Pickled Prunes wrote:So, it doesn't happen unless the player forces the issue? Often true, but that happens pretty regularly.
It's possible, but it would have to come to the point where he did, was sort of my point.
Nobody was worried about Dwight's back; they were only worried about acquiring him. He only missed 7 games in his first 7 seasons. He was 2nd in MVP voting in 2011 and 7th (even with the injury) in 2012. Drop off after the trade is irrelevant.
Sure. The issue with him was more that he forced his way out because he didn't like SVG's offense and wanted to try to be Shaq.
I agree with you about Deron Williams, but he was in the conversation for "best PG" for a while, between himself, CP3 and Nash. He was firmly the 3rd best PG in the NBA for a bit and two All-NBA 2nds suggest he was a top 10 player when he was traded... a trade that took him by surprise.
"Best PG" doesn't really describe anything league-relative. There was no point where people thought he was better than Lebron or KD. Wade and Kobe were better for the first half of Deron's prime. Dwight, too. Dirk was better for a good chunk of that time. Rose's peak happened then. Chris Paul. I can't think of a single season where Deron was generally considered a top-5 player. Postionally, sure, but that wasn't teh measure.
T-Mac was a 2x all-NBA 1st, 2x scoring champ, and he finished 4th in MVP voting twice before the trade. He finished 6th, 7th and 8th after the trade. A drop off, but he was still great.
"Great" is probably pushing it. He put up numbers, but he was mostly gunning at lower efficiencies. He didn't reach league-average efficiency for the remainder of his career. And while he was still good, he wasn't a top-5 player in the league at that point. And even in 04, we were seeing him descending from that peak height.
Vince Carter was probably never a top-5 player other than in fan popularity. But he was his best self after the trade, playing along side Kidd... who was a great player that was also traded in his prime.
In 2000 and 2001, he had his best seasons. He did not have his "best self" after the trade. He peaked for us in the 01 season. He was a skillful veteran but he was also far worse after 2001. He also tanked his own value in advance of the trade. He was pretty good in 06 and a little better in 07, but indeed, certainly not a top-5 player. He was traded in his prime because he made a trade demand and whined like a child. It's forgotten now outside Toronto nearly 20 years later, but that was all about him, and he definitely wasn't top-5 at that stage of his career, even as a Net on the rebound.
Iverson averaged a career best 33/3/7 with what was at that point a career best in efficiency the season before he was traded to DEN.
Still wasn't a top-5 player in the league. He was 3rd Team for a reason, and part of it is that he still wasn't a terribly efficient scorer, nor a good defender. And that Nash, Lebron, Dirk, Kobe, Wade and TD were all better, at a minimum. That year, you could even argue Elton Brand, though that gets dicey. Garnett was better, too. And you could make the argument that peak Ben Wallace was as well.
Paul George finished 3rd in MVP voting in 2019 and was traded that summer.
And again, still wasn't a top-5 player. But nobody liked Durant after he went to the Warriors, Steph wasn't gonna win it that year, Kawhi had just whined his way out of San Antonio, the Lakers were sub-.500 so despite Lebron being better, he wasn't going to get MVP consideration, etc, etc, etc.
CP3 finished 2nd in MVP voting in 2008. He finished top-5 in MVP voting 5 times, twice before the trade and three times after. He was definitely traded in his prime. I already said I'm not going to argue "Top-5", but some MVP voters seem to disagree with you.

Some MVP voters gave Iverson and Rose and MVP, so their opinions tend not to mean very much to me. Paul was very good, but again, in 2008, was a narrative-driven award due to team success. He'd played the same the year prior and they were a 39-win team. But Peja played 13 games in 07 versus 77 in 08, David West had played 52 in 07 and played 76 in 08, etc. They made a giant leap due to health. And he had sexy numbers.
Still, fair enough with Paul.
Largely, though, my point stands. "Top-5" is a pretty arbitrary thing, which was mentioned, regardless of saying you don't want to argue about it. If instead we want to agree that some of these were really good and in their primes, sure.
If GIannis wants out, he might made the trade demand. It's possible. But it's ultimately not THAT common when the dude is actually one of the best in the league and still in his prime.