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All 30 NBA teams share one common goal to start a season – win a championship. Some teams like to take the slow, steady route and build through the draft, some teams rush the process and trade away promising young players and draft picks to land a superstar.
Unfortunately, the latter route doesn't always work out. While there've been countless trios assembled in NBA history, we've narrowed the list to three. This list took into account how far each team made it to the playoffs, the stars involved, and how long they lasted as a trio.
3. Oklahoma City Thunder 2017-2018.
This trio may not be on everyone's list, but when you consider the stage each player was in his career, the money a small market team invested in them, and how they were eliminated in the playoffs, you may want to reconsider. For starters, Westbrook was fresh from winning his first league MVP and the first time in his career averaging a triple-double. George was entering his prime at 26 years old and had the highest scoring average of his career at 23.7 PPG. Meanwhile, Anthony was coming off a season missing the playoffs and felt ecstatic to be on a team with championship aspirations.
Once the playoffs came around, they were eliminated in six games by a team led by rookie Donovan Mitchell.
2. Houston Rockets 1998-1999.
After winning back-to-back championships in the early 90s, the Rockets made one last effort to give Hakeem Olajuwon another ring. Charles Barkley signed a veteran's minimum deal so they could make room for a sign and trade with the Chicago Bulls to land Pippen in the summer of 1998.
From the jump, the team looked off. Pippen, Barkley, and Olajuwon were each in their late 30s, while the majority of their team was in their early 20s. While they did finish with an impressive 31-19 record in a lockout season, they were eliminated in four games by the Lakers. Tempers flared once the season was over, leading to a rift between Barkley and Pippen that still hasn't been resolved to this day.
1. Brooklyn Nets 2013-2014
It seems the Nets weren't content from seeing the mistake the Rockets made 15 years ago. During the early years of their move to Brooklyn, then Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov wanted to make a statement immediately. He promised the Nets would win a championship in five years with him as the owner.
Billy King made a draft day trade to acquire Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry to play alongside Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson. The team had a real chance since the only title contenders were the Miami Heat and the Indian Pacers. They had a record of 44-38 and finished 6th in the eastern conference. After a hard-fought 7-game series against the Toronto Raptors, the Nets were eliminated in five games to the eventual NBA champions.
NBA Superstar Trios That FAILED Bad 😭 I Clutch #Shorts – YouTube
