James Harden has been traded for the fourth time in his career. This is unusual for a former MVP; only one other Most Valuable Player has been passed around more often in the history of the league. We look at all MVPs that have been traded at least twice.
There have been 36 different MVPs in the NBA since the trophy was introduced for the 1955/56 season. Most recently, players who only played for a single franchise won the trophy in Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. This is becoming increasingly rare, as is also shown by the case of James Harden, who was named most valuable player in 2018.
For the third time The Beard demanded a trade, for the third time he got his wish. In total, Harden has now made four trades, which is only topped by a single player.
One more note: sign-and-trades count here. LeBron James has also been traded once; he moved to Miami in such a deal in 2010.
Five previous MVPs were traded at least twice – namely:
Kevin Durant (from Golden State to Brooklyn and from Brooklyn to Phoenix)Steve Nash (from Phoenix to Dallas and from Phoenix to the Lakers)Allen Iverson (from Philadelphia to Denver and from Denver to Detroit)Charles Barkley (from Philadelphia to Phoenix and from Phoenix to Houston)Wilt Chamberlain (from San Francisco to Philadelphia and from Philadelphia to the Lakers)
NBA: These MVPs were traded three times
Kevin Garnett (MVP 2004)
July 2007: From Minnesota to BostonJuly 2013: From Boston to BrooklynFebruary 2015: From Brooklyn to Minnesota
KG is considered one of the most loyal players in history, but he was also traded three times. Admittedly, in the latter two cases, The Big Ticket was past its best. In 2007 and 2013, KG first had to be convinced from several sides to agree to a trade.
Shaquille O’Neal (MVP 2000)
July 2004: From the Lakers to MiamiFebruary 2008: From Miami to PhoenixJune 2009: From Phoenix to Cleveland
Diesel wasn’t always easy to appease; his departure from the Lakers was fueled by pride, envy and the broken relationship with Kobe Bryant. It was over in Miami after Shaq got physical with Pat Riley during a training session, and a few days later Shaq was history on South Beach. And the year in Phoenix was a complete misunderstanding from beginning to end.
Derrick Rose (MVP 2011)
June 2016: From Chicago to New YorkFebruary 2018: From Cleveland to UtahFebruary 2021: From Detroit to New York
Rose will forever remain a special case in MVP history due to his injuries. He will probably be the only MVP not to make it into the Hall of Fame. Despite all his trades, Rose was no longer the Derrick Rose that delighted NBA fans worldwide in 2011 and also posed serious problems for the Miami Heat’s Big Three.
NBA: These MVPs were traded four times
James Harden (MVP 2018)
October 2012: From Oklahoma City to HoustonJanuary 2021: From Houston to BrooklynFebruary 2022: From Brooklyn to PhiladelphiaNovember 2023: From Philadelphia to the Clippers
The same cannot be said of Harden. In OKC, the bearded man was initially a super sub, in Houston Harden became a superstar overnight, which he was still nine years later when he forced a trade to Brooklyn. It shouldn’t have been the last time; the other two deals were also pushed through by him. With his trade from Brooklyn, the Nets around Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant became one of the biggest “What Ifs” in NBA history.
Russell Westbrook (MVP 2017)
July 2019: From Oklahoma City to HoustonDecember 2020: From Houston to WashingtonAugust 2021: From Washington to the LakersFebruary 2023: From the Lakers to Utah
Westbrook was something of a saint in Oklahoma for over eleven years, after which Westbrook went on the move because he could no longer live up to his super-max contract. The point guard was a walking triple-double, but a team had to be modeled after him. That wasn’t possible in Houston, Washington or the Lakers; ultimately, Westbrook was even released by Utah in the last year of his mega deal.
Bob McAdoo (MVP 1975)
December 1976: From Buffalo to New YorkFebruary 1979: From New York to BostonSeptember 1979: From Boston to DetroitDecember 1981: From New Jersey to the Lakers
The Forgotten MVP! McAdoo once didn’t make it onto the NBA’s 50th anniversary team, but McAdoo was a revolutionary player in his time who achieved success as a big man primarily through his shooting. However, McAdoo was also considered a moody diva, which is why he played for weak teams for years. It was only after the Lakers trade that he found peace in the role of sixth man and helped diligently with two championships.
NBA: These MVPs were traded five times
Moses Malone (MVP 1979, 1982, 1983)
December 1975: From Utah to St. Louis (ABA)October 1976: From Portland to BuffaloOctober 1976: From Buffalo to HoustonSeptember 1982: From Houston to PhiladelphiaJune 1986: From Philadelphia to Washington
MVP three times, traded five times, you have to do that first. But most of the trades also had good reasons. The Utah Stars in the ABA had to withdraw from play; after the merger of the ABA and NBA, Portland only selected the then 21-year-old in the ABA Dispersal Draft (St. Louis was not included) so that they could then trade him. Buffalo struck, but Moses only played six minutes in two games, so he was immediately traded to Houston.
Malone developed into MVP with the Rockets, but the center’s new owners didn’t want to pay two million dollars a year, which is why possibly the best offensive rebounder in history was traded again. Malone stayed there for four years before Philly passed him on to Washington and angered the then very young Charles Barkley for the first time. Incidentally, Malone is the only player, alongside Wilt Chamberlain, who was traded as the reigning MVP.
2023-11-01 10:13:00
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