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Trades happen frequently in the NBA. While blockbuster trades usually make headlines and one-sided trades raise eyebrows, there have been players who've seen their NBA careers experience a change in scenery.
Although this is quite normal, seeing players change teams more than once in a year is quite mind-boggling. Here is a look at 10 NBA players who were traded multiple times in a short span.
Patty Mills (3 teams in 6 days)
In the 2023 offseason, Patty Mills was coming off a stint with the Brooklyn Nets, who failed to impress in the 2023 NBA playoffs. With the Nets shuffling their roster, they traded to the Houston Rockets on July 6.
Two days later, the Rockets sent him to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a five-team trade. But just four days later, the Thunder traded Mills to the Atlanta Hawks for a couple of players led by Rudy Gay.
Luke Ridnour (4 teams in 6 days)
After a respectable NBA career, the league certainly did Luke Ridnour dirty by letting him end his career via a series of trades. After the 2014-2015 season, Ridnour was traded by the Orlando Magic, the last NBA team he played for, to the Memphis Grizzlies.
A day later, on June 25, the Grizzlies shipped him to the Charlotte Hornets before they sent him to the Thunder. In total, that resulted in three teams in 25 hours. If that was surreal, Ridnour's trading adventures weren't done yet, as the Thunder traded him to the Toronto Raptors for Tomislav Zubcic on June 30.
Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin (3 teams in 3 days)
In the late 2017-2018 season, both Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin were additions to the Cleveland Cavaliers roster. But in the middle of the 2018-2019 season, the Cavs traded both players to the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team trade. However, the Rockets also didn't keep these two players by shipping them to the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers eventually waived both players, with Baldwin leaving the NBA altogether. However, Stauskas managed to sign a deal to return to Cleveland.
Trevor Ariza (3 teams in 10 days)
Trevor Ariza has now been traded a total of 10 times – an NBA record.
They say it's not about the destination, it's about the journey – and Trevor's has been one for the books:
– Knicks
– Magic
– Lakers
– Rockets
– Hornets
– Wizards
– Suns
– Kings
– Blazers
– Pistons
– Thunder pic.twitter.com/lMRNPgBVZU— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 22, 2020
The most-traded player in NBA history, Trevor Ariza was once a promising NBA starter. However, in his later years, particularly in 2020, Ariza was in a whirlwind of trades.
In November 2020, Ariza returned to the Rockets, but the reunion was brief as they sent him to the Detroit Pistons just a week later. Afterwards, the Pistons traded him to the Thunder as part of a three-team trade.
Quentin Richardson (4 teams in 3 months)
If anyone had a confusing offseason in 2009, that player had to be Quentin Richardson. After playing several seasons with the New York Knicks, he parted ways with the franchise after they traded him to the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies used him as a trade asset to acquire All-Star Zach Randolph from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Shortly thereafter, Richardson was on the trading block again, this time to Minnesota in return for Mark Madsen, Sebastian Telfair, and Craig Smith. Less than a month later, the Wolves traded Richardson to the Miami Heat for Mark Blount.
Scotty Hopson (4 teams in 3 months)
Scotty Hopson managed to achieve his NBA dream by inking a two-year deal with the Cavaliers. But just months after his signing, the Cavs traded him to the Charlotte Hornets for Brendan Haywood and Dwight Powell. Three days later, the Hornets sent Hopson to New Orleans for cash.
A day later, the Pelicans traded him as part of a three-team trade that landed Hopson in Houston. During that stretch, Hopson changed NBA teams thrice in just four days. If that wasn't crazy enough, it wasn't the end, as the Rockets shipped Hopson to Sacramento for Jason Terry and a couple of draft picks before the Kings waived Hopson.
Pat Garrity (2 teams in 1 night)
Not a lot of draft picks in NBA history had a turbulent draft night quite like Pat Garrity. Although the Milwaukee Bucks drafted him in the 1998 NBA Draft in the first round with the 19th-overall pick, Garrity was immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks along with the rights to eventual Basketball Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki.
The Mavericks wanted to get their hands on Steve Nash, leading them to use Garrity as a trade asset to send him to the Phoenix Suns.
Stephen Jackson (2 teams in 3 days)
After spending some time in Milwaukee, the Bucks parted ways with Stephen Jackson by sending him to the Golden State Warriors as part of a deal headlined by Andrew Bogut and Monta Ellis. But only staying in Golden State for two days, the Warriors dealt Jackson to the San Antonio Spurs for Richard Jefferson, TJ Ford, and a first-round draft pick.
Rasheed Wallace (2 teams in 10 days)
After spending time with the Trail Blazers, Portland traded Rasheed Wallace to the Hawks. Curiously, Wallace only suited up for one game before the Hawks traded him to the Detroit Pistons. Of course, the exchange before the trade deadline propelled the Pistons to an NBA championship later that year with Wallace playing an instrumental role.
