Image via Getty/David Sherman/NBAE
Today’s NBA has often been referred to as the “player empowerment era.”
It began with LeBron James’s famed Decision in 2010—as King James, the back-to-back MVP and unquestioned league alpha, decided to join forces in South Beach with two fellow All-Stars, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. And it took another momentous step when Kevin Durant, the most unstoppable scorer in the game, abandoned Oklahoma City in 2016 to team up with the loaded Warriors, who had just defeated his Thunder in the Western Conference finals.
In both cases, the hoops star at hand was a free agent. Regardless of how you feel about his choice—and, Lord knows, many fans are still salty about both situations—he had the legal right to walk away from his current franchise and join whichever NBA team he desired.
But in other cases, players have forced the hand of their team while under contract. Yes, player empowerment has rattled both free agency and the trade market in the Association.
Sometimes, a player requests a trade, a suitable swap is identified, and his wish is granted expediently. Other times, however, the player faces legitimate resistance to his request, as the team either has no desire to part with him or can’t find a fair deal on the market. In those cases, athletes have occasionally gotten creative.
Below, check out the five most entertaining and memorable ways NBA players have recently attempted to stimulate a trade.
James Harden
Reportedly requested trade to Brooklyn, Miami, Milwaukee, or Philadelphia
Naturally, we have to begin with the man whose recent antics were the inspiration for this piece. James Harden is one of the most gifted scorers in NBA history. He was the 2018 MVP, the runner-up in 2019, and the No. 3 finisher this past season. The man is a maestro—I mean, he’s put up more than 30 PPG over the course of a full season for the past three years.
But he’s never gotten over the hump with the Rockets. He came close once with Durant and Russell Westbrook in OKC, and again with Chris Paul in Houston, but that essential career-defining moment—raising the Larry O’Brien Trophy—continues to elude the Beard. And he’s ready for something new.
With Westbrook already traded—he was sent to the Wizards in a swap for John Wall—Harden wants to be next out the door. He held out at the beginning of training camp, and reportedly he gave the Rockets a list of contenders for whom he wanted to play, including the Nets and Sixers.
A report from ESPN’s Tim MacMahon highlighted a strange dynamic within the organization, with Harden clearly calling the shots. According to that story, the Rockets have repeatedly catered to the star’s unusual demands—giving him leeway to travel the country partying, granting him extra time off, trading for Westbrook, etc.—yet the Beard still wants out.
During his holdout, Harden did what many in the organization probably expected: he hit the clubs. He visited A-Town for Lil Baby’s birthday celebration before partying in Las Vegas (a decision criticized in part because all of this is happening during the pandemic).
Asked about his trips, Harden said, “I was just training.” Then, when he was asked about new Rockets GM Rafael Stone, Harden said, “We haven’t had a conversation.”
It’s gotten really messy. Rockets leadership is probably emotionally belting out Gotye right now: “You didn’t have to cut me off, make out like it never happened and that we were nothing.”
Eric Bledsoe
Traded from Phoenix to Milwaukee in 2017
Remember that Phoenix team that was randomly loaded with point guards? The Suns had Goran Dragic, Isaiah Thomas, and Eric Bledsoe.
But they never managed to make the playoffs, and things fell apart quickly. In February 2015, Phoenix traded Dragic to the Heat. The same day, they sent Thomas to the Celtics. So, the point guard role belonged to Bledsoe, but he struggled with knee injuries over the next couple years and his frustrations mounted.
At the start of the 2017-18 campaign, his annoyance boiled over. A day after the Suns got clobbered 130-88 and fell to 0-3, Bledsoe famously tweeted out, “I Dont wanna be here.”
Suns GM Ryan McDonough was furious, dismissing Bledsoe from the team—but the Kentucky product had a sound defense. He claimed he wasn’t actually talking about basketball at all. He was referring to being at a hair salon.
McDonough wasn't buying it. “I don't believe that to be true,” the GM said. “He won’t be with us going forward.”
Sure enough, Phoenix traded him two weeks after the tweet to Milwaukee for Greg Monroe and protected first and second-round draft picks.
Anthony Davis
Traded from New Orleans to Los Angeles in 2019
All’s well that ends well, right?
The Brow is still basking in the glow of his first NBA title. and signing a five-year, $190 million extension with the purple and gold. He’s playing with close friend and mentor LeBron, he’s on the favorite to win the title yet again, and he’s getting paid—it’s good to be Anthony Davis.
But the 2012 No. 1 pick had to get somewhat nasty to get out to L.A. He spent the first seven years of his NBA career with the Pelicans, and by the 2018 season he was ready for greener pastures. In September, with the new season approaching, he signed with Klutch Sports, immediately spurring speculation that he wanted to play with LeBron.
Sure enough, in January, Davis told the Pelicans he would not sign a contract extension when he became eligible for free agency in a year and a half (yep, it was that far out) and requested a trade. The NBA fined him $50,000 for his public demand, and the Pelicans chose to hold him out for the next week until the trade deadline had passed. But that deadline came and went without a deal.
Davis awkwardly played out the season, with everyone knowing he had no desire to be there and wouldn’t be around for long. In July, New Orleans dealt Davis to L.A. for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks.
Jimmy Butler
Traded from Minnesota to Philadelphia in 2018
Though he’s 31, Jimmy Buckets seems to finally be hitting his stride. Don’t get us wrong—the man has hooped for years now. But he seems to really be finding himself as a leader. During the Heat’s improbable run to the Finals in the bubble, Butler at times looked unstoppable.
He’s always had a next-level competitive drive, but he hasn’t always channeled it in the healthiest way. Case in point: Butler’s tumultuous tenure with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Butler began his career with the Bulls and, after that relationship soured, he was traded to Minnesota in June 2017. But the run in Minnesota was short-lived. Ahead of 2018 training camp, he specifically requested a trade and said he would not re-sign with the T-Wolves the ensuing offseason.
During a preseason practice shortly after the demand was made public, Jimmy had an all-time outburst. He reportedly played with the backups and destroyed his fellow starters. In the process, he chewed out co-stars Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, shouting things like, “they ain’t shit!” and “they soft!” in their direction.
Reflecting on it after the fact, Butler confirmed the story was largely true—in an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that was timed to perfectly follow the incident. It felt all too convenient, something that had to be coordinated.
“I’m not the most talented player on our team,” he said. “Who is the most talented player on our team? KAT. Who is the most God-gifted player on our team? Wiggs...who plays the hardest? Me! I play hard. I put my body [on the line] every day in practice, every day in games. That’s my passion.”
In November, Butler was dealt to the Sixers. He had a strong season with Philly but opted to sign with Pat Riley and Miami—that one team with which he had long been flirting—the next offseason.
Kawhi Leonard
Traded from San Antonio to Toronto in 2018
It’s hard to believe Kawhi is only 29. It really feels like we’ve been through the ringer with this guy for a couple decades, right? We’ve seen him live so many lives.
Of course, his NBA life began with Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, and the San Antonio Spurs. Kawhi won a title and Finals MVP with the dynasty in 2014. But as he continued to blossom into a star, the player-team relationship deteriorated as a result of injuries and conflict with the Spurs’ medical staff.
In 2017-18, quadriceps and shoulder injuries kept Kawhi off the court for much of the season. Team medical staff cleared him to return to the court in the spring, but Leonard refused. He felt he was still hurt and deferred to his own doctors.
This led to a widely publicized players-only meeting—one described as “tense and emotional”—in which Leonard’s teammates pleaded with him to return to action. They wanted their star back. He refused, sitting out the rest of the season.
That summer, the public learned Leonard had told the Spurs he wanted to be traded. One month later, he was dealt to the Raptors, with whom he won a title.
The Raptors did all they could to keep Leonard, but he had his heart set on the warmer weather of LA. He joined the Clippers as a free agent shortly after winning his second ring. Now, with the help of Paul George, who’s had his own strange trade history, Leonard is on the hunt for a third ring.