In today’s modern age of free agency and player movement, finding loyal NBA superstars is a rare commodity. It’s become widely acknowledged, rightly or wrongly, that elite tier players will move on from their franchise should they fail to find suitable team success.
There’s a rather exclusive list of players who stand among the most loyal NBA players over the past 30 years. Throughout this period, only three players have retired after playing with one solitary franchise for ten or more seasons, while also not winning a championship (but making at least one All-Star appearance).
Will Damian Lillard and Bradley beal join an exclusive list of NBA players?
Those players? John Stockton, Reggie Miller, and Rik Smits. There are also players like Dirk Nowitzki who didn’t win a championship until his 13th season.
When we look at current players, there are only two that fall into the above category – Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal. Both are currently in their tenth season, with their franchises having failed to build a championship-caliber roster around them to this point.
Will Lillard and Beal join Stockton, Miller, and Smits on the exclusive list? Will they, like Nowitzki, break through for a historic championship run? Or will they seek greener pastures in the quest for the elusive NBA Championship?
Both players’ futures have been a major talking point of recent times. Particularly Lillard, whose offseason was rife with debate on whether he’d request a trade or not.
The Blazers’ season has done nothing to lessen the fear of management and fans, with injuries to Lillard and CJ McCollum contributing to a dismal 19-26 record.
Portland’s main advantage is Lillard’s contract situation. He has three years left, which means any potential trade would almost certainly return a significant haul. The same can’t be said for the Wizards, with Beal set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season.
Despite an exciting start to the season, the Wizards have leveled back to somewhere near expectations. Their .500 record certainly isn’t enough for Beal who is reportedly unwilling to put pen to paper on a new contract extension.
The future seems pretty simple for both teams. They desperately need to make a major move in the hope it alters the trajectory of their franchise. Portland has been steadfast with their backcourt duo of Lillard and McCollum, but you’d think something would have to give in the near future.
Washington finds themselves with more attractive young talent and a host of tradable contracts, potentially allowing them to make a move for someone like Domantas Sabonis who they’ve been linked to in recent days.
At the end of the day, that exclusive group of three players is there for a reason. As much as we may love the idea of loyal, one-franchise players, it’s pretty unrealistic nowadays, unless the team reaches ultimate success.
With both teams unlikely to enter title calculations within the short term, expect to see Lillard and Beal wearing a different uniform sometime in the next few years.