Anthony Davis
Paul George
James Harden
Kawhi Leonard
Chris Paul
All the guys above moved around at least 1 and had prime level seasons for multiple teams. So which of em get their jersey retired and where.
My picks
Spoiler:
Carmelo: New York. The Knicks have been a joke this century. Despite playing in NY elite players treat the Knicks the way the Clippers used to be treated. He's been the one bright spot this decade. Phil's attack on his rep notwithstanding most Knick fans recognize, despite his flaws, he played at the highest possible level for him and genuinely loved the city/franchise. Denver is a pass. He left on bad terms and a superior player took his number. If Jokic hadn't have come along I think it is possible he'd be forgiven but now no shot.
Davis: Nowhere. Let's get New Orleans out of the way. He left the city in a very ugly fashion. I'm fine with players demanding trades. But the flipside is jersey retirements are really for fans. Do any New Orleans fans have super fond memories of Anthony? I doubt it.
Lakers won a title and he's now been there 3 years. But a title for Laker fans carry less weight than with other franchises. They are the yankees of the NBA: star studded, glamorous and a fair expectation of titles. His other two campaigns have been injury riddled and featured a decline in play even when on the court.
George: Nowhere. Indiana would have retired his number even if the franchise fell into mediocrity had he stayed. But he didn't and his tenure there wasn't quite as great as remembered. His OKC stay was too brief and nothing big happened in LA.
Harden: Houston. Tilman seems petty as hell but I think Rockets will retire his number. They aren't going to have good memories for awhile and he is the 2nd greatest Rocket in history who was the face of the franchise for many years.
Kawhi: Nowhere. San Antonio fans hate him. I think they've gone too far but the animus is real and given the success they had from 1990-2017 they probably feel like they got enough greats from Leonard's days that they can ignore him. Toronto won a title but he was a rental and left ASAP. And he's done nothing important with LA (miss an entire season, miss part of the playoffs in another and stink up a G7 for a guy whose rep depends on the post-season)
Paul: LA. New Orleans clearly has no intention given the manner of his departure but LA will. Yes, those Clippers didn't succeed as much as all hoped in the post-season. But he played like a HOFer most of his year there. More importantly he gave a franchise with a terrible rep much needed credibility. Instead of being bummed out he wasn't allowed to be a laker he embraced being a Clipper. Ballmer is obviously most important but Paul's embrace of Clippers helped the franchise gain a foothold with other superstars after being ignored for decades.
Davis: Nowhere. Let's get New Orleans out of the way. He left the city in a very ugly fashion. I'm fine with players demanding trades. But the flipside is jersey retirements are really for fans. Do any New Orleans fans have super fond memories of Anthony? I doubt it.
Lakers won a title and he's now been there 3 years. But a title for Laker fans carry less weight than with other franchises. They are the yankees of the NBA: star studded, glamorous and a fair expectation of titles. His other two campaigns have been injury riddled and featured a decline in play even when on the court.
George: Nowhere. Indiana would have retired his number even if the franchise fell into mediocrity had he stayed. But he didn't and his tenure there wasn't quite as great as remembered. His OKC stay was too brief and nothing big happened in LA.
Harden: Houston. Tilman seems petty as hell but I think Rockets will retire his number. They aren't going to have good memories for awhile and he is the 2nd greatest Rocket in history who was the face of the franchise for many years.
Kawhi: Nowhere. San Antonio fans hate him. I think they've gone too far but the animus is real and given the success they had from 1990-2017 they probably feel like they got enough greats from Leonard's days that they can ignore him. Toronto won a title but he was a rental and left ASAP. And he's done nothing important with LA (miss an entire season, miss part of the playoffs in another and stink up a G7 for a guy whose rep depends on the post-season)
Paul: LA. New Orleans clearly has no intention given the manner of his departure but LA will. Yes, those Clippers didn't succeed as much as all hoped in the post-season. But he played like a HOFer most of his year there. More importantly he gave a franchise with a terrible rep much needed credibility. Instead of being bummed out he wasn't allowed to be a laker he embraced being a Clipper. Ballmer is obviously most important but Paul's embrace of Clippers helped the franchise gain a foothold with other superstars after being ignored for decades.
