10 NBA Superstars Who Switched Teams In Their Primes
When a superstar switches teams in the NBA, it shifts the balance of power within the league.
We're in the midst of the dog days of summer and in the basketball world, nothing much is going on. Every major free agent has been signed and most of the blockbuster trades have already gone down.
Jimmy Butler is on the Timberwolves, Chris Paul is on the Rockets, Paul George is on the Thunder, and Timofey Mozgov is ready to lead Brooklyn to the mountaintop. All major news is seemingly done until October... which is why Kyrie Irving's recent demands to be traded out of Cleveland are so wonderful. He has given us something spectacular in the middle of a whole lot of nothing.
A perennial All-Star demanding a trade in late July is story enough, but the implications of Kyrie Irving leaving Cleveland have some NBA fans salivating. Kyrie is a genuine superstar in the National Basketball Association and players of his caliber don't become available often. It will take a king's ransom to pry him away from the Cavaliers, but he could potentially reshape the culture of any club lucky enough to land him.
Kyrie Irving obviously isn't the first NBA superstar to demand a trade or leave the team that drafted them. Some of the greatest, most iconic stars in the history of the sport have switched teams overnight, to varying degrees of success.
10. Vince Carter
Vince Carter was drafted 5th overall by the Toronto Raptors in 1998, a mere three years into the team's existence. Up to that point, the Raptors had been bottom feeders in the NBA, frequently getting stomped out by the league's elites (Except for that one time they beat the '96 Bulls). VC changed all that. Through the use of his absurd athleticism and his near-supernatural talent for throwing down highlight reel dunks, Carter established himself as a premiere NBA player and the Raptors as a legitimate NBA franchise.
As his star grew, Carter developed a reputation as a diva and a ball hog, and his antics eventually led to teammate Tracy McGrady jumping ship to Orlando. Although VC and the Raptors saw some success together, by 2004, Carter was fed up with the team's front office, and vice versa, and he demanded a trade out of Canada.
While the Raptors initially denied Carter's request, they eventually shipped him to the New Jersey Nets in December 2004 for a handful of so-so players and a pair of first round draft picks. VC got to team with fellow All-Star Jason Kidd and the Raptors put all their faith into sophomore sensation Chris Bosh.