Ben Gordon
Now onto one that worked out far better for the Pistons than the Bulls. Ben Gordon was far ahead of his time during his tenure in Chicago and looked on track to be a modern All-Star for years to come. Drafted third overall after a National Championship victory in 2004, Ben Gordon is the only rookie to ever win the Sixth Man of the Year award. Over his five seasons in Chicago he would only miss 12 games, playing in every game three times.
In Chicago he would post averages of 18.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists on 41.5 percent from long range. He capped off his Bulls career by averaging 24.3 points per game in a seven-game epic first-round series against the defending champion Celtics.
That summer he would sign with the Pistons for five years, $60 million. He continued to play the role of the sixth man and never fully lived up to the contract. He averaged 12.4 points, 2.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds in his three seasons in Detroit. He would miss 50 games over three seasons, a stark difference from his omnipresence in the Bulls lineup.
After three seasons Gordon was sent to Charlotte with a future first-round pick for Corey Maggette in essentially a salary dump to get his long term money off the books. Gordon would play in 94 games in two seasons in Charlotte before a final season in Orlando.