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In the post-Jordan era, many teams have tried to inherit his legendary Chicago Bulls at the top of the NBA. Although many tried, only eight teams managed to win the chip.
Teams like San Antonio, LA Lakers, Miami and others, built their dynasties through some great executive work, picking the right guys in the draft, trading for the best players and attracting the top free agents.
But success is never a given, even if you go hard for high-profile players and pay big. For example, OKC went for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony but fell short of expectations and the Lakers stroke out twice with Malone, Payton in 2004 and Howard, Nash in 2013.
So that raises a question: What would have happened if some of those title-winning teams came short? Moreover, and maybe more interesting, what would have happened if another team lived up to their potential and won it instead?
Let's look at the 10 biggest "What If?" scenarios of the 21st century, and take a peek at what the NBA looks like today in a parallel universe.
#10 What if Tim Duncan joined the Orlando Magic?
In the summer of 2000, Tim Duncan was a free agent. Even though he had already won a title with the Spurs, he did not rule out other options. One of those options was Orlando, which attracted future Hall-of-Famers Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady that summer. His move to Florida, however, fell through.
This story resurfaced in December of 2017, after Duncan's former teammate, Bruce Bowen, revealed that when Duncan met with then Magic head coach Doc Rivers, he asked him if family members could come on the team plane to some games.
Rivers refused to his request and according to Bowen, that's when he lost Duncan.
Duncan went on to win four more championships and two MVP awards, playing his entire career in San Antonio, while the Magic were never able to go past the first round of the playoffs
Rivers, who was let go early in the 2003-04 season, eventually found success with the Boston Celtics, but denied us an Eastern Conference super-team, one that could rival Kobe and Shaq's Lakers.
#9 What if the 2002 Sacramento Kings made it to the finals?
Many people consider the 2002 Western Conference Finals one of the best playoff series in history, thanks to some close games, including an overtime win the deciding game 7. However, the hype for this great match-up was spoiled, after some allegations of corruption.
The Kings were up 3-2 and had the opportunity to return to the NBA Finals for the first time in 51 years. But according to former NBA official, Tim Donaghy, two of the referees who officiated game 6 wanted to "extend the series to seven games", because "it was in the NBA's interest to add another game to the series".
Sacramento eventually lost the series in seven games, supposedly as the league wanted, and missed the chance to get their second NBA title in history, while the Lakers went on to sweep the New Jersey Nets in the finals.
The team of Webber, Divac and Stojakovic wouldn’t necessarily win the finals if they made it, but considering the Kings never came close to the finals since, it could change the franchise's entire future.
#8 What if Joe Johnson never left Phoenix?
The 2004-05 Phoenix Suns had a great regular season, winning 31 of their first 35 games, and finishing it with the best record in the NBA.
This team made it to the Western Conference Finals, in which they lost to eventual champions, San Antonio Spurs. They faced a bright future ahead, but also the restricted free agency of starter Joe Johnson.
Johnson capped off two great seasons and was looking to get a larger role. But that wasn’t the only thing on his mind; he was also looking to get paid.
Phoenix, in his opinion, offered much less than his market value. His disappointment with the team's initial offers drove Johnson to ask Suns front office to not match the Atlanta Hawks' offer of about 70$ million for five years.
Johnson eventually agreed to a sign-and-trade to Atlanta, sending Boris Diaw and two first-round picks to Phoenix. With the Hawks, Johnson had six All-Star appearances and one All-NBA Third Team selection.
If the Suns ownership initially offered Johnson a better contract, they could have kept him alongside All-Stars Nash, Stoudemire and Marion, and have a real chance at an NBA title.
#7 What if Shaq never left the Lakers?
One of the biggest player feuds of NBA history was the one between former Lakers teammates Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
The two played together for Kobe's first eight seasons in the NBA, after Shaq joined the team in 1996.
One of the first instances of the beef between Shaq and Kobe came during the 1998-99 lockout. Shaq slapped Kobe, apparently because of his rough play in a friendly two-on-two game between teammates.
During the 2003 offseason, they started publically criticizing each other's game, but they agreed to put things behind them to help the team win a fourth title. After failing to do so, things eventually erupted.
O'Neal demanded to be traded after the team's decision to not extend Coach Phil Jackson's contract. It was later rumored that Jackson didn’t want to stay as a coach if Bryant, who was a free agent that summer, stayed.
Even though they both managed to win at least one more championship later in their careers, the team that ruled the league at the beginning of the century had the potential to have a much bigger legacy.
#6 What if Derrick Rose never got injured?
Derrick Rose was supposed to be the man to bring the Chicago Bulls back to the heights they were at in the era of Michael Jordan.
The Bulls selected him with the first pick of the 2008 draft and he immediately made everyone aware of his talent. He was voted Rookie of the Year and helped the team force a seven-game series against reigning champions, Boston Celtics.
Two years later, he made history after winning the MVP award at the age of 22, the youngest to do so. The Bulls made the conference finals that season, losing to the Heat, but the future looked bright for him and Chicago.
However, the injury Rose suffered during the first game of the 2012 playoffs, up 12 with 1:22 left in the fourth quarter, saw him missing the rest of the series, which the Bulls eventually lost.
Rose never bounced back; every time he returned to the court, he found himself injured again. The stage was set for the Bulls to embark on a new Eastern Conference rivalry with LeBron James and Miami, but instead, they had to lower the curtains prematurely.
#5 What if Chris Paul's trade to the Lakers wasn't vetoed?
Chris Paul headlined NBA news boards in the summer of 2017 when he teamed up with James Harden on the Houston Rockets. But if things were to go as planned six years earlier, it might have never even happened.
On December 8, 2011, the New Orleans Hornets, Paul's team at the time, agreed to send him to the Los Angeles Lakers, in a three-team trade involving, almost prophetically, the Houston Rockets.
Even though team executives already agreed upon the terms of the deal, the NBA, who owned the team at the time, voided the trade. Commissioner David Stern explained this decision by claiming New Orleans would be better off keeping Paul.
However, only six days later, the Hornets traded Paul to the Los Angeles Clippers instead, for a widely considered smaller price then what they would have got in the original trade.
Both Paul and the Lakers had disappointing seasons following the vetoed trade, and the team's potential to compete with Miami's big-three will forever remain a pipe dream.
#4 What if Kevin Love was traded to Golden State?
It seems improbable today, but back in 2014, after Kevin Love averaged over 26 points and 12 rebounds, the Warriors seriously considered trading Klay Thompson for his services.
At the time, Love was highly regarded as one of the best power forwards in the league. With one year left on his contract, he was on his way out of Minnesota, and almost every team had their eyes on him.
Golden State's frontcourt at the time consisted of a solid Andrew Bogut, an aging David Lee and young Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green, who hadn’t lived up to their potential yet.
It was only natural that they will look for a top-level forward to team up with their star point guard Stephen Curry, who just been voted into the All-NBA Second Team, even at the cost of losing a promising Klay Thompson.
Eventually, the Warriors decided to stick with Thompson and Love joined forces with LeBron in Cleveland. Four years and three championships later, this decision obviously paid off for Golden State, but how would the future look like if the deal didn’t fall through will remain a mystery.
#3 What if the 76ers never traded for the first pick in 2017
It's not a usual occurrence when teams decide to trade the first overall pick. Especially when the top talent of the draft class and the projected first pick is Markelle Fultz, who had an impressive year in college. Passing on him seemed illogical.
But as always, it seems like Danny Ainge, who is regarded as one of the best executives in the league, knew exactly what he was doing.
Fultz had a disappointing rookie season, to say the least, playing only 14 games because of a shoulder injury, caused by his attempt to change his shooting motion.
Jayson Tatum, on the other hand, who was selected with that third pick, had an amazing rookie season. He averaged 13.9 points during the regular season and 18.5 points in the playoffs.
Without this trade, the season of both teams could have looked so much different. Boston Celtics could have missed the second seed in the East, and the encounter between the two in the Eastern Conference semifinals might have never even happened, not to mention the rest of the playoffs.
#2 What if Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving played in the 2015 NBA Finals
The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the 2015 finals missing Kevin Love, who suffered a shoulder injury in the first round. One game in, Kyrie got his knee hurt during overtime of game 1 of the finals and missed the rest of the series.
Without the two, Cleveland managed to take a lead in the series before eventually losing in six games, with LeBron averaging over 35 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists.
Unlike the recent two finals meetings, in which Cleveland was no match for Golden State, the Cavs still were a competitive rival, even though the second best player on the team was Matthew Dellavedova.
Therefore, if Cleveland were able to stretch this series to six games, how would the presence of Love and Irving have changed the result of the finals? How would it affect LeBron's legacy?
When compared to Michael Jordan, people often criticize his losing record in the finals. If he could even his record in 2015, it might have changed the next three years altogether.
#1 What if James Harden never left OKC?
The decision to trade James Harden to Houston in 2012 will forever be a black mark on GM Sam Presti's career and is widely considered one of the worst moves of the century.
The 2011-12 Thunder had the potential to be an amazing dynasty. They made it to the NBA Finals, Durant and Westbrook received All-NBA honors, Ibaka was First Team All-Defensive and Harden was Sixth Man of the Year.
So why break this up?
Both Harden and Ibaka were a year away from contract renewal, and if both players' salary requests had met, OKC would have had to pay luxury tax. Eventually, the team decided to extend Ibaka's contract and trade away Harden to avoid going above the tax-line
Since Harden was one of the top scorers every season and became a regular in MVP conversations. OKC never managed to make it to the finals again, parting ways with both Ibaka and Durant four years later.
Just imagine a team of three MVP-level scoring machines and a defensive beast, playing in their prime. Sounds a little bit like modern-day Golden State. That could have happened earlier in Oklahoma, but apparently, it wasn’t worth the tax.
Think you have the answers to these "What-ifs?" Tell us in the comments below!
Guess the Lakers players!
