Wayback Wednesday: NBA Returns Over Before They Began (Part 2)

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at some more NBA returns that were over before they began.

As I’ve said so many times before, as an avid fan of basketball and basketball video games, I love trivia concerning both. It’s even better when that trivia intersects, which is why I write articles covering familiar faces in strange and familiar places, players with more video game appearances than NBA games played, phantom stints that were captured in games, and NBA returns following extended absences. That last idea was a suggestion that was spun off of another article, which looked at NBA returns that were over before they even began.

In this case, I’m talking about situations where players almost became familiar faces back in familiar places, but didn’t end up donning an old jersey once more. This is in contrast to comeback attempts that fell short, as there have been some big names that mulled NBA returns, only to remain in retirement. Today however, I’m looking at the players whose returns to their former NBA teams did actually happen on paper, but ended before a reunion could truly begin. Let’s take a look back…way back…

Avery Johnson (Dallas Mavericks, 2004)

Although most fans likely remember Avery Johnson for his time with the Spurs, his NBA career featured a couple of returns to former clubs. Indeed, his longest stint in San Antonio was actually his third with the team! That tenure ended when he signed with the Nuggets in 2001; his second run in Denver. Halfway through the season, he was traded to Dallas, where he played until 2003, when he was traded to the Warriors. He signed with the Mavericks again in 2004, but retired a month later. Johnson had been promised an assistant coaching job during his first Mavs stint, and immediately transitioned into that role. Nevertheless, he’s active on their roster in NBA Live 2005.

Chris Gatling (Miami Heat, 2000)

After spending his first four and a half seasons in Golden State, Chris Gatling was traded to Miami. He left the Heat to sign with Dallas in the 1996 offseason, but ended his career back in Miami after a 2001 trade. He’d actually made his way back onto the Heat’s roster a year earlier, when the Nuggets traded him for Voshon Lenard. That stint would’ve been in NBA Live 2001, but a couple of months later, he ended up in Cleveland as part of the three team trade that sent Shawn Kemp to the Trail Blazers. Coincidentally, it was another three team trade that brought him back to South Beach ahead of the 2002 season, finally setting up a reunion that did come to fruition.

Mark Blount (Minnesota Timberwolves, 2009)

If you asked me to name a player that I could’ve sworn was around for longer, Mark Blount would be one of the first examples to come to mind. His career spanned the decade we’ve come to call the zeroes: 2000-2009. He was a solid big man whose career peaked in 2007; his second season with the Timberwolves. Following two years in Miami, he was traded back to Minnesota, where he can be found in roster updates for NBA Live 10 and NBA 2K10. However, he was cut in March 2010, having not appeared in any games during the season. It’s closer to being a full return than most of the other examples, but without tallying another minute, it still counts.

Keith Van Horn (New Jersey Nets, 2008)

There’s a lot of trivia involving Keith Van Horn. He’s the cover player of NBA Jam 99. He was traded for Tim Thomas twice; once on Draft Day 1997, and again in 2004. He was out of the league at the age of 30, initially taking a year off after the 2006 season, and then retiring. However, he agreed to re-sign with the Mavericks in 2008, in order to facilitate the trade that brought Jason Kidd back to Dallas. It would’ve meant a second run with the Nets for Van Horn, but the deal was strictly financial, drawing scrutiny and praise. He was released in October 2008, so this phantom stint isn’t in any games. For illustrative purposes, I’m using an NBA Live 07 screenshot.

Mike Wilks (Washington Wizards, 2011)

Like Mark Blount, I’ve misremembered Mike Wilks as having a longer career than he did. I’d ascribe this to my later roster updates for NBA Live, as I continued to see his name in the Free Agents Pool (this would probably explain my memories of Blount being around longer, too). Wilks’ career lasted only seven seasons, though he did play for eight teams during that span; nine if you want to count the Sonics and Thunder as separate clubs. It looked like he was set for a second stint with the Wizards after the 2011 lockout lifted, but he was cut just before the season. He’s therefore not in the updated rosters of NBA 2K12, so I’m using NBA 2K11 to represent his almost-return.

Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls, 2019)

This is the first of three NBA returns that were actually intended to be over before they began. Luol Deng wasn’t yet 35 when he retired, and likely still had a little left in the tank. To that end, I wouldn’t have minded if he’d been brought in to be a capable veteran on a rebuilding Bulls team. However, when Deng signed with Chicago in 2019, it was a ceremonial one day contract, in order for him to retire a Bull. It wasn’t as exciting as an actual return, but I like the gesture. In lieu of a farewell tour, I do appreciate the sentiment behind retiring in this way, especially as it sucked to see Deng traded in 2014. Here’s what a Bulls return would’ve looked like in NBA 2K20!

Amar’e Stoudemire (New York Knicks, 2016)

Deng wasn’t the first player to ceremonially retire as a member of a former team, as Amar’e Stoudemire had done so in 2016. Although Stoudemire spent most of his career with the Phoenix Suns and had his best years there, it was the Knicks with whom he felt the most affinity. This led to him reaching out to Knicks brass about officially retiring as a member of the team, and they obliged. Had he ended up playing one more season in New York, this NBA 2K17 screenshot wouldn’t have taken as much work to set up! Once again, while it doesn’t compare to a farewell tour, I do still like the sentiment behind these one day contracts, and retiring with a chosen team.

Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics, 2017)

Rounding out a trio of NBA returns that were planned to be brief, long-time Celtic Paul Pierce likewise inked a one day contract to retire in Boston. Even though I’m a Bulls fan, I was disappointed that The Truth never suited up for the Celtics again, as it always felt wrong to see him in another jersey. Pierce did shoot around after signing the ceremonial deal, though he didn’t don a full Celtics uniform; this screenshot from NBA 2K18 will have to suffice! He did poke fun at his departure from Boston in 2013 though, showing up wearing Brooklyn Nets shorts. Obviously there weren’t too many hard feelings over the original parting, given both sides were open to the “return”.

Marcus Camby (Toronto Raptors & Houston Rockets, 2013)

Let’s wrap up with Marcus Camby, who had made returns to two of his former NBA teams in 2013, but didn’t play a minute for either. Better yet, it came on the heels of Camby having a second stint with the Knicks! In the 2013 offseason, New York traded him to Toronto – the team that drafted him in 1996 – for Andrea Bargnani. There would be no farewell tour with the Raptors though, as they cut him a week later, freeing him up to sign with the Rockets. Camby had spent half of the 2012 season with Houston, though the reunion ended when he was cut in October. It was the end of his NBA career, though that intended return made its way into NBA 2K14.

Admittedly, these aren’t the most compelling “What If” scenarios regarding possible NBA returns. We’re talking about players who were on their way out, or not major contributors. Still, familiar faces returning to familiar places always makes for fun trivia, and NBA returns that ended before the players in question could play any further minutes for their former teams are likewise interesting. As for ceremonial returns, I expect we’ll continue to see them from time to time. In an era where big names frequently move on, sentimental returns before retirement seem more likely. Of course, even while a player is still active, a return may be equally short-lived.

The post Wayback Wednesday: NBA Returns Over Before They Began (Part 2) appeared first on NLSC.