Have you ever heard of the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?” or maybe “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side?” Well if you do, you might understand it better than some NBA players. Over the years and especially in this era of player empowerment, we’ve seen countless all-stars and superstars lobby for trades and leave their successful teams to chase more individual success, money, fame, or simply a fresh start, only to find themselves struggling to make it work with their new squad. 

James Harden Forces Trade Out of Houston

One man who is currently struggling with the pressure is James Harden. The 34-year-old shooting guard is without a doubt one of the best scorers to ever shoot the ball, as fans of the Houston Rockets can attest. With the Rockets, Harden dominated. He was named the NBA MVP in 2018 and is a ten-time All-star. However, following his move to the Philadelphia 76ers at the start of last season, his stock dropped substantially, especially when he went full Cristiano Ronaldo-Piers Morgan and called out the franchise’s owners on a trip to China. 

Harden forced a trade and moved on to the Los Angeles Clippers in the hopes of becoming the man that springboards the perennial losers to glory. But unfortunately for him and the SoCal faithful, things haven’t clicked. 

The Clippers are no closer to a maiden NBA Finals and are currently way down in tenth in the Western Conference standings. 

Dwight Howard Leaves Orlando

Dwight Howard was one of the most dominant centers in the league when he was Orlando Magic. but his move to the Lakers in 2012 was anything but successful. Despite joining forces with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, and Pau Gasol, the team failed to make it past the first round of the playoffs during D12’s one-year stint with the team. His stats looked pretty good and Dwight led the league in rebounding with the Lakers, but he hasn’t been the same ever since.

He then moved on to the Houston Rockets, where he struggled to fit in with the aforementioned Harden and eventually found himself bouncing around the league, as his once-formidable presence in the paint faded away. While he would make two more all-star teams in his one year in Los Angeles and his first in Houston, Howard’s career (and minutes) went downhill at age 28 — at an age where most elite NBA players hit their peak. 

Since his move from Orlando, the narrative around Dwight has become a joke to many fans; highlighted with conflicts with teammates, ejections, being left off the NBA75, a move to play in Taiwan, off-the-court drama, and being accused of sexual assault.

Carmelo Anthony Never Got to Retire 

Carmelo Anthony’s move to the Knicks in 2011 was highly anticipated but ultimately never truly hit the heights expected. Despite leading the league in scoring during his first full season with the team and making five straight all-star teams in the east, the MSG outfit failed to make it past the second round of the playoffs during his seven years in the Big Apple. But what came after the Knicks was when his career truly fell flat. Come 2017, Carmelo moved on to the Oklahoma City Thunder and expectations couldn’t have been higher. Even at the ripe age of 33, Carmelo was still putting up 20+ points per game.  However, Melo couldn’t really find his footing. Part of the issue was the lack of ball movement, with the Thunder’s offense being mainly centered around ball-dominant point guard, Russell Westbrook. 

This made it almost impossible for Anthony to maintain his scoring rhythm and he would tumble from one team to another with failed stints with the Trailblazers and the Lakers. Carmelo is one of the league’s greats, it’s a shame he never got to retire on his own accord, but this is a risk one takes when you move team to team as Anthony did. 

Allen Iverson Can’t Adjust 

Many argue that Allen Iverson never truly reached the heights of his talents after forcing a trade to the Denver Nuggets where he had a couple good seasons individually, but Iverson’s career stock dropped significantly after getting traded to the Detroit Pistons. Not only did his career take a detour downward, so did his scoring. And that’s what AI was known for. It was during his stint with the Pistons that his points per game dipped below 20 and it just slowly decreased from there. Iverson also struggled to fit in with his new team as he was oft-injured, asked to come off the bench and it was just a bad time for Iverson. He and the Pistons ended up parting ways after just one season; moving to Memphis where he played just three games before heading back to the Sixers as his final season.

DeMarcus Cousins Departs Kings, Pelicans Then NBA

DeMarcus Cousins tumultuous career saw him dominate the league for six straight years; making four All-Star teams in that span for the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. While injuries is what truly slowed Boogie down, his move to the Warriors in 2018 was seen as a potential game-changer for the team, but it was more of a career changer in a bad way.

Unfortunately for Cousins, another injury would sideline him; suffering a torn Achilles tendon early in the season, which put him on the injury report for the remainder of the season. He joined the Lakers in 2019 but was waived after just 25 games due to persistent injury issues. Like fellow big man Dwight Howard, Cousins career went sideways at age 28 when he should have been hitting his highest levels. Instead Cousins was essentially retired from the NBA at age 32 and not due to his talent and skillset more likely his surly attitude, ejections, and technical fouls.

Andrew Bynum Out of NBA by 26 Years Old

Andrew Bynum was once a promising young center for the Lakers; the youngest player in NBA history. He would contribute mightily to the Los Angeles Laker teams that won back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. He would even be named an NBA All-Star in 2011-2012 before getting injured and sitting out the 2012-13 season. You would think the Lakers were ecstatic with Bynum but they weren’t. That 2011-12 season was marked by several issues with Bynum’s maturity and attitude.

Head Coach Mike Brown benched Bynum when he suddenly started randomly shooting threes. How did Bynum respond? By laughing. Other reports indicated the 7 footer would consistently disrespect teammates and coaching staff, raising concerns about his commitment to winning—an attitude that clashed with his teammates especially with Kobe Bryant on the team.

That would be his last season with the Lakers as Bynum The Lakers would end up moving him to the Sixers in 2012 quickly turned sour. He missed the entire season due to knee injuries, and Philly finished with a dismal 34-48 record. He then signed with the Cavaliers in 2013 but never played a game for the team due to continuing knee issues. Bynum’s brief stint with the Pacers in 2014 was similarly forgettable. The talented big man would never make it back to the NBA; leaving the NBA at just 26 years old.

Tracy McGrady’s Fourth Team Was Too Much

In many ways, McGrady’s career was marked by trades. While he developed in Toronto, became a superstar scorer in Orlando, and a playoff contender in Houston he would make seven consecutive All-Star teams. However, McGrady’s fourth move proved to be the death knell of his all-star career. During McGrady’s last injury-plagued season with the Rockets, there was clear decline in his game already. After moving to the New York Knicks – where expectations are higher than any other city with an NBA franchise – T-Mac only played in 24 games, and he wasn’t able to do much with his playing time. He never averaged double figures in scoring again as he would struggle to contribute with Detroit and Atlanta in his final two NBA seasons. At 33 years old and no NBA suitors, McGrady would take his game overseas; playing with the Chinese Basketball Association.

Stevie Franchise to Orlando, New York

Steve Francis was never an NBA superstar, but considering how he made the league it’s an amazing story. Francis did make three NBA All-Star teams when we was with the Houston Rockets, but after a few years, he was ready to move on. After moving to the Orlando Magic at age 27, Francis’ promising career went sideways. The rest of his NBA career was marked by injuries, a negative attitude, and underwhelming games. Unfortunately, he ultimately ended up retiring unceremoniously after unremarkable stints with New York and back to Orlando for one more season.