Athletes Who Wanted Out of Dodge
One would think that playing a sport for a living and making pretty damn good money doing so would be enough of a reward for someone to not complain about their job, right?
Not for a some athletes.
While fans would kill for the chance to do what our favorite players do every single day, some guys still find that they don't have it all.
Sure, losing sucks and tempers can flare amongst teammates, coaches or front-office people, but even that shouldn't be a reason to try and force a trade.
Yet, athletes have done just that, dodging their team in an effort to get shipped to a new zip code—and these are a few of them.
Chris Paul
1 of 14
Often considered to be the best point guard in the NBA, current L.A. Clippers All-Star Chris Paul might be on a mission to lead his squad to an NBA title, but, had he not forced his way out of New Orleans in 2011, he may not have gotten such a good chance.
While other players have been more vocal about splitting town, Paul, in fact, did ask management to look for a trade, even giving the front-office a list of his top destinations.
With the front-runners for his services getting vetoed—remember that whole L.A. Laker saga—Paul proved to get his wish, and is probably happy that he's contending for a top spot in the Western Conference and not ping pong balls with his former team.
Martin St. Louis
2 of 14
Although Martin St. Louis came into the league undrafted, the right-winger has worked his way up to becoming one of the better players of the past decade, earning six All-Star Game appearances, a league MVP Award and a Stanley Cup ring.
It seems that some of that success brought some entitlement, too.
After playing 13 years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, St. Louis had a simple demand to the front-office last season—send him somewhere else.
Struggling to coexist with management, St. Louis forced his way out of sunny Tampa Bay, ultimately getting shipped to the New York Rangers.
Manny Ramirez
3 of 14
You know that whole, 'Manny being Manny' thing? Turns out that it got old pretty fast.
At least that's what the Boston Red Sox decided back in 2008, when the team was a little bit up to their eyeballs in the drama that the former slugger brought to the clubhouse, trading him to the L.A. Dodgers.
Of course, this came after Man-Ram had voiced displeasure with the front office in prior years, demanding a trade as far back as 2005, threatening not to report to spring training had his wish not been granted.
While the team seemed to brush off Ramirez's words and wild behavior, the final straw came when he dogged the franchise just days before he was shipped off.
Seeing how the guy wanted out of Beantown for awhile, it's probably best that he got was sent packing.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Demarcus Cousins
4 of 14
You probably don't have to be a diehard NBA fan to know that the Sacramento Kings haven't exactly been a great team for quite some time.
With zero playoff appearances since the 2005-06 season, the team has struggled with a rebuilding plan, has rotated through head coaches, have made questionable draft picks and, yes, even threatened to relocate.
Recent history like that would make any young player upset, right?
So, while it shouldn't be warranted, it's definitely understood when fifth-year player DeMarcus Cousins, reportedly, asked for a trade back in 2012, causing the team to respond by telling him to stay home.
Of course, Boogie has denied those reports, but the perception of his attitude had already been made.
Thankfully, the young star has matured quite nicely since.
Dwight Howard
5 of 14
In one of the most bizarre split-ups in recent, NBA history, All-Star center Dwight Howard was sent to the L.A. Lakers prior to the 2012-13 season—and it was all because D12 pouted his way out of the magic kingdom.
Initially approaching the front-office with the hope of joining the Brooklyn Nets, Howard's wishes of staying on the East Coast weren't granted, instead getting sent to join a team full of stars in L.A. that included Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash.
And while Howard may have claimed to have had a poor relationship with his employer and peers in Orlando, he found out that Los Angeles wasn't any better, as he struggled mightily in his lone season in Hollywood before bolting to the Houston Rockets.
Chris Pronger
6 of 14
A former league MVP and six-time NHL All-Star, Chris Pronger has been one of the most intimidating and consistent defensemen in the league over the past two decades.
For that reason, it's not surprising that most teams would want him to be on their team, manning their back line as an extra reinforcement.
Unfortunately, the Edmonton Oilers was one of the teams that didn't get the chance to enjoy his services for more than just one season, though, as Pronger, allegedly, asked out of Edmonton following the team's Stanley Cup Finals loss in 2005-06.
Citing personal reasons, Pronger's agent asked for and received a trade, leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of Oilers supporters.
John Elway
7 of 14
With the then Baltimore Colts being one of the worst teams in the league—hence the reason they ended up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1983 draft—quarterback John Elway was wary of joining the franchise.
Still, his desire to avoid the Colts at all cost didn't pay-off, as the team still chose him first overall.
As Elway threatened to play baseball rather than ever put on pads for Baltimore, the team decided they would rather cut their losses than let him change sports, trading him to the Denver Broncos for various picks and players.
Of course, Elway went on to the Hall of Fame thanks to his success in the Mile High City, surely making the Colts regret the decision.
Magic Johnson
8 of 14
Following a disappointing season in 1980-81 where the L.A. Lakers lost in the first-round of the NBA playoffs, future Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson wasn't too happy with the team's offensive strategy.
With head coach Paul Westhead using a slower, half-court pace to feature more of center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic was the first player to voice his displeasure, actually demanding a trade during the 81-82 season.
Rather than even entertain the request, Lakers owner Jerry Buss fired Westhead and promoted assistant Pat Riley to head coach, which led to the Showtime era and the Lakers winning the 1982 NBA title.
Roger Clemens
9 of 14
Although former pitcher Roger Clemens enjoyed two seasons north of the border with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1997 and '98, The Rocket wasn't too fond of the team struggling to find wins.
For that reason, the flame-thrower requested the team trade him, hoping to capture a World Series ring that he had not yet won to that point in his career.
While Clemens backed his stance a little bit, he was still shipped-off to the Bronx to play for the New York Yankees, where he won two-straight championships with the team in his first two seasons.
Just goes to show that, sometimes, the player gets exactly what he wants.
Carmelo Anthony
10 of 14
While his recent struggles to lead the New York Knicks out of irrelevance have caused some to doubt his superstar status, when Carmelo Anthony was with the Denver Nuggets, he proved that he was top notch.
Unfortunately, his desire to be "the man" may have crippled his career.
Sure, Melo is earning loads of money and is shouldering the burden of an elite player, but he would have, possibly, been better served staying in Denver.
At one point reaching the Western Conference Finals with the Nugs, Anthony opted for a brighter stage, demanding a trade to the Big Apple in 2011.
He may have gotten his wish, but it's something that, looking back on now, he probably regrets a little bit.
Patrick Roy
11 of 14One of the most prideful athletes to ever play profession sports, former NHL goalie and Hall of Famer Patrick Roy had seen enough.
While playing for the Montreal Canadiens in a game against the Detroit Red Wings in 1995, Roy was lit up while between the pipes, allowing a ridiculous nine goals on 26 shots.
With Habs head coach Mario Tremblay leaving the player in there to be embarrassed up to that point, when he was finally pulled, Roy walked right up to team president Ronald Corey and emphatically said, "this is my last game for Montreal."
It took only a few days for the team to unload the guy.
Carson Palmer
12 of 14
After being selected No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2003, quarterback Carson Palmer had had enough of the Queen City, demanding the club trade him in 2011.
Threatening to retire if the team didn't oblige, Palmer was unhappy with the team's inconsistencies and future direction, and hoped to be sent back somewhere closer to his native West Coast.
While Palmer did get his wish, he wasn't put into the most ideal situation, as he got traded to the Oakland Raiders—who were in a worst state than the Bengals were.
Kobe Bryant
13 of 14
He may have just passed Michael Jordan for third on the all-time scoring list, but Kobe Bryant could have done it wearing a different uniform other than an L.A. Lakers one had he gotten his wish in 2007.
With the team struggling to find an identity and additional pieces around Bryant to seriously challenge for a championship, Kobe requested—and almost received—a trade, with him bowing out in the last minute.
And with history repeating itself this season, rumors have circulated wondering if Bryant would do the same to help his chances of catching Jordan in another category, world titles.
Don't worry, Lakers fans, the Black Mamba has said he won't repeat a demand for a trade.
Randy Moss
14 of 14
Maybe the poster child for athletes whom are unhappy with their teams, former wide receiver Randy Moss has the distinction of wanting out of a few franchises in his day.
Doing it a couple times with his original team, the Minnesota Vikings, his more shocking trade demand came during the 2010 season while with the New England Patriots, who were—and have remained—the most consistent franchise in the league over the past 15 years.
Feeling unwanted and underused in New England, Moss figured the best stance to take was to just get out, with the team granting his wish by sending him back to the Vikings.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
