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In fact, most athletes enter the league with the understanding that the team that drafted them will probably not be the team they retire with.
Minus Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce (amongst others), very rarely do we find NBA players staying with the same team for their entire careers. It's just part of the business folks.
And in my humble opinion, those few athletes who have stayed with one team aren't only loyal and dedicated athletes, they are also just lucky guys.
For example, at the 2012 NBA draft, there were five different trades involving drafted rookies in the same night. That's a pretty stressful evening for an 18-22 year old, especially if you were planning on going to the Miami Heat and then getting sent to Philly (No disrespect to the Philadelphia 76ers or Arnett Moultrie).
Anyways, there are hundreds of issues that can cause an NBA player to seek new homes in new locations, and yes, some are more serious than others.
However, one intriguing aspect of relocation is reinvention, and when players decide to leave their teams to sign contracts with other squads, it isn't always because of money, it's because they have a unique opportunity to revitalize their NBA identities.
This was a common theme over the 2012 NBA Free Agency period.
Here are some of these players who look to reinvent:
1. Andray Blatche
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For a player that averaged two-times as many points in the 2010-11 season, this was a major ego-killer for the one-time projected first round pick because we were almost sold on his "potential" a few years ago.
However, after getting amnestied by the Wiz this summer, Blatche packed his bags and signed with the Brooklyn Nets where he has a chance to play alongside Brook Lopez in the post. Also, with Deron Williams running the Nets offense at point guard, Blatche has an ideal chance to leave Washington and his last season behind and improve on his numbers from two years ago.
2. Lamar Odom
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Therefore, after the initial trade was officially vetoed by Dictator David Stern, Odom requested a trade out of Lakerland that inevitably sent him to the Dallas Mavericks where he never quite got a basketball rhythm going for himself or with the team. And by the end of the season, Odom and the Mavericks management decided to part ways, so-to-speak, and Odom sat out for the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
After signing with the Los Angeles Clippers this summer and heading back to where he calls "home," Odom should have a renewed, distraction-less focus on basketball next season because not only does he get the opportunity to live in the city he loves, he gets to play for an up and coming squad that's going to give him playing time.
I expect him to be in "reigning Sixth Man of the Year" shape because his season in Dallas was depressing, and nobody knows that more than he does.
3. Raymond Felton
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With the Knicks in the 2010-11 season, Felton was producing a healthy 17 points and nine assists a game, but after last season, the Blazers must think they got duped and signed somebody else. He never got on page with Trail Blazers' staff, played inconsistent minutes, and put up the lowest numbers of his career scoring wise (11.4 PPG).
Felton was not the same player, nor the same leader that we had seen blossom under the big lights in NYC, and he constantly looked distracted with his role in the Portland offense. Sometimes familiarity and feeling comfortable with your surroundings is all a basketball player needs in order to fix their game.
Also, the Knicks have a few more all-stars than the Blazers, which shouldn't hurt Felton's numbers next season.
4. Brandon Roy
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Following an official retirement from basketball due to complications with his knees and a few unsuccessful surgeries, Roy will be re-entering the NBA this year as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves after sitting out for the entirety of last season.
Roy had several very impressive years with the Blazers before announcing his initial decision to leave basketball behind last December, and his apparent "retirement" was something that put a damper on the beginning of the 2011-12 season.
I simply chalked it up to the "Portland Curse", that seems to haunt that franchise relentlessly, but I'm relieved to hear that Roy is healthy enough to be a part of the game. Although I don't expect Brandon to ever put up the numbers he's produced in the past, its exciting to see him get the opportunity to teach the Minnesota youth what it means to be a class act in the NBA.
5. O.J. Mayo
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| Stephen Dunn/Getty Images |
After starting his NBA career averaging 18 points on 44% shooting over his first two seasons, Mayo's only put up 11.7 points on 40% shooting since then, making most of us wonder where his silky smooth jump shot went.
In my opinion, O.J. has the athletic assets to be a great scorer and an even better defender in this league, but a lack of confidence in his game seemed to derail his NBA progress in Memphis. Now that he's been given an opportunity to regain his NBA "mojo" with Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks, I foresee greatness in Mayo's basketball future because the Mavs in general are looking to get better and Mayo is on board.
Honorable Mentions
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| Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images |
Dwight Howard (LAL)
Jeremy Lin (HOU)
Andrei Kirilenko (MIN)
Grant Hill (LAC)
Ray Allen (MIA)
Jason Terry (BOS)
Steve Nash (PHX)
Ben Gordon (CHA)
Matt Silverston is a columnist for FootBasket. He also runs the basketball blog, Mind of Mattman. You can also follow him on Twitter.
