NBA: Five “One Team” Players Who Need a Change of Scenery

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In the modern-day NBA, loyalty is something that is seen as rare. Over the last two decades, only a handful of stars played with one team for their entire career. The late Kobe Bryant played his entire career for the Los Angeles Lakers while Dirk Nowitzki played his with the Dallas Mavericks and Tim Duncan with the San Antonio Spurs. As of right now, Udonis Haslem is the longest-tenured NBA player with one franchise, playing his 19th season with the Miami Heat when the 2021-22 season starts. The only other active player with more than 10 seasons with the franchise that drafted him is Steph Curry, who will be heading into his 13th season with the Golden State Warriors. While loyalty still has some value in the league, it can be damaging for some players. Players are loyal to teams that cannot compete or have owners that don’t want to spend money, leaving “what if” scenarios for the star players. While players like Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, and Ben Simmons are three obvious names that need new homes, they will not be a part of the following group.

Karl-Anthony Towns

The first overall draft pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Karl-Anthony Towns has played all six seasons (going into his seventh) with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In those six seasons, the Wolves have had one winning season and one playoff appearance, the 2017-18 season with Jimmy Butler on the roster. Every other season, the Timberwolves have been near the bottom of the Western Conference. This past season, the Wolves finished 23-49, 13th in the West. With a very young roster, the Wolves are not going anywhere in the West any time soon. While they have a promising young talent in Anthony Edwards, D’Angelo Russell is not the Russell who was selected as an All-Star with the Brooklyn Nets. There have been four coaching changes in Towns’ time with the Wolves, with no coach really connecting with the entire roster. With Towns averaging 22 points and over 11 rebounds per game, there are plenty of teams that could use him as a pivotal part of a championship run. KAT has a contract making over $30 million a season so it may be hard to move him to an immediate contender, but not impossible. If Towns wants to spend his prime years competing for a championship, he must leave Minnesota.

De’Aaron Fox

The fifth pick in the 2017 Draft, De’Aaron Fox has spent his first four seasons in the league with the Sacramento Kings. The struggles of the Kings have been known for over a decade now, with the team last making the playoffs in the 2005-06 season. While the team has made slight improvements over the years, the organization has not seen a 40-win season since they last made the playoffs. In Fox’s time with the Kings, he has seen two head coaches in Dave Joerger and Luke Walton. Walton has been on the hot seat for the last couple of seasons, with coaching being one of the many problems within the organization. Management has had its own share of problems as well as players such as Marvin Bagley III and his family openly voicing his frustrations with the team. Like the Wolves, the Kings are at the bottom of the Western Conference and will not be moving up any time soon. This past season, Fox averaged 25 PPG, 7.2 APG, and 3.5 RPG. Like Towns, Fox has a large contract that is not impossible to move. While it’s unlikely Fox would immediately go to a contender if traded, it’s more likely that Fox could help take a team in the middle tier of its conference to the next level.

CJ McCollum

Heading into his ninth season, CJ McCollum has been a part of the Portland Trailblazers since being drafted in the 2013 NBA Draft. Many of Portland’s problems have been noticeable for years. The team hasn’t changed much over the last handful of seasons, with the core of McCollum, Damian Lillard, and Jusuf Nurkic being together for four and half seasons. Portland has been a middle-tier team in the Western Conference for the entirety of Lillard and McCollum’s tenure with the Blazers. Despite missing significant time in the 2020-21 season, McCollum averaged a career-high 23.1 PPG and 4.7 APG. Even though he posted career highs, there have been times where he has been inconsistent, with many questioning if he could be a number one option on a team. This offseason has seen a minor implosion within the Trailblazers organization. Head coach Terry Stotts agreed to part ways with the organization while new head coach Chauncey Billups brought controversy upon arrival. There have been plenty of rumors of Damian Lillard being traded (even though Lillard has turned them down multiple times). For the Blazers to move forward, whether it’s moving into the next tier or possibly rebuilding, someone needs to be moved. If Lillard is not traded to a team like Philadelphia (which have made it clear they want Lillard), a McCollum for Ben Simmons trade is possible. McCollum could provide scoring for Philadelphia, but Philly may choose to avoid that trade with McCollum’s history of injuries.

Lauri Markkanen

In his four NBA seasons since being drafted by the Chicago Bulls, Lauri Markkanen has shown flashes of a superstar big man talent, but other times the exact opposite. During his tenure in the league, Markkanen’s scoring has gone up and slightly back down. For the 2020-21 season, Markkanen finished with splits of 13.6 PPG and 5.3 RPG. At the same time, his 3-point shooting percentage has gone up, shooting 40% this past season. Unlike those mentioned so far, Markkanen stands out because he is currently a free agent. As of this writing, he has not re-signed with the Bulls or found a new home. While there are many downsides to his game right now, a change of scenery could help Markkanen improve, especially on the defensive end. The big man fits with Chicago’s timeline but does not provide a lot for them. If Markkanen wanted to improve all-around, he may want to look at San Antonio, who have a well-known history of working with foreign players, or the Dallas Mavericks, who could try to use him as another Kristaps Porzingis. While he may not bring another team to the next level, he could be an important role player to any team looking to make a playoff run.

Pascal Siakam

Two seasons ago, Pascal Siakam was a part of the Toronto Raptors Championship team alongside Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry. Now, Leonard and Lowry are gone. While the organization may not openly admit it, they are in the early stages of a rebuild. They still have Fred VanVleet and several important role players, but the Raptors will most likely miss the playoffs for the second season in a row. With splits of 21.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 4.5 APG, Siakam would be a huge addition to any team that traded for him. Like many of the others listed, Siakam has a large, yet moveable contract. Coming off an injury, teams may be hesitant to trade for Siakam, but they would see long-term benefits if they did. Like many on this list, Siakam is still in the early stages of his NBA career and his prime. If Siakam were to stay with the Raptors, he would be wasting his best years on a team looking at a rebuild. The Raptors have a promising replacement for Siakam in Precious Achiuwa if a trade were to happen. Several teams could use a player like Siakam as a part of a championship run, but two stand out. The first team would be the Dallas Mavericks. Trading Porzingis for Siakam would get Dallas another scoring presence next to Luka Doncic, while the Raptors get a much-needed big man for their rotation. The second NBA team would be the Golden State Warriors. An Andrew Wiggins for Siakam trade would be possible, but Toronto would likely want a pick or one of Golden State’s recent draft picks along with a Wiggins.