The Biggest Moves of the NBA's Player Empowerment Era

LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Miami Heat in the memorable summer of 2010, but that decision—The Decision—also spawned the NBA's player empowerment era.

Since then, numerous superstars have signed elsewhere or requested a trade in hopes of chasing a championship.

The reality is, in most cases, the elusive trophy stays that way. LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis are among the few players who have moved to a different team and realized the dream of winning a league title.

But after decades of NBA executives wielding their power or players spending their entire careers with one organization, these stars—for better or worse—forced some big changes.

Anthony Davis Forces Way to Lakers (2019)

By the time Anthony Davis requested a trade, the writing had been on the metaphorical wall. It was clear his time on the New Orleans Pelicans would be ending soon, and they traded Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers instead of losing him for nothing in free agency. Davis won a championship inside the Orlando bubble with the Lakers in 2020.

Paul George's OKC Departure (2019)

A few months later, Paul George asked for a trade to Hollywood. For him, it was to join Kawhi Leonard on the Los Angeles Clippers. In hindsight, we also remember this blockbuster deal as a catalyst for the Oklahoma City Thunder's success behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Ben Simmons' Ugly Breakup (2022)

How much time do we have? The drama of this situation had a wide-reaching impact. The obvious one is the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets swapped Ben Simmons for James Harden, but trade details are merely part of the story. Simmons' refusal to report then influenced some changes in the next Collective Bargaining Agreement in hopes of preventing a similar matter in the future.

Kevin Durant Goes to Phoenix (2023)

Leaving the Golden State Warriors for the Nets didn't work out as planned for Kevin Durant, who ultimately asked for a trade in 2023. Brooklyn found a willing suitor in the Phoenix Suns, agreeing to a haul including Mikal Bridges and four first-round picks.

Damian Lillard Exits Portland (2023)

Yes, his preferred destination was the Miami Heat. From that perspective, Damian Lillard didn't have complete control of his departure from the Portland Trail Blazers. Still, he orchestrated an exit and landed alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Milwaukee Bucks. The aftermath of the three-way trade featured Jrue Holiday going to the Boston Celtics, where he won a title in 2024.

This is the moment that started it all.

After seven seasons on the Cleveland Cavaliers, the hometown kid—the Akron Hammer, the Chosen One, the two-time reigning MVP—bolted for South Beach. (Well, not geographically, but you get it.)

LeBron James shook up the NBA power structure, also convincing Chris Bosh to join him alongside Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat. That remarkable summer led to many NBA franchises their version of a "Big Three" as superstars began to embrace their own leverage.

On the court, it worked out wonderfully. LeBron celebrated his first two championships and added two MVPs to his resume.

Soon enough, other players began to follow suit—and LeBron himself has since changed teams two more times.

Within a year, LeBron's draft classmate Carmelo Anthony maneuvered his way to the New York Knicks.

Melo began his career on the Denver Nuggets and helped the team become competitive. However, consistent struggles in the playoffs led to Denver winning only two series in seven postseason trips.

After initially requesting the trade in August 2010, Anthony headed to the Knicks in February 2011.

Unfortunately for New York, its vision of a Melo-led contender mostly went unfulfilled. The team reached the playoffs in only three of his seven seasons and never advanced past the second round.

Somewhere in an alternate universe, Chris Paul teamed with Kobe Bryant and formed a powerhouse on the Lakers.

However, the NBA had purchased the New Orleans Hornets in 2010 and could review decisions made by the team. New Orleans agreed to a three-way trade with the Lakers and Houston Rockets, but then-commissioner David Stern stepped in and vetoed the deal. Soon after that, the NBA approved an agreement between the Hornets and Clippers.

CP3, nevertheless, sparked the saga.

Through his agent, Paul had indicated he wouldn't sign an extension in New Orleans. That message led to trade discussions, two accepted deals and the creation of Lob City in Los Angeles.

The overarching theme of this conversation is players who angled their way to a different NBA home, and that applies to Dwight Howard.

He just scorched several bridges on the way out.

Along with waffling on trade requests during the 2011-12 season, Howard asked Orlando Magic management to fire Stan Van Gundy. The frustration spilled into the locker room, which Jameer Nelson—the team's starting point guard for a decade—later called divisive.

Howard opted into the final year of his contract, but Orlando moved him to the Lakers in the offseason.

You know the saying: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Fair or not, that thought popped into the minds of many NBA followers when Kevin Durant left OKC for the Warriors in 2016. Golden State had just defeated the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

Two championships and Finals MVPs later, it's fair to say Durant made a sound choice that summer.

The brazenness of the move, however, is what made it uncomfortable. Fans historically have revered loyalty to a team, but KD disregarded that concept in favor of the best possible chance to win a title.

And, hey, that's what player empowerment is all about.

Following the third edition of the four-part Cleveland vs. Golden State showdown in the NBA Finals, the Cavs took a considerable hit.

Kyrie Irving, who drilled the winning shot in Game 7 during the memorable 2016 season, asked for a trade. In other words, he willingly gave up a pivotal role next to LeBron James on one of the league's most competitive teams. Such is the nature of this fascinating era.

Cleveland shipped him to the Boston Celtics in a trade that basically flopped for both organizations.

Several years later, Irving acknowledged some regret in how he handled the situation and his trade request.

While a quad injury sidelined Kawhi Leonard in 2017-18, his relationship with the San Antonio Spurs soured badly.

Leonard demanded a move from San Antonio, which eventually sent him to the Toronto Raptors. Unlike the Kyrie trade, for example, the transaction actually worked out for both sides.

Toronto reaped the immediate reward, winning a championship during Kawhi's lone season with the team.

San Antonio has since turned DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round pick into Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham, two future first-rounders, one future Round 1 swap and a second-round selection.

Over the last half-decade, James Harden has made a habit of requesting trades. It's reasonable to suggest his exit from Brooklyn is most notable, given that Ben Simmons went the opposite direction in the blockbuster with the 76ers.

Harden stood at the height of his on-court powers in 2020 with the Houston Rockets, though.

Prior that season, he was the league's three-time reigning scoring champ. Still, Harden eyed an exit after repeated failures to win a title in Houston and GM Daryl Morey's departure.

Houston eventually worked out a deal with Brooklyn, where Harden played 80 games before requesting a trade to Philly.