Trade requests are not an entirely new thing in the NBA. Stars have always made their wishes known if they wanted to leave a team. In 1967, for example, Wilt Chamberlain requested a trade that sent him from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did the same in 1975, moving from the Bucks to the Lakers, and many have followed in their footsteps since then.
In 2004, Shaquille O’Neal wanted to move on from the Lakers and demanded a trade that sent him to the Miami Heat. The same year, Tracy McGrady requested to be moved from the Orlando Magic and eventually landed with the Houston Rockets.
There have been many more cases of stars requesting a trade throughout the history of the NBA, but in recent years, it seems that the number of trade requests has increased. Not only have they become more public and moved to the forefront of the NBA media landscape, but certain players also haven’t shied away from making them regularly.
The former Nets’ big three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden, for example, have combined for seven trade requests since just 2021, including the one Harden issues this summer. Even Damian Lillard, who had been so committed to the franchise that drafted him for so long, has finally had enough of Portland’s mediocrity and made the request to be moved to the Heat. More stars will follow their example, so let’s look at four NBA stars who could be next to demand a trade.
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Author: Elaine Blum
August 13, 2023 | 8:00 am
