The Boston Celtics brought Big 3’s back into the fold of this NBA era when they joined Paul Pierce with Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in 2007. LeBron James followed suit not long after when he joined Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in Miami.
Especially now, with Cleveland at large and Durant in Golden State, it’s increasingly apparent that you need three legitimate stars on the same team if you’re serious about being an NBA title contender. It’s become less of a fantasy and more of a necessity. We have some incredibly gifted talents across the league, but here are ten NBA stars who I feel might need to form a super team in the future to pursue a championship.
Anthony Davis
Davis has proven to be an extremely dominant force. If you can pair him with two elite guards, you’re looking at a real powerhouse. Davis re-signed a massive six-year extension worth around $145 million with New Orleans last summer. Unless he’s able to attract accompanying top talents there in that time, I’m afraid Davis will be fending for himself his entire career.
James Harden
It’s a shame because James had it perfectly good right where he started in OKC. In Houston, he’s grown into a legitimate primary player and one of the best scorers in the league, but that won’t be enough to cement a legacy that’s bigger than just getting buckets. I like the Rockets getting more talented by picking up Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson this summer, but Harden needs another elite guard and an elite forward to propel into the realm of championship conversations.
Paul George
Paul George has been on the Conference Finals stage. He’s gone toe-to-toe with LeBron on that stage. He just came back from a brutal leg injury in triumphant fashion. It would be fair to argue that he might be ‘next up’ as far as the next great individual talent in the NBA. His Pacers have had a terrific offseason, but the fact of the matter is, George won’t be able to truly challenge LeBron in the East without other elites by his side.
John Wall
For the last four seasons, John Wall has led the Wizards in scoring. I love John Wall, but that’s just not a good thing. A team with John Wall as its leading scorer isn’t going to win a championship, nor is a team with John Wall and Bradley Beal as the only two consistent offensive weapons. John Wall deserves some help, specifically in a stretch forward or an active big like his Kentucky road dog DeMarcus Cousins. Wall is an amazing talent that is going to need other amazing talents to ultimately be remembered as more than just talent.
Russell Westbrook
The fact that Westbrook isn’t part of the league’s most terrifying duo anymore makes his immediate future fascinating. In spite of Durant’s decision, it would behoove Russ to look to make his own power move in that same regard. So even though people are anticipating an MVP-caliber season from Westbrook in OKC without Durant, he’s almost definitely out of there whether by trade or in free agency next summer. Westbrook is the most dangerous candidate for the next coming super team.
Carmelo Anthony
For Melo, it’s all about the near future. Steps have at least been taken to make the Knicks competitive again, but with the salary cap still climbing and now a more of an appealing foundation, they need to keep aiming higher to match Anthony with another elite talent. Kristaps Porzingis’ presence has given them something of a head start in that sense, but Phil Jackson will have to keep swinging for the Knicks to become worthy of title contention.
Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler can do a lot of things. It’s starting to look like he can do just about everything. What he can’t do is carry a team on his own. The Bulls made some interesting competitive developments this summer, but it’s not exactly the kind of surrounding atmosphere that makes for a legitimate Big 3 with Butler. That kind of environment would serve him well, particularly since he’s shown the inherent ability to play winning basketball.
Damian Lillard
Portland has recovered masterfully from losing LaMarcus Aldridge last summer. They’re doing more than just fine, but it’s still not enough to call themselves elite. Damian Lillard is completely elite. While it looks like something special could be developing in Portland, Lillard will need other stars around him to start making a push for the best in the West.
Kyle Lowry/DeMar DeRozan
I counted this one as two but put them together for an obvious reason. Simply put, this elite backcourt won’t have any shot to take the East in the near future unless the Raptors can add an elite forward to their roster.
Obviously, not everyone here will have the luxury of being part of a super team in their career. Everyone can’t be champions. But while these team-ups are purely hypothetical now, the free agency terms are only getting dicier. If these players look around and understand context, it would be in all of their best interests to seriously pursue linking up with each other at some point (some pairings on this very list would be ideal, such as Anthony Davis with Lowry and DeRozan or Russell Westbrook teaming with Paul George).
What kind of super team would you like to see formed in the future? Let us know in the comments.
