The NBA is now fully entrenched in one of the seemingly annual offseason traditions. The disgruntled stars have put in their trade requests, and now they and the rest of us are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. This time it’s two primary ball handlers, James Harden and Damian Lillard.
With any hopes of quick deals getting done now long gone, there seems to be a stalemate between each’s respective organization and the players. Both point guards have specified desired locations, but the front offices have made it clear they won’t accommodate unless they receive a good haul back.
So as the rumor mill has gone quiet it raises the question: Has a star player’s trade request ever been denied? What are some of the trades that were requested but never happened?
NBA Star #4: Kevin Love
Kevin Love’s tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers saw some of the highest highs and lowest lows of any star’s career. Love was a key player for the Cavs upon arrival. He was a major contributing factor to several finals runs, including one championship in 2016. But after Kyrie Irving was traded and Lebron James left for the Lakers, Love found himself to be the last man standing on a rebuilding team and he clearly wasn’t happy.
Although Love never officially requested a trade, in 2019, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported he would prefer a move to a contending team. Because of Love’s large contract at the time, and lack of a good trade partner, a deal was never found.
But instead of sulking, well after a little sulking, Love revolutionized his game. He came off the bench for Cleveland in the 2021-2022 season, giving minutes to the Cavs young core. Instead of insisting on a trade, he thrived as a sixth man, averaging 13.6 points and 7.2 rebounds, finishing second in Sixth Man of the Year voting. He adapted to the situation he was in, which no doubt helped his relationship with the team, leading to a buyout of Love’s deal for him to join Miami on their finals run the next year in 2023.
NBA Star #3: Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant’s trade request in 2022 was nothing short of a complete mess. In late June, Durant requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. This came after a disappointing sweep by the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.
The request was remarkable for several reasons. First, Kevin Durant was under contract and had an extension with the Nets that had yet to even begin. Second, this Nets team was largely put together by him and fellow star Kyrie Irving. Durant wasn’t happy in a situation in which he had the least major influence. He had made his own bed and now didn’t want to sleep in it.
Things came to a head in August when Durant met with Nets owner Joe Tsai. Durant not only reiterated his request but gave an ultimatum: Tsai could either keep him or fire head coach Steve Nash and general manager Sean Marks.
Despite Durant’s insistence, a deal never materialized. Leading to another meeting with Tsai along with Clara Wu Tsai, Nash, Marks, and Rich Kleiman, Durant’s business manager. Resulting in Durant officially rescinding the request only a few weeks after the initial meeting with Tsai.
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) August 23, 2022
The irony of all of this was that only a few short months later, Durant and Kleiman would once again request a trade, this time specifying the Phoenix Suns as his preferred destination, where he would eventually end up. The second request was more understandable, though. Kyrie Irving had just been traded to the Dallas Mavericks after he and Brooklyn could not agree on a contract extension. It was clear the Nets were tearing things down.
Durant’s initial request is one of the few situations where it looked like the team was going to be able to stay together. Somehow, whatever issues he had were mended, and up until the second request, he was playing outstanding basketball. But as far as history is concerned, it was basically a request received in the summer and fulfilled the next winter.
NBA Star #2: Scottie Pippen
Scottie Pippen requested two separate trades from the Chicago Bulls, of which neither was fulfilled. Throughout his Bulls tenure, Pippen was exceptionally underpaid due to a seven-year deal that he outperformed nearly immediately after it was signed. This, combined with Michael Jordan’s absence in 1994–1995, gave Pippen understandable reasoning for wanting out. During the All-Star break in Phoenix, Pippen gave a famous interview on live television, expressing his desire to play for the Phoenix Suns.
Nevertheless, the trade deadline passed, and Pippen was still with the Bulls. Fortunately for everyone, Michael Jordan would return to the Bulls from retirement and baseball. Thus appeasing everything and setting Chicago up for its next three rings.
But before the sixth ring, Pippen would request a trade yet again, this time in the last year of his contract. A deal very nearly transpired with the Boston Celtics; the trade would have seen Pippen go to the Celtics and Boston’s third and sixth first-round picks go to Chicago. Bulls’ GM Jerry Krause famously planned on using one of those picks to select Tracy McGrady.
Ultimately, however, the deal was nixed at the intervention of Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. He knew the Bulls had the potential to win another championship with Pippen and wanted to keep it together for one more year. A Last Dance, if you will.
Reinsdorf was correct after all; the Bulls won their sixth championship that season, completing a second three-peat. Pippen would leave the Bulls the following year on a much more lucrative sign-and-trade deal, and Michael Jordan retired for the second time.
NBA Star #1: Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant’s 2007 trade request is still, to this day, the most infamous example of a request that was never fulfilled. At the time, Kobe was easily one of the best players in the league. He was the second-best player on three consecutive finals teams and had already cemented himself as one of the best shooting guards of all time with nine first-team All-NBA teams.
Despite all the talent in the world, though, trading the NBA legend would be tough. He had a no-trade clause he would have to waive, meaning he could deny any destination he didn’t care for, and a trade bonus of about $13 million.
Specifically, Kobe’s trade request was made after a leak in the Lakers organization pinned him as the one responsible for Shaquille O’Neal being traded to Miami due to their historically unamicable relationship over the years. Bryant denied this, but it, of course, made him irate.
He felt a betrayal of trust along with trepidation about the front office’s ability to build a team around him. Bryant, in a radio interview with ESPN’s Steven A. Smith, was adamant that there was no way for him to return to the Lakers; his decision was all but final.
Kobe then quickly started to backpedal, only a few hours later in another interview with ESPN’s Dan Patrick.
"It’s tough. I always dreamed about retiring as a Laker. I just hope something can be resolved. Something can be figured out. Just something so I can stay here and be in this city and be with the team I love."
Evidently, Bryant had spoken with the Laker’s head coach, Phil Jackson, between the interviews, and things were able to calm down, but not entirely. Bryant wanted something to be done within the organization; he continued to speak about how he wanted something to be done because he didn’t want to go anywhere else, but then confirmed he still wanted to be traded.
The entire situation was a mess and a half. Kobe later came out and spoke with Smith again for a Philadelphia Inquirer column. He detailed a previous meeting he had with Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss in an attempt to clear up any rumors regarding his part in O’Neal’s departure.
"He met with me at the Four Seasons Hotel here [in Newport Beach, Calif.] across from Fashion Island, which is now the Island Hotel. I went up to his penthouse suite. [Buss] looks me dead in the face and says: “Kobe, I am not going to re-sign Shaq. I am not about to pay him $30 million a year or $80 million over three years. No way in hell. I feel like he’s getting older. His body is breaking down, and I don’t want to pay that money to him when I can get value for him right now rather than wait. “This is my decision. It’s independent of you. My mind is made up. It doesn’t matter to me what you do in free agency because I do not want to pay [Shaq], period.” Dr. Buss said that. And I haven’t said anything for years because I’ve always felt like folks were just looking to create controversy. Now I know. I realize what extent [the Lakers] will go to, to cover themselves."
ESPN’s Greg Anthony also reported that Bryant would rescind his trade demand if the Lakers fired whoever was responsible for the leaked rumor stating he was responsible for O’Neal being traded. The story has layers upon layers. Bryant really felt mistreated and that the team lacked a clear direction that involved him. Eventually, a deal was found with the Detroit Pistons, with the caveat being that it was not one of Bryant’s preferred destinations.
Buss called Bryant to his house for a meeting to inform him of the deal and request his approval for the trade to go through. Bryant took everything into account and ultimately decided to stay. He wanted to be a Laker for life, so he put his trust back into the organization to build a team around him.
And build they did; 2008’s trade deadline saw the Lakers’ acquisition of future Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, and the rest is history. The Lakers went to three straight finals from 2008 to 2010, winning two, and Kobe won two Finals MVP awards.
No one knows what would have happened if Kobe went to Detroit or anywhere else, but regardless, staying with the Purple and Gold was the right decision. Kobe’s last two rings put him in the upper echelon of NBA legends. His status is forever cemented as one of the best to ever play.
But beyond even that, after Kobe and his daughter Gianna’s tragic death in 2020, it was clear just how much the city of Los Angeles treasured and adored Kobe Bryant. He played all 20 seasons of his career with the Lakers, won five championships, and has both number 8 and 24 retired in the rafters of Crypto.com arena (formerly Staples Center). Deciding to stay with the Lakers and rescind the trade request was one of the most important moves of his career and his life.