“Hot Potato” is a game we all know and love as quite possibly the one thing that could epitomize stress for a five-year-old. 

The object of the game if you don’t already know is simple: don’t be the last person left holding the potato when the music that is playing during the game stops. So what do you do? You keep handing it off to the next person, the next, the next and so on. 

It is funny to think of an NBA player as an inanimate object. You buy it, keep it for a while when it’s fresh and new, then when you lose interest or wear it out a bit, you want to part ways. 

If there is anything that I have questioned throughout this notion, it is the apparent disregard for the person that the player is themselves that the league has. A player could literally go to sleep at 12:59 being part of one team just to wake up on another at 1:00 that same morning. 

So without further discussion, let’s get right into who’s a victim of this the most, shall we? 

Victim number one is Dwight Howard. 

The vet has been on a multitude of teams since having begun his career back in 2004. Within that span of time, he has managed to get himself traded four separate times. He has been living on short-term free agency deals for the past few seasons but has been traded when having showcased poor rapport with his fellow teammates. 

A poor relationship with Kobe Bryant found him on his way to Houston, however, that was quickly ended once he exhibited unharmonious behaviors with James Harden. 

Soon enough he was traded to Atlanta and then shortly to the Hornets. **Takes breathe for air**.  After a return to Los Angeles where Howard finally was able to win a championship, Howard is living life currently as an important contribution to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Up next, we have another notorious All-Star and long-beloved vet in Carmelo Anthony. 

Melo has also been around the trade circuit four times. Starting his career for the Denver Nuggets in 2003, he was dealt in the peak of his career to the New York Knicks in 2011. After his career began to slow down a bit, he found himself in Atlanta with a five-day, no-play stay. He was then passed around the free agency circuit to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets, who then traded him to the Chicago Bulls. He never ended up playing in Chicago however, and soon found a home where his career is currently being resurrected as a role player in Portland with the Trailblazers. 

Before we get into the extremities of the NBA trade circuit, our loyal State Farm ambassador, Chris Paul, also falls into the four-time trade trend during his career. 

Chris Paul currently resides in Phoenix after having been traded four times, courtesy of SI.com

Starting out with the New Orleans Hornets, Paul was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers where we would see the birth of the  “Lob City” tag-team through him, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan back in 2011. 

Soon after his six-year experience came to an end, Paul was traded to Houston in 2017 and helped facilitate a promising 2018 journey to the Western Conference Finals. 

After his stint in Houston, Paul and his contract were essentially dumped to Oklahoma City in a trade that also sent Russell Westbrook to Houston. After starting 70 games for the Thunder and leading the team to the playoffs, Paul was also once again dumped along with his contract to the Phoenix Suns after just one season in the OKC.

There’s no surprise that Paul continues to be a commodity in the trade circuit even at his age because he is now currently becoming a difference-maker with the Suns,  a franchise that hasn’t seen the light of day for quite some time. Now fighting for a spot in the NBA Finals, the Suns are relying heavily on the 36-year-old Paul.

Now to analyze the player who knows the NBA trade protocols like the back of his hand; Trevor Ariza.

If you thought being traded four times was a lot, Ariza puts this instance to shame. Try not once, not twice, but eleven times a call from a general manager bidding farewell to Ariza has occurred. 

Here is a mapping out of the player’s journey: He started off as a New York Knick in 2004, then Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers trades ensued thereafter. After his free agency deal led him to the Houston Rockets in 2009, he then ventured to be traded to the Hornets, Wizards and back to the Rockets. 

After another free agency period, Ariza found himself with the Suns heading into the 2018 season on a one-year $15-million deal before eventually getting traded back to the WashingtonWizards. 

After 43 starts for the Wizards in 2018-2019, Ariza once again endured the free agency route.  After his free agency signing with the Kings in 2019, worth $25 million over two years, Ariza was once again subsequently traded to the Blazers, Rockets, Pistons, Thunder and finally the Miami Heat where Ariza currently resides. 

If there is anyone who can thank the NBA for exploring America and its array of temporary homes, it’s Trevor Ariza. He has made league history by becoming the player to be traded the most times in a season -- four separate teams in the span of just SEVEN days. 

By the time you’re reading this, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ariza was already on another team as he continues to add a rainbow of uniforms to his collection. 

I hope this helps solidify further how the athletes of the NBA are seen as more of an object as opposed to a person. Players are disappointed at the inevitability of how easily disregarded their lives are in trade. Families are forced to move, kids to change schools and new houses to acclimate to. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but the NBA is a business after all.