Top 5 'What If' Moments in Recent NBA History

Every move, trade and draft pick that ever happened has led us to the present landscape of the NBA. Along the way, Franchises have made numerous mistakes in trading and selecting players.

Trade decisions have had such unexpected results that some have altered the fortunes of the league itself. Then there are the moves that never materialized, moves that were supposed to change the NBA.

Honorable Mention

Back in 2009, in one of the most outrageous moves in recent times, the Minnesota Timberwolves had two draft picks (fifth and sixth) before Stephen Curry got drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the seventh pick. The Timberwolves were in need of a point guard to pair up with budding star Kevin Love, and selected Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, both point guards, ahead of Curry.

Flynn was out of the league after playing just three seasons, while Rubio wouldn't make his debut until 2011, a season in which he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting behind Kyrie Irving.

So, moving on, here are five biggest 'what Ifs' that could have potentially altered the landscape of the NBA.

Note: We will not deal with any Injuries on this list, for they cannot be controlled. For Instance, 'What If Derrick Rose never got Injured?' is something that we will stay away from in this article.

#5 What if Chris Paul's trade to the Los Angeles Lakers was not vetoed by commissioner David Stern?

The tandem of Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul could have been special.

In the summer of 2011, a deal that was initially going to send New Orleans Hornets' Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers was vetoed by David Stern, the former commissioner of the NBA, for reasons unknown at the time.

In a three-team deal, Pau Gasol would have been traded to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul. In exchange, the Hornets would have received Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, Lamar Odom, and a Minnesota Timberwolves unprotected first-round pick in 2012.

The New Orleans Hornets was owned by the NBA at the time and David Stern firmly believed that the Hornets were better off keeping Chris Paul. The three teams involved in the trade tried to persuade the league into reversing it's ruling but to no avail.

Chris Paul was ultimately traded to the Clippers in exchange for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al Farouq Aminu and an unprotected Timberwolves first-round Pick from the 2012 NBA Draft.

Lakers subsequently settled for an aging point guard in Steve Nash, who was past his prime and dealt with injuries through the season.

Had the NBA never vetoed the Chris Paul trade, it's not hard to think that things would have been quite different. Paul, along with Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, could have potentially challenged for a championship or two at least.

#4 What if Dwyane Wade and Lebron James decided to join forces in Chicago?

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade at Miami Heat

Dwyane Wade made headlines during the 2018-19 NBA season when he said that he and Lebron James considered joining the Chicago Bulls in 2010, but decided against it since the Bulls would not have had the cap space to accommodate Wade, James, and Chris Bosh.

The trio eventually joined forces in Miami and the rest is history. The Miami Heat went on to make four consecutive NBA finals, winning back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013.

Had Wade and James joined the Chicago Bulls, it would have been a different story altogether. Fans were robbed of the opportunity to see the trio of Wade, James and Derrick Rose along with a supporting cast of Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, an aging Richard 'RIP' Hamilton and a rookie Jimmy Butler.

This team certainly could have been the next dynasty of the NBA and won a lot of championships, although Rose probably would not have become the youngest player ever to win the MVP.

#3 What if Klay Thompson didn't stop Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals

Down 2-3 in the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, nothing was going right for the Golden State Warriors. Thunder led comfortably and looked destined to make their second NBA Finals in franchise history. But Klay Thompson had other plans, erupting for 41 points, shooting 11 threes.

Thompson saved the Warriors' season after they went 73-9 in the regular season, and on the night, he kept Oklahoma's lead in check. With one minute left, Klay hoisted a three that put the Warriors up 104-101. On the back of his performance, the Warriors took games six and seven to reach their second consecutive NBA finals, which they would lose to the Lebron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.

If not for Klay Thompson, the Thunder would have made the finals and Kevin Durant, in all probability, wouldn't have joined the Warriors. Subsequently, the 'Warriors Dynasty' that we know of today would not have existed. Moreover, either one of the Thunder or the Cavaliers would have won an extra title or two.

#2 What If Kevin Durant was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the No 1 Pick of the 2007 NBA Draft

What if the Trail Blazers drafted Durant instead of Greg Oden?

With the first pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Greg Oden. Oden, who is considered one of the biggest busts of all time, was out of the league after two seasons due to career-ending injuries.

On the other hand, the Seattle SuperSonics (now relocated to Oklahoma City) cashed in and went on to draft the Consensus National College Player of the Year, Kevin Durant. Durant did not disappoint as he would go on to win league MVP, multiple titles and finals MVP in his career.

Had the Trail Blazers drafted Kevin Durant with the No 1 pick, he would have made the Trail Blazers contenders in the West. Portland were already loaded with talented All-Star caliber players in Brandon Roy (before his injury woes) and LaMarcus Aldridge.

On the downside, however, the Trail Blazers would never have had the opportunity to draft Damian Lillard as he was a lottery pick (6th) in the 2012 NBA Draft.

#1 What If the Oklahoma City Thunder never traded James Harden?

The Oklahoma City Thunder once had three of the future MVPs in the team

In one of the most talked about 'What ifs' in recent NBA history, James Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets for guards Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and one second-round pick. This was after the Thunder had made it all the way to the NBA finals, which they'd lose to an experienced Miami Heat in five games. At the time, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were both 23, while Harden was just 22 years old.

During the off-season, the Thunder offered Harden $55.5 million over four years, which was $4.5 million less than the max deal. Offering the max contract would have cost the Thunder the Luxury Tax, which the management did not want to pay.

In hindsight, the Thunder missed a golden opportunity to build a potential dynasty as the young core of Durant, Westbrook and Harden had all the talent to contend for multiple championships.

It was an unprecedented feat that all of them were drafted in consecutive years, Durant with the second pick in 2007 draft, Westbrook with the fourth pick in 2008 draft and Harden with the third pick in 2009 Draft. Letting go of Harden was a weak move by the team management and was heavily criticized by experts at that time.

In the summer of 2016, in a lambasted move, Durant left the Thunder via free agency for Golden State. Since then, the Thunder have been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs three consecutive times.

It's been six years since the trade transpired, but the Thunder have never made it back to the NBA finals. Durant, Westbrook, and Harden have all gone on to win the League MVP honors ever since.

Thus, once a promising team loaded with All-Star talent, now has an uncertain future, which begs the question, how far could the Thunder have gone with this trio?