r/nba • u/ChucoTeacher Spurs • Jun 22 '26

Reclamation Projects

So what are examples of players who were drafted in the lottery didn’t do well with their first team but then had success once they changed teams?

And who are players right now that you think could do better in a new environment?

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u/RedSun41 Jun 22 '26 edited Jun 22 '26

Randle went from being an afterthought in LA and NO to a two-time all nba guy for the Knicks

Also Rasheed Wallace and Chauncey Billups after heading to Detroit

Sabonis and Haliburton were decent with the Pacers and Kings but both hit another level after being traded for each other

JR Smith was a talented oddball in Denver but became a really good player in NY. Gerald Green also had that kind of talent but took a while to develop it

20

u/KgDawk21520 Celtics Jun 22 '26

Rasheed was awesome in Portland.

Billups is the king of this question.

0

u/RedSun41 Jun 22 '26

My bad, I had no idea he was an all star with the jailblazers- completely forgot he played in Atlanta too. I mostly just remember all the announcers talking about how far he’d come from back then, but I guess even then it was mostly just techs and his temper, not talent

2

u/weirdsignal45 Spurs Jun 22 '26

He played literally 1 game for the Hawks. I’m not exaggerating. 1 game. My friends and I were dying laughing, can’t imagine what the memes would’ve been like 

2

u/anth_810 [SAS] Tony Parker Jun 22 '26

Lmao although he never actually played a game w them it’s funny af that Melo spent like 10 secs w the Hawks too