Top 5 active NBA players to play for 4 or more franchises

NBA players often find themselves with different teams every season due to various reasons. It may not always be controversial, but sometimes players may switch a franchise to find themselves in a better championship-winning situation.

Players like Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan have all left their mark in the league by playing for only one team throughout their careers. However, some of the best active players in the league, like Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul, have also had a huge impact on all the teams they have been a part of.

In today's article, we discuss 5 active players to play for 4 or more franchises in the league.

Listing the top five NBA players to play for more than four franchises

#5 D'Angelo Russell

D'Angelo Russell was drafted second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2015. He came into the league with a lot of promise and was expected to be the next big star for the Lakers. Rusell had an impressive rookie season, where he averaged 13.2 PPG on 41% shooting from the field.

After two seasons with Purple and Gold, he moved to the Brooklyn Nets in the 2017-18 season, where he had some big performances. His best for the Nets came against the Sacramento Kings in 2019. The guard scored 44 points and recorded 12 assists while shooting 51% from the field.

Russell was traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2019-20, where he had his career-best performance of 52 points. However, after just 33 games he was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins. The guard showed glimpses of brilliance with the Wolves, but injuries kept him off the court for many games last season. He will be hoping to stay healthy and help the young and budding Minnesota team to their first playoffs since 2018.

#4 Tobias Harris

Tobias Harris was drafted 11th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats in 2011 but was later traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night. He played two seasons for the Bucks but did not find regular playing time. Harris was traded to the Orlando Magic in the 2012-13 season, which was sort of a career move for him.

The forward's blossomed in Orlando as he averaged 17.3 PPG and 8.5 RPG in his first season. He was a vital part of the Magic team and was a starter for the team. He even signed a 4 year $64 million contract with them in 2015, but just one year later, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings.

In his first season at the Motor City, Harris averaged 16.1 PPG and 5.1 RPG. He was a regular in the starting line-up and looked to excel into being a great player. However, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2017-18 season as part of the Blake Griffin trade. The move paid off really well as he was sensational for the Clippers. In the 2018-19 season, Harris averaged 20.9 PPG for the Clippers, his best scoring performance in the league.

He moved to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018-19 season. His spell in Philly has been phenomenal. Last season, the forward looked in full contention to be named an All-Star. Although he did not make the team, his brilliance won the hearts of all the Philly fans.

#3 Jimmy Butler

Jimmy Butler is one of the best two-way players in the league. Since getting drafted 30th overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2011, he has come a long way. After struggling to find minutes in his rookie season, Butler hustled his way to feature in all 82 games in his sophomore year.

He eventually became a starter for the team and impressed everyone with his stunning performances. He won the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year award in 2015. After 6 stunning years with the Bulls, Butler moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was one of the most controversial tenures of his career, as he had a fallout with the coaches and the players there.

Butler, however, had achieved what he had gone to do there. He led the team to their first playoff appearance since the Kevin Garnett era. Butler was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018-19 season. He had a stunning spell there as he averaged 18.2 PPG and was a great help to youngsters Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

The team fell in the conference semis to a clutch shot from Kawhi Leonard. He then decided to take up another challenge as he moved to the Miami Heat next season. Butler became one of the team leaders and helped the Heat to the NBA finals in his very first year with them. He was their best player on the court and although they failed to win the Championship, his brilliance during the finals was a perfect answer to all the critics who questioned his abilities to lead a team.

#2 Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook was drafted 4th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2008 draft. In OKC, Russ formed a formidable duo with another sensational talent in Kevin Durant. The team also had the likes of James Harden and Serge Ibaka, who made the trip to the NBA finals in 2011.

Westbrook played a vital role in the team and once Durant left for the Golden State Warriors in 2016, he began proving his abilities. He took that responsibility with open arms as he went out and produced some special performances.

Westbrook won the prestigious MVP award in the 2017 season after averaging a triple-double for the entire season. In all the 4 years he played without Durant, Russ led the team to the Playoffs. However, they could not advance past the first round in those years and this led Westbrook to move to the Houston Rockets in 2019.

Playing in the small-ball team, Russ was doing a phenomenal job. He helped the team into the playoffs, but had a forgettable series against the Lakers, which the Rockets lost 4-1. Westbrook decided to move to the Wizards next season. Although he started slow, the guard picked up the pace and went on to break Oscar Robertson's triple-double record.

He will feature for the LA Lakers this season. Playing with the likes of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo, Westbrook is expected to make several impacts with Purple and Gold.

#1 Chris Paul

Chris Paul was picked 4th overall by the New Orleans Hornets in 2005. He instantly became one of the crowd favourites, courtesy of his brilliant court vision. Paul's brilliance in his first season helped him become Rookie of the year in 2006. He was part of the US men's basketball team that won gold at the Beijing Olympics.

After 6 seasons with the New Orleans franchise, Paul moved to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011. He was part of the famous Lob City team that had sensational players like Blake Griffin, JJ Redick, Matt Barnes and DeAndre Jordan. CP3 was an integral part of the team, however, they failed to make a single conference final throughout his tenure.

He then decided to take his talents to the Houston Rockets. Paul and James Harden made a lot of noise in the Western Conference, but somehow even there he failed to make it to the NBA finals. He made a bold move when he moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019.

Despite critics ruling out any possibility of the team making it to the playoffs. CP3 took over the floor and dragged the team to the playoffs. He lost there to his former team, the Houston Rockets. Post that season, Paul joined the Phoenix Suns.

He formed a sensational backcourt with the young and talented Devin Booker. After showing brilliance throughout the season, the two helped the team get to their first NBA finals since 1993. After winning the first two games, the Suns failed to replicate their brilliance and eventually lost the championship to the Milwaukee Bucks.