Embiid of his first two NBA seasons and much of his third. Simmons missed his entire first year, too. But they quickly became superstars for the Philadelphia 76ers once healthy in the 2017-18 season.

Across four years together, Embiid averaged 25.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. Simmons tallied 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Embiid steadily grew as a long-range option, providing more cover for Simmons' hesitance as a shooter.

But the Sixers always struggled during the postseason.

That frustration peaked in the 2021 playoffs when Simmons passed over a potential tying layup in a Game 7 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Incidentally, it was Simmons' final game with Philadelphia before his trade to the Brooklyn Nets after a year-long holdout.

Philly never advanced past the second round in four tries with Embiid and Simmons on the floor.

Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis

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DALLAS, TEXAS - JANUARY 29: Luka Doncic #77 and Kristaps Porzingis #6 of the Dallas Mavericks are seen on the court against the Indiana Pacers at American Airlines Center on January 29, 2022 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Years together: 2019-20 to 2021-22

Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are a prime example of a well-intended duo that clearly tried its best and simply didn't work.

Around the 2019 trade deadline, the Dallas Mavericks added Porzingis from the New York Knicks. He spent two-plus seasons with the Mavs, who reached the playoffs in both full years of the Doncic-Porzingis era.

However, they twice bowed out in the opening round—and Porzingis had an especially tough series in 2021. He averaged just 13.1 points and shot 29.6 percent from three-point range, well below his regular-season marks of 20.1 points per game and a 37.6 long-range clip.

Dallas kept them together until the 2022 trade deadline, when it shipped Porzingis to the Washington Wizards.

Fast-forward three months, and the Doncic-led Mavs advanced to the Western Conference Finals.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 28: Kevin Durant #7 and Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets in action against the Orlando Magic at Barclays Center on November 28, 2022 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Brooklyn Nets defeated the Orlando Magic 109-102. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Years together: 2020-21 to 2022-23

The two-plus seasons of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving on the Brooklyn Nets will be remembered as an injury-affected, distraction-filled and straight-up bizarre time in their careers.

Irving appeared in just 28 games during the 2019-20 campaign, a year Durant missed while working back from an Achilles injury.

The next season, Kyrie stayed mostly healthy as Durant managed to play in just 35 of the team's 72 games. But then, an ankle injury sidelined Irving for the last three contests of the conference semis—which the Nets memorably lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games.

(Insert obligatory James Harden mention, although that blockbuster trade and 80-game marriage didn't work out for the Nets, either.)

Brooklyn slipped into the 2021-22 postseason as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference before the Boston Celtics promptly swept the Nets in the opening round.

The franchise fired head coach Steve Nash following a 2-5 start in 2022-23, and then dealt Irving and Durant in February.