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You get to select a trio of players from any single year of NBA history for a single season in today's game. Which trio do you take?

Players from the past get an offseason to adjust, for whatever that's worth to you.

If a few others weigh in with their trio, I'll put up a poll.

UPDATE. Poll added with the following options:

1990 Magic/MJ/Hakeem
1993 Stockton/MJ/Robinson
1996 MJ/Pippen/Robinson
2001 Kobe/Garnett/Shaq
2016 Curry/Kawhi/LeBron
2018 Curry/LeBron/AD
2020 Harden/Giannis/AD
2021 Curry/KD/Giannis
2022 Curry/LeBron/Jokic
2024 SGA/AD/Jokic

Team 1:
1990 MJ, Magic, Hakeem
Similar to one of the OP's teams where MJ and Magic actually shot the 3 very well at the correct distance. Hakeem was in his physical prime, leading the league in blocks (4.6!) and rebounds (14). With his mobility, he can guard any position and contend with Jokic as the best center today.

Team 2:
2006 Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitzki (PF), KG (C or SF)
Nash and Dirk in their primes but re-united. Throw in late prime KG for good measure as he can either play C or SF depending on the matchups.

Team 3:
1987 MJ, Bird (PF), Kevin McHale (SF or C)
MJ's best scoring season, one of Bird's prime years and Kevin McHale's peak season. Bird is one of those players that would be better in today's game. Even if MJ and McHale don't shoot the 3, they would be so dominant from the midrange and post. They can easily add a 3&D wing and/or PG that can shoot to fill out the roster.

Team 4:
1995 John Stockton, Reggie Miller, David Robinson
Great shooting backcourt. David Robinson can guard any position and can still run the PnR with Stockton. Stockton and Robinson would be the best passer and shot blocker, respectively. Reggie Miller would fit right in with his off-ball movement.

If I had to pick 1, I'd probably still go with Team 1 due to the shear talent. With an offseason to adjust, MJ and Magic's 3 would be serviceable even though they don't need to rely on it.

2016 Curry/Kawhi/Lebron or 2018 Curry/Lebron/Davis. You want a defensive balance with these.

Do not think earlier eras can match that combination of modernity and talent, although 2006 Nash/Kobe/Garnett is reasonably close in both.

We can use 1993 but other years would work: Stockton, Jordan, Robinson

2020 Harden/Antetokoumpo/Davis.

I think the better question is how far do you have to go back to find a trio that wouldn't win a title in today's league with suitable role players around them. Since most any trio of the last 20-40 years absolutely should I think.

jojo4341 wrote:Team 3:
1987 MJ, Bird (PF), Kevin McHale (SF or C)
MJ's best scoring season, one of Bird's prime years and Kevin McHale's peak season. Bird is one of those players that would be better in today's game. Even if MJ and McHale don't shoot the 3, they would be so dominant from the midrange and post. They can easily add a 3&D wing and/or PG that can shoot to fill out the roster.

Minor correction:

MJ's highest volume scoring season. Not his best scoring season. There is a difference. His relative efficiency was more Kobe-esque at that volume. He did much better in the low 30s than he did at 37.

Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain would still be quite good in spite of being more than 60 years removed from their collective primes

Cavsfansince84 wrote:I think the better question is how far do you have to go back to find a trio that wouldn't win a title in today's league with suitable role players around them. Since most any trio of the last 20-40 years absolutely should I think.

I like this framing. I think the Retro POY project helps us remember that even the much-laughed-at 50s, while lacking in depth, had impressive top-end talent. It's really only the very late 40s/early 50s where you look at the best of the best and doubt how they'd fare against a better league. Possibly an unpopular opinion, but I suspect, at least from Russell-on, the best trio from any year would be championship favorites in any era.

2021 Curry/KD/Giannis.

You get prime Steph in a 32/6/6 on 66% TS season. Prime KD who was otherworldly in the playoffs that year. Giannis in his championship season, 35 a game two-way destroyer in the finals. Pretty beautiful fit between the three as well. Giannis anchoring the defense, and about as insane an inside-outside threat offensively as you could put together.

2001 Kobe, Shaq, Duncan

Since we're talking specifically for today's league and not just in a vacuum, I would want to choose as modern players as possible.

I know Curry has to be in there. He basically has defined the modern era (the last 10 seasons), and is the guy who can most take advantage of the modern rules and style of play.

With him you'll want a wing and a big, ideally. Leaves us with two options:

2016 or 2017: Curry, LeBron and Davis

OR

2023: Curry, Butler and Jokic

Can I pretend AD will be healthy?

Then I'll just take current Jokic, AD, and SGA. I believe strongly in the quality of players from past generations but one off-season is not enough to adjust to a vastly different league. Otherwise 06 Duncan, Dirk, Lebron is probably my choice.

Shaq/Duncan/Kobe followed closely by MJ/Hakeem/Magic

Texas Chuck wrote:Can I pretend AD will be healthy?

Then I'll just take current Jokic, AD, and SGA. I believe strongly in the quality of players from past generations but one off-season is not enough to adjust to a vastly different league. Otherwise 06 Duncan, Dirk, Lebron is probably my choice.

AD was healthy this past season, he played 76 games. So if you select the '24 season of that trio it's baked in.

The '06 guys are an interesting choice, both Duncan and LeBron are far off their peaks but if you want those three players specifically you may not get a better combination in any other season.

MacGill wrote:Shaq/Duncan/Kobe followed closely by MJ/Hakeem/Magic

I think KG would be a better fit with Kobe and Shaq with his spacing while still being able to handle defensive duties. 2001 Kobe/KG/Shaq would rip any era apart, tbh that would be my top pick.

Another option is '96 Jordan/Pippen/Robinson. That was a year both Jordan and Pippen actually were good to elite from 3, the Bulls only weakness was dealing with dominant big men, and a peak DRob solves that. Those three guys would dominate in any era honestly.

ardee wrote:

MacGill wrote:Shaq/Duncan/Kobe followed closely by MJ/Hakeem/Magic

I think KG would be a better fit with Kobe and Shaq with his spacing while still being able to handle defensive duties. 2001 Kobe/KG/Shaq would rip any era apart, tbh that would be my top pick.

100%, KG was always my go-to with Shaq. I just was using OP's examples, that's all!

97-98 Jordan, Pippen and Shaq, or as ardee said above, 95-96 Jordan, Pippen, and Robinson.

JimmyPlopper wrote:Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain would still be quite good in spite of being more than 60 years removed from their collective primes

Can replace Oscar with West.