30 NBA players that got better after leaving their first team

30 NBA players who got better after leaving their first team: 14. Tyson Chandler

Tyson Chandler was selected second overall out of high school by the LA Clippers in the 2001 draft and was then traded to the Chicago Bulls on the same night. Over five seasons with the Bulls, the big man pegged to be the next building block of their franchise never garnered more than 27.4 minutes per game. He averaged just 7.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game during that time.

He was traded in the first year of a six-year contract to the New Orleans Hornets where he turned into a dominant offensive rebounder and rim runner paired with Chris Paul on one of the most fun teams in the league. Chandler ended his tenure with the Hornets’ as the all-time leader in field goal percentage and rebounds per game while playing in just 197 games with the team. He then played one season with the Charlotte Bobcats but was limited by injuries before being traded again.

Then, in one season with the Dallas Mavericks, everything came together for him. Chandler was the defensive anchor for a team that made a historic run to an NBA Championship in 2011. He would only spend one season in Dallas due to financial issues for the team and then moved on to the New York Knicks where he would finally get some well-deserved individual accolades. During his time with the Knicks, he made an All-Star team, an All-NBA team, three All-Defensive teams and won Defensive Player of the Year. He would bounce around shortly after until as recently as last season but his glory days were officially over.