NBA Players and Stars Clearly on the Wrong Team
Plenty of things can be hidden on an NBA court: a leaky defender on a squad full of stoppers, a non-shooter lurking in the dunker's spot, a well-placed advertisement on a uniform or the hardwood itself.
Know what's tough to mask, though? A bad fit.
When a skill set doesn't align with a system, or a player's age doesn't mesh with his team's timeline, it's glaringly apparent. The club never coalesces as it could, and the player wades through possessions (or watches them from the sideline) like a castaway stranded at sea.
The following NBA players and stars—including past All-Stars, since most current stars appear in favorable environments—are obviously stuck in the wrong spot and in desperate need of a scenery change.
Notable Exclusions
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Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers
The Brodie deserves some benefit of the doubt since he has spent all of seven games with the Purple and Gold. It's too soon to definitively say this can't work, and there have been flashes of hope that it can.
Having said that, all of the preseason concerns about this partnership have come to fruition. Westbrook's lack of range has squeezed the spacing, his defensive deficiencies have exacerbated L.A.'s biggest issue and his ball dominance has dimmed the impact of the team's top stars. LeBron James and Anthony Davis have lost a combined 14.5 field-goal percentage points with Westbrook on the floor.
Overall, the Lakers have fared 7.9 points worse per 100 possessions with Westbrook than without. Again, there is theoretically time to figure this out, but you could have all the time in the world and never fit a square peg into a round hole.
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
Williamson's star already shines bright enough to think—or at least hope—his return from a broken right foot could cure a lot of his club's ills. While history doesn't like his chances of fixing New Orleans' 26th-ranked defense, perhaps his absurd combination of scoring, shot creating and thunderous finishing would help the Pels win nightly races to 115 points.
New Orleans knows what a healthy Williamson can provide. But does Williamson trust the Pelicans to make this a mutually beneficial relationship? Letting go of Lonzo Ball this offseason perplexed at the time, and it's only grown more baffling the higher he has helped the Chicago Bulls climb the Eastern Conference standings. Meanwhile, Devonte' Graham is once again shooting below 40 percent, and Tomas Satoransky hasn't been in the rotation.
The Pelicans have some talent, but if you were drawing up the ideal supporting cast for Williamson, it wouldn't have Brandon Ingram as the co-star or Jonas Valanciunas at center. Some of Williamson's family members have already questioned his fit in the Big Easy, and if things don't dramatically improve when he steps back inside the lines, it will be hard not to do the same.
Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Granted, it's been a minute since anyone dropped Kevin Love into the NBA's bucket of stars, but he has five All-Star trips and one world title on his resume. And while it probably feels longer for both Love and the Cleveland faithful, he is just two seasons removed from averaging 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
His window to stardom might be sealed shut and boarded over, but his offensive skills and glasswork could be helpful in the right situation. This obviously isn't the one.
The Cavs' new frontcourt is massive, but it's not big enough to find Love more than a part-time gig. Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Lauri Markkanen are all logging at least 30 minutes per night, which effectively barricades Love away from more playing time. Even if the Cavs decide to change things up—the supersized trio has a minus-4.2 net rating over 113 minutes—they'd swap out one of the bigs for someone smaller, more versatile and probably younger than the 33-year-old Love.
He has looked out of place ever since LeBron James skipped town in 2018, and if not for Love's colossal contract ($60.2 million over this season and next), he would almost assuredly be hooping elsewhere. A split, by way of trade or buyout, seems long overdue.
Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas Mavericks
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Kristaps Porzingis intrigues, both with his own star potential and his theoretical fit as Luka Doncic's co-star. Porzingis should make the game easier for all of his teammates as a stretch big, an offensive safety valve and a defensive anchor.
"I think he has the skill set to be an All-Star," Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said, per Dallas Basketball's Grant Afseth. "He is an All-Star in this league."
In reality, though, Porzingis frustrates more than anything. His game disappeared during the last postseason, and it still hasn't returned. Before a back injury forced him off the floor, he had started out the campaign averaging 12.7 points on 30.2/23.5/72.7 shooting and 6.0 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game.
He has never seemed thrilled about his fit with Doncic or his role as the second option, or if someone like Tim Hardaway Jr. has it rolling, even further down the pecking order. Porzingis reportedly wanted a trade after last season, but the hiring of Kidd changed the big man's tune. It didn't, however, put Porzingis back on the path to stardom.
Could that happen elsewhere? It's hard to say since his lengthy injury history could be his biggest detriment to success. But it's not happening in Dallas, so why not try something new? Maybe if Porzingis was more involved alongside a less ball-dominant player than Doncic that could coax more production out of the on-paper unicorn.
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers
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Philadelphia's pairing of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons was a classic case of accumulating as much talent as possible and worrying about the fit later. For the most part, the strategy suited the 76ers well, as they won three playoff series the past four seasons and snagged the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seed in 2020-21.
However, the winning didn't change how wonky the fit was between Simmons and Embiid. The former plays best at tempo, while the latter thrives at a controlled pace. Prior to Embiid's surge last season, neither was much of a shooter. They aren't merely peas of a different pod; they're fruits from different plants. That's why the hoops world always questioned their ability to mesh, and it seems Simmons has done the same.
"The 25-year-old Simmons has clearly decided that his career is better off without Embiid blocking the runways in the paint that he so badly needs to succeed," The Athletic's Sam Amick wrote. "As he sees it...the organization's choice to build its basketball ecosystem around Embiid's style simply isn't conducive to the way he needs to play."
Since Simmons restricts spacing with his unwillingness to shoot, he works best at top speeds in the open floor. Philly was 12th in pace last season and 20th the year prior. He needs maximum shooting around him to open up attack lanes. The Sixers have been 19th or worse in three-point makes over the past three seasons.
Simmons needs a roster built to emphasize his strengths and mask his shortcomings. The Sixers have (correctly) tailored their personnel to bring the best out of Embiid instead.
John Wall, Houston Rockets
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Remember him? Tongue-in-cheek inquiry obviously, but it's now been more than six months since John Wall hit the hardwood, and this absence—unlike many others in his recent past—isn't injury-related.
Rather, the 31-year-old five-time All-Star and the rebuilding Rockets mutually decided he wouldn't suit up as they search to find a trade destination, per ESPN's Tim MacMahon. Since Houston's backcourt of the future is its backcourt of the present (Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green), there's more to lose with Wall getting in the way of any development than there is to gain with a trade showcase.
The Rockets and Wall will instead hope that his track record combined with last season's comeback can convince a trade partner to bite. Maybe that's wishful thinking given the massive money he's owed ($44.3 million this season, $47.4 million player option for 2022-23), but he did shatter all reasonable expectations for his 2020-21 campaign.
It was his age-30 season and first on the other side of his February 2019 Achilles tear, so for him to still find his way to 20.6 points and 6.9 assists per night was a head-turner. Sure, the efficiency wasn't great (40.4/31.7/74.9 slash line), and his finishing wasn't the same (career-worst 56.8 percent within three feet), but he showed the impact he can still make as an on-court conductor and support scorer.
His pay rate is tough to stomach and even harder to fit within salary-cap constraints, but he has basketball value to offer someone. Just not the Rockets.
Statistics used courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted and current through games played Oct. 31. Salary information via Spotrac.
Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.
