NBA Players Who've Been In the Same Place for Too Long
It's rare in the NBA these days for a star player to finish his career playing for only one team. Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant all did it, and Stephen Curry figures to do so as well. It's a fairy-tale ending that only a few will ever experience.
It might be time for other players to give up on the fairy tale and move on.
There are many reasons why a star should leave the only team he's ever known. The team may no longer be a viable championship contender or could be looking to rebuild. The Paul Pierce trade from Boston is a prime example.
Perhaps the team has not been able to consistently maintain success and build a winner. And some players just need a change of scenery, or the team needs a shakeup.
Here are five players who should either consider leaving their current team, or the teams themselves should consider making the move.
Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo
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It has become a yearly tradition to question Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks once they get eliminated in the playoffs. After the Bucks suffered their third straight first-round loss, that speculation is already starting again.
On Monday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that "for the first time in his career, Antetokounmpo is open-minded about exploring whether his best long-term fit is remaining in Milwaukee or playing elsewhere." However, Charania added that the two-time MVP "has not made any firm decisions on his Bucks future" yet.
Antetokounmpo left the door open for his return, but it's time for him to close that door. He has completed all he can with the Bucks. He won an MVP and delivered their first championship since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's time in Milwaukee.
Parting ways could be good for both Giannis and the Bucks, as Milwaukee has exhausted all avenues to improve its roster.
The Bucks sent out several draft picks for Jrue Holiday in 2020, which resulted in a championship in 2021. Then, they traded Holiday and several more draft assets for Damian Lillard, which has not yielded the intended results. At this year's trade deadline, the Bucks traded Khris Middleton to Washington for Kyle Kuzma, which backfired spectacularly.
Despite that roster upheaval, Antetokounmpo finished as an MVP finalist this year. He still wants to compete for titles, but that's unlikely to happen in Milwaukee moving forward.
The Bucks are basically out of trade assets and don't have control of their first-round picks until 2031. They're in serious danger of wasting the tailing end of Antetokounmpo's prime. Trading Giannis could bring in a haul of young talent and draft assets that would help expedite their rebuild.
It's time for both sides to part ways, and it should be done without any ill will considering the success the Greek Freak and Milwaukee had together.
Suns G Devin Booker
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After getting swept in the first round of the playoffs two years ago, the Phoenix Suns missed the play-in tournament entirely this past season. Despite that, Devin Booker has made it known that he wants to stay in Phoenix for his entire career.
Suns governor Matt Ishbia has doubled down that Booker will be part of the future, but what kind of future is that going to be? It's no secret that the Suns will try to trade Kevin Durant in the offseason, but can the 36-year-old Durant bring in the haul that would make Phoenix competitive in the West?
The Houston Rockets "previously held serious interest" in Booker, but " team sources said that is no longer the case," according to Kelly Iko and Sam Amick of The Athletic. That's a shame for the Suns, because the Rockets own many of the first-round picks that they sent out in the Durant trade with Brooklyn a few years ago. That could have given the Suns a chance to control their own destiny.
Should the Suns reverse course about Booker, many teams would likely jump at the chance to add the four-time All-Star. Phoenix should be able to command a haul.
Booker has had a nice career in Phoenix but not a ton of playoff success apart from his run to the NBA Finals in 2020-21. Out of his 720 career games, only 47 have been in the playoffs.
Booker is too talented not to be a fixture in the playoffs. However, the Suns are not poised to be a playoff contender as currently constructed.
Heat C Bam Adebayo
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The Miami Heat are at a crossroads right now. After a months-long standoff with star forward Jimmy Butler, they ultimately sent him to the Golden State Warriors ahead of the trade deadline. They still fought their way into the playoffs, but they got bounced in embarrassing fashion by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs.
It might be a smart time for Bam Adebayo to look for a new home after eight years in Miami.
The Heat typically don't tank, but they lack the assets to swing a big trade. Look no further than their attempt to trade for Damian Lillard in 2023.
Other teams do not rate Tyler Herro as highly as Miami does. Jaime Jaquez Jr. could not break into the rotation this season after a promising rookie year, hurting his trade value. Miami's draft assets are not bad, but several other teams have a deeper cupboard.
Adebayo is the Heat's No. 2 offensive option, but he has not fully delivered in that role. Despite his defense slipping a bit this season, Adebayo is still a force on that end. It might be time for him to look to become a defensive juggernaut for another team.
It could get difficult to trade Adebayo with his extension kicking in next season, but he might have stayed too long in Miami.
Pelicans F Zion Williamson and Grizzlies G Ja Morant
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Neither Zion Williamson nor Ja Morant has been in the league as long as the others featured here, but both could use a change of scenery.
In Williamson's six years in the NBA, he has played 60 or more games only twice and missed an entire season once. He appears to be unstoppable when he's healthy, but he rarely stays healthy for an extended stretch.
The Pelicans have already churned through three coaches during his tenure and just parted ways with team president David Griffin. They have cycled through different teammates around him, but nothing has seemed to stick. For one reason or another, the Pelicans and Williamson have not worked.
Meanwhile, Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have had a shaky past few seasons. Between injuries and suspensions, he has played in only 177 of a possible 328 games over the past four years.
His game has also fallen off. He just averaged his fewest points per game since the 2020-21 season. He also had a career-high 3.7 turnovers per game, and his assist numbers were down.
Memphis fired head coach Taylor Jenkins late in the season, but even with the coaching change, it seems the core of Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. has gone stale. The roster is about to get more expensive with Jackson being eligible for an extension, which could be a supermax if he makes an All-NBA team. Something has to give, as this roster is not good enough to compete in the West.
Both Williamson and Morant and their teams would be better off if they part ways.
Hawks PG Trae Young
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For the past two years, the Atlanta Hawks have seemingly been trying to trade Trae Young to no avail. This might be the offseason that the Hawks finally move him, which might not be a bad thing for Young, either.
Last season, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder tweaked the offense away from Young and focused more on younger talents like Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels. The Hawks are currently in the midst of a search for a new team president after firing general manager Landry Fields.
Since making the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season, the Hawks have never been able to recapture that magic. They made a big swing for Dejounte Murray, which cost them three first-round picksm and a pick swap, but the Murray-Young pairing never resulted in more wins for Atlanta.
Young has been the face of the Hawks franchise throughout his seven-year NBA career. But with no real playoff success apart from the surprise conference finals run, it's time for both him and the Hawks to move on.
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