Throughout NBA history, there are clear examples of players who have remained loyal to one single franchise. Whether that franchise was successful or not had no bearing on their place with the team, as these players remained with that team through thick and thin. On the opposite side of things, there are plenty of players who have gone the other direction. These players wanted out and requested a trade in order to find a better situation for themselves and, perhaps, an easier path to an NBA championship.Â
Just as we have done with different matchups in the past, we are going to create two teams of players who fit each of those criteria. We will take the greatest players who remained loyal, for the most part, to one franchise and pit them against the greatest players who ever shocked the league and got traded from their respective situations. This matchup will see 10 of the greatest players to ever play the game battle it out for the claim to ultimate bragging rights.
This is the all-time traded team vs. the all-time loyal team.
Allen Iverson vs. Stephen Curry
Kicking things off for the all-traded team is former MVP, Rookie of the Year, and 11-time All-Star Allen Iverson. Traded twice in his career by the 76ers to the Nuggets and by the Nuggets to the Pistons, Iverson takes on the challenge of representing the all-traded team at the point guard position. What he will want to do in his matchup with Curry is attack as much as possible. As many issues Iverson will have chasing Curry around on defense, Curry will have similar issues trying to stop Iverson in isolation. Both players possess a favorable offensive matchup with the other in this case.
Stephen Curry represents the all-time loyal team, having played his entire 14-year career with the Golden State Warriors to this point. Over that time, Curry has become a four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP, and a Finals MVP while shattering every three-point shooting record there is. Curry will look to create and find his shot by any means necessary against Iverson. What Curry does best is staying in constant motion to allow the game to come to him and get open. This has made Curry one of the most elite offensive weapons in NBA history and will allow the playmakers around him to control the pace of the game. Look for this to be one of the marquee matchups of the series.
LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan
This matchup will be what sells out arenas and locations all over the world. LeBron James comes into a matchup with Michael Jordan as the two players at the forefront of the neverending GOAT debate. James was technically traded in a sign-and-trade deal from the Cavaliers to the Heat in 2010 that saw Cleveland land a myriad of draft picks. With a distinct size advantage, James will most likely look to play downhill in most of this series, considering how much it favors Team Traded and their offensive attack. Even with Jordan’s deceptive strength, it will be difficult to stop the consistent attack and speed of James down the middle.
With a bit more of a finesse game, Jordan will also have advantages over James. Jordan spent 13 of his 15 years in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls. He led them to two three-peats as NBA champions and claimed an NBA-record six Finals MVP awards. Jordan’s first step off the dribble is legendary and will serve well in any matchup with the bigger James. That, as well as his mid-range game and finishing at the rim, will be where Jordan looks to expose the matchup. The matchup between the two greatest players ever may be the one the world stops watching to tune in to in order to see how it all unfolds.
Kevin Durant vs. Magic Johnson
For the small forward position on Team Traded, we went the traditional route and selected Kevin Durant. Durant was technically traded in a sign-and-trade deal from the Warriors to the Nets in 2019 but was also recently dealt to the Suns from the Nets at this year’s trade deadline. The former MVP and two-time Finals MVP will be one of the go-to guys on offense as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. His ability to shoot the ball from anywhere on the court, combined with the ability to create those shots, is dangerous. He will see plenty of opportunity to do so, considering the spacing that will be needed to defend Team Traded.
For Team Loyal, we decided to go with a less traditional route and plug in the greatest point guard of all time, Magic Johnson. This move works wonders for Team Loyal and the way their game will work out on the court. Johnson played all 13 seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and led them to five NBA championships while winning three MVPs and three Finals MVPs. Johnson will serve as the primary playmaker in this lineup, allowing Curry to work off the ball to maximize his skill set while Jordan does the same against James. Magic will push the pace and look to create open-court scoring chances for Team Loyal, armed with the shooting he has never seen from the outside before and the greatest player ever.
Shaquille O’Neal vs. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Shaquille O’Neal was no stranger to the trade during his NBA career. He was famously traded from the Lakers to Miami after a very public feud with teammate Kobe Bryant. The former MVP and three-time Finals MVP will find himself in a matchup of power vs. power against Giannis Antetokounmpo. Shaq will look to use his larger frame and bigger body to win the battle in the paint and on the boards. I do not see any situation where Shaq has issues establishing a position against Giannis or finishing his shots at the rim. However, there is an issue for Shaq that will need to be addressed.Â
Giannis Antetokounmpo has remained with the Bucks through many ups and downs over the course of his 10-year career in the NBA. Giannis has evolved from a mid-first-round pick into a two-time MVP, Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year. He is the consensus best player in the world at the moment due to his incredible two-way ability at the power forward position. The problem Shaq will have with Giannis is stopping him from getting to the rim. Giannis loves to get a head of steam on most possessions before making his attack on the basket, meaning Shaq will have to step out and guard him on the perimeter. Giannis may be able to get around Shaq for a shot at the basket or use his playmaking skills to assist one of his teammates. This matchup will be right next to the Jordan vs. LeBron matchup on the top of the program as one to watch.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Tim Duncan
The final matchup in this series is between two of the greatest players at their respective positions in NBA history. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was an MVP and NBA champion before he was traded from the Bucks to the Lakers in 1975. He would go on to win five more NBA championships in Los Angeles, two Finals MVP awards in total, and an NBA-record six MVP awards. In his battle with Tim Duncan, Kareem will look to utilize the most devastating signature move in NBA history, the Skyhook, in order to combat Duncan’s defensive efforts.
Tim Duncan spent his entire 19-year NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs leading them to five NBA titles and winning two MVP awards as well as three Finals MVP awards. In his matchup with Kareem, it will be interesting to see which approach Duncan takes offensively. It could be a long night if he doesn’t get a bit more creative than usual against the defensively talented Kareem. On defense, Duncan will have his work cut out for him as well, with Kareem holding a three-inch height advantage. These two will be battling continuously for the stretch of a seven-game series, and whoever rises to the occasion could swing the series in their favor.
Team Traded Advantages
The beautiful thing about a matchup between 10 legends of the game is that each player brings something unique to the table that gives their team an advantage over the other. For Team Traded, one of their advantages is their interior front. This is probably their biggest advantage over Team Loyal and has nothing to do with the ability or duo of Giannis and Tim Duncan. It is just the prospect of two of the most dominating centers in NBA history teaming up in the same frontcourt is too much to overlook. When you factor in that doubling one of them to slow them down means leaving the other free to do what he wants, it can get ugly in an instant for Team Loyal.Â
The presence of this duo also opens up another advantage for Team Traded that could be the difference in the series. With two players in the frontcourt who can dominate at the rim, Team Traded also rolls out three other players who are historically good finishers at the rim. Iverson was a fearless shot creator and finisher, while LeBron James is one of the greatest finishers in NBA history. Durant is also a career 73.8% shooter from 0-3 feet giving Team Traded a five-man lineup of players who can attack the basket with great efficiency.
Team Loyal Advantages
Team Loyal comes ready for a dogfight as well and is not lacking whatsoever in advantages of their own. The first of these advantages will be the speed at which they wish to play the game and push the pace. They come armed with the greatest fast-break playmaker in NBA history in Magic Johnson, the greatest three-point shooter ever who needs to be accounted for at all times, and the greatest player that ever lived who was an all-time great finisher on the fast break. This goes without even mentioning Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is a nightmare for anyone to guard in open space. Team Traded will have to slow the game down if they want to have a chance at taking this series.
The second advantage that Team Loyal holds over Team Traded is a fairly obvious one. The spacing that Team Loyal will see due to their fast play and shooting provided by Curry is going to be key in this matchup. Team Loyal will be almost daring Team Traded to shoot from the outside apart from Durant. With Team Loyal, Curry is a threat from the outside, while Jordan is a serious threat from the mid-range, giving them a bit more for them to work with. Being able to clog the paint against a team like Team Traded but having the benefit of spacing on offense could swing the series in favor of Team Loyal.
Who Would Win This Matchup In A 7-Game Series?
In this highly anticipated matchup of two powerhouse teams, things got off to a fast and electric start. Stephen Curry came out feeling it from deep and knocked down his first five shots from beyond the arc. LeBron James and Kevin Durant picked apart the Team Loyal defense on the other end and made Game 1 a close and highly contested matchup. In the end, the difference would be Kareem and Shaq, who outrebounded and outclassed Duncan and Giannis in the paint. Shaq led the way with 35 points and 12 rebounds as Team Traded took Game 1, 121-114.
The next game would be a much tighter collective effort from Team Loyal as Duncan got much more involved offensively, as did Michael Jordan. On the other end, Shaq got into foul trouble early, and Giannis took advantage in the paint of a mismatch. For Team Traded, Allen Iverson got in on the scoring with 26 points as he and Curry battled on the outside. Jordan would finish the game with 43 points and four steals as he helped Team Loyal even up the series, 1-1.
In Game 3, Team Traded came out of the gates motivated after an embarrassing Game 2 performance. LeBron James led the way as their primary scorer and playmaker, attacking the rim with ruthless intentions like we have seen him do so many times before. Kareem played a well-rounded game and led all scorers with 39 points against Duncan, who had no answers for the Lakers legend. Curry shot the ball well, knocking down eight of 14 shots from three, and Jordan added 33 points, but Team Traded’s interior attack was too much for Team Loyal again, and they got up 2-1 in the series.
Game 4 would feature the marquee matchup of LeBron James and Michael Jordan taking center stage. LeBron did his best to go right at Jordan on defense, coming up successful half the time. Jordan made a point to work off the ball more and get around the bigger James. The two would go back and forth for much of the game until the fourth quarter. Jordan and team Loyal would pull away, with Jordan scoring 18 points in the fourth quarter, mostly on mid-range fadeaways that were virtually unguardable. With Jordan’s 41 points, Team Loyal evens up the series with Team Traded 2-2.
A very tense and pivotal Game 5 would once again come down to the battle of the frontcourts. This time, Giannis and Duncan would do an outstanding defensive job on Shaq and Kareem and keep them from being the sole difference in the game. Giannis would come up with a few timely blocks on Shaq, while Duncan found ways to make things difficult for Kareem on defense. Team Loyal turned to the shooting of Curry and the leadership of Jordan once again, but this time it would be Magic Johnson making the difference. Johnson did a great job of making Durant work on defense and found success getting him into the post. Johnson’s 19 points and 11 assists proved to be tremendously effective in a Game 5 victory for Team Loyal as they took a 3-2 series lead.
Team Traded would not be denied or put away in Game 6. This time, it would be Kevin Durant’s turn to take advantage of a mismatch and challenge Johnson to stop him. Durant took advantage of the height difference and began to build momentum from the mid-range knocking down four straight from there to open the game. Once again, Kareem got to work against Tim Duncan, making the Skyhook look like a routine layup at one point. Team Loyal would barely put up a fight in this one other than 41 points from Jordan, who did his best to make up for where the rest of the team lacked. Team Traded force a Game 7, 113-106.
The seventh and final game of this series would come down to which team could utilize their strengths and hide their weaknesses the best. Team Traded got out to a fast start by feeding Shaq and Kareem in the paint off drives from James and Iverson. Team Loyal matched their effort with outside production from Curry, Jordan, and Magic. The two teams went back and forth for much of the first three quarters, with Team Traded holding a slight edge heading into the final quarter. As he did for most of his career, Michael Jordan stepped up when it mattered most. Forcing multiple turnovers, finding Curry on a few shots, and scoring at will, Jordan would lead Team Loyal to a win in Game 7 and the series. He put up 39 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals to claim victory.
Finals Result: Team Traded vs. Team Loyal 3-4
Series MVP: Michael Jordan
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