Roster composition has changed over the decades in the NBA, often in ways we don’t appreciate until we realize how it has changed the game.
Nostalgia, tradition, and global growth have shaped how fans perceive the NBA. In the 1990s and early 2000s, fans connected with teams and became familiar with superstars and role players. Before the ‘90s, basketball was more team-oriented, with superstars playing within a structured system.
The game became global when ‘90s superstars were heavily marketed and given more freedom on the court. Franchises were built around their stars, and it was common for role players to be traded long before a team considered moving its franchise player. The most celebrated stars spent their primes with one team, with only a few switching teams late in their careers.
Courtesy Medium
In the early 2000s, it wasn’t frowned upon for a superstar to request a trade, though it was still uncommon. Players like Shaquille O’Neal, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Stephon Marbury, Tim Duncan, and Kobe Bryant either requested trades, went through with them, or nearly signed elsewhere without facing much backlash. Vince Carter was the only one widely criticized for forcing a trade.
At that time, it was typical for second and third options and role players to be moved, while trading a superstar was rare. From 2003 to 2014, the first team recognized as a “Big Three” was the Spurs with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginóbili, built through the draft. The first Big Three formed through trades was the Celtics with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Big Threes or superstar teams are generally accepted when players are past their prime or nearing the end of their careers, but young stars joining forces remain controversial among fans.
Yes, Vince Carter forced his way from Toronto to New Jersey, but that wasn’t a superteam. The first superstar to face real scrutiny for teaming up was LeBron James in 2010-11 when the Cavaliers and Heat orchestrated a sign-and-trade to pair him with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. That moment changed the way fans viewed player movement. The last significant backlash came when Kevin Durant joined the 73-9 Warriors, a team built around Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, resembling a mix of the Big Three Spurs and the 2004 Pistons. Since then, the only superstar to face similar criticism for forcing a trade was Anthony Davis—coincidentally, he was joining LeBron James, the most scrutinized player in history for his career moves.
Cade Cunningham (photo courtesy Sports Illustrated)
Lately, there’s been a shift in expectations—fans now expect teams to trade their star players after just a few years of failure rather than adjust supporting casts. Young stars like LaMelo Ball, Devin Booker, Cade Cunningham, Zion Williamson, and Dejounte Murray have quickly been labeled as needing to leave rather than being given time to win with their franchises.
Instead of patience, blame is instantly placed on organizations and media members—some who don’t even care about these players—who push for trades to create headlines. Teams should be built around their stars, not constantly searching for new ones to fit into existing pieces.
Fans and media influence front offices, yet instead of advocating for better team-building, they push for superstars to leave. The same tweets and videos used to fantasize about players switching teams could instead offer roster improvement ideas. And let’s not forget—when a superstar forces a trade to a winning team, that team often has to gut its roster to make room, leaving the player in the same losing situation they tried to escape.
While most stars can move without heavy criticism today, there’s still a select group of about ten players who will constantly be scrutinized no matter what—begged to leave, only to be judged when they do.
