For the sentimental basketball fans among us, there’s nothing better than seeing an NBA player return to the team where they shared in making the fondest memories earlier in their career.
These reunions often tend to happen toward the end of a player’s career, if at all. It gives the players a chance to close out their playing days on familiar stomping grounds while giving fans a chance to rejoice in seeing one of their favorite players of yesteryear ball on their home turf one last time.
A memorable recent reunion was when LeBron James returned to his hometown team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. While the superstar had at least one more stop left in his ongoing career, delivering a title to the city was the capstone of his career, to this point.
Reunions can provide incredible moments for fans and players alike. What are five NBA reunions that need to happen?
One potential reunion on the horizon could see James Harden return to the Houston Rockets after stints in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, where the guard is currently playing. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported on that possible reunion.
The likelihood of any of the below reunions happening is uncertain, at best. Some players have split from their former teams on more acrimonious terms than others. The situation has to be just right, allowing everyone to put their ego aside to create an indelible experience.
If we had our druthers, these would be five NBA reunions we would love to see and need to see.
5. Nikola Vucevic to Orlando
The Orlando Magic are a crew of young players determined to punch above their weight. They may soon be able to do so, considering the strong play of rookie Paolo Banchero. Could they bring Nikola Vucevic back into the fold?
The Swiss center was a first-round draft pick out of USC by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2011 but was dealt to the Magic after his rookie season in the trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers. Vucevic spent the next eight years and change near Disney World.
Following in Howard’s Superman-sized footprint was no easy task, but Vucevic was up for it. He quickly distinguished himself as a rebounding and scoring machine for the Magic, becoming the biggest bright spot for some moribund Magic squads, a morass the franchise is still pulling itself out of today.
Vucevic’s time with Orlando came to an end in March 2021, when the Magic dealt the big man to the Chicago Bulls in a deal that netted Orlando Wendell Carter Jr., among others. The two-time All-Star has been with the franchise since, but his $100 million extension expires at the end of the year.
Vucevic left the Magic with his name firmly entrenched toward the top of the record books in several categories. He was first in field goals made, second in rebounds, third in points and blocks, and fourth in games played. He was a legend who never really got enough praise.
Vucevic recently fed into the reunion buzz himself, telling the Sixth Man Show that he’d be interested in “one last year” in Orlando (h/t SLAM). Perhaps that year could be on the horizon soon.
4. CJ McCollum to Portland
It wasn’t long ago that CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard formed one of the NBA’s best backcourts. It wasn’t even long ago that the Portland Trail Blazers broke the duo in half, sending McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans. Still, a reunion is in order.
Despite spending his college years at unheralded Lehigh, the Trail Blazers made McCollum a lottery selection in the 2013 NBA Draft. The guard rewarded Rip City with some amazing seasons, despite never getting proper due as an All-Star.
McCollum spent more than eight seasons with the Trail Blazers. He came off the bench for his first two years but was inserted as a starter for his third season. He never looked back after that, averaging at least 20 points per game every season for the rest of his tenure, never coming off the bench again.
Last season marked the end of the road for McCollum in Portland. In February, he was dealt to the New Orleans Pelicans, along with Larry Nance Jr. in a deal that saw numerous players and picks trade hands. He signed a two-year, $64 million extension in New Orleans prior to this season.
New Orleans probably has no interest in trading McCollum or letting him walk when the extension ends. He’s putting up All-Star numbers in his first full season in the Big Easy, averaging 21.3 points and 5.8 assists per game while hitting more than 40 percent of his threes. The Pelicans have become a Western Conference contender thanks to his contributions.
After the trade, McCollum wrote an emotional post on The Players’ Tribune, detailing a wide array of emotions about leaving the only city he called home to that point of his NBA career. There’s a clear connection between McCollum and the franchise that helped mold him.
He may need to find a new place to live, though.
3. Kemba Walker to Charlotte
At this point, Kemba Walker could reunite with multiple teams. It would mean the most, however, if he went back to the Charlotte Hornets.
Cardiac Kemba was a lottery selection out of UConn for the franchise in 2011, then known as the Charlotte Bobcats. He was faced with adversity almost immediately, as the team went 7-59 during the lockout-shortened season.
But the Bobcats/Hornets would get better over the years, as would Walker. By 2017, Walker was an All-Star, a trip he made four consecutive years (spanning two teams). His crowning achievement came after the 2018-19 season, when Walker was named to the All-NBA Third Team.
That season would go on to be his last in Charlotte. He agreed to join the Boston Celtics with a sign-and-trade in the offseason, signing a four-year, $141 million contract. Knee injuries would derail his time in Boston, though, and stints in New York and Dallas ended ignominiously, with the Mavericks waiving the guard this month.
It’s fair to wonder what Walker has left on the tires. He did manage to put up 32 points in one of his games with the Mavs this season, reminiscent of that brief stretch with the Knicks when he became a points machine or nabbed a triple-double on Christmas. But those moments are the exception, not the norm.
Maybe this reunion wouldn’t be for a playing contract. Maybe it can just be a one-day contract for Walker to retire and plan on having his jersey retired in the Spectrum Center rafters.
Over the summer, the Hornets considered a reunion, according to reports. It’s not too late to make it happen.
2. Derrick Rose to Chicago
Derrick Rose left it all out on the court for the Chicago Bulls, until his body simply wouldn’t let him anymore. It’s astounding his career is still going on considering everything he’s been through and there would be no better place to end it than in Chicago.
Rose was born and raised in Chicago, a prodigal son of the Windy City who attended Simeon Career Academy. While he had the opportunity to stay home and attend Illinois, he played his college ball under John Calipari for a year at Memphis.
It was a homecoming when the Bulls selected Rose first in the 2008 NBA Draft. The guard rewarded the franchise’s faith immediately, winning Rookie of the Year and becoming a three-time All-Star shortly thereafter, capped by an MVP campaign in 2010-11.
Then, Game 1 of the playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012. The left knee ACL tear. A whole season missed. A return to the court in October 2013 after a year away, only for a season-ending meniscus tear to happen a month later.
Injuries would derail the rest of Rose’s time in Chicago and in a major way, the rest of his career. Rose was dealt to the New York Knicks in 2016, then bounced around to Cleveland, Minnesota, and Detroit before returning to the Knicks at the 2021 trade deadline and signing a three-year, $43 million extension with the team after the season.
The 34-year-old Rose is on the back nine of his career, but he does have another season left on his contract, so he’s expected to at least have another season in him. Could it happen in Chicago, rather than New York?
Every time Rose returns to Chicago, he’s treated as a god, which he clearly appreciates. There are rumors the Knicks are looking to move the guard and getting him back to Chicago would be quite the rosy ending to his playing story.
1. Mike Conley to Memphis
Mike Conley had a chance to be a lifetime member of the Memphis Grizzlies, part of its golden Grit and Grind iconic teams. He didn’t end up spending his whole career in Memphis, but that doesn’t mean he can’t finish it there.
Conley has been in the NBA for longer than you may even realize. The Grizzlies made him the No. 4 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, following his freshman campaign at Ohio State. One of his college teammates was even drafted above him but flamed out of the NBA much quicker: Greg Oden.
His first few years in Memphis were quiet, especially compared to the instant stardom of some guards today, but Conley was consistent from the jump. He was a capable scorer, a willing passer, and a steady defender, even making the All-Defensive Second Team in 2013.
In 2016, Conley signed what was then the largest contract in NBA history. Yet he never really got his due. It took a change of scenery before the guard was sent to his first All-Star Game.
Memphis traded Conley to the Utah Jazz in July 2019, acquiring a package of players and assets that have little to no bearing on the franchise today. At the time of the deal, Conley was the Grizzlies’ all-time scoring leader.
As the Jazz finally fall from their amazing start this season, Conley’s name is beginning to pop up more regularly in rumors. One recent rumor saw him drawing interest from the LA Clippers.
There would be something special about Conley being back in Memphis, though. It’s a reunion that should not be denied.