The NBA has been full of "big threes" since the 1980's. The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers had big threes before people cared that big threes were essential to winning in the NBA. The Celtics had their trio of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish while the Lakers had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy to make for epic classics in the 1980's NBA Finals several times. Nobody really paid attention to this until the Celtics put together their big three before the 2008 season. They traded for both Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to help Paul Pierce and the results were great. They won an NBA title in 2008 and almost won another one in 2010. Once that happened, LeBron made his big three when he went to Miami after the 2010 season. Now, it seems like players and general managers are doing everything they can to put together their "big three" and then filling the pieces around them. Sometimes, that isn't the best strategy.
There are pieces that just sometimes are not going to work. Whether it is the chemistry not being there, problems in the locker room, or running into a more talented team, sometimes the "big three" method isn't the best one to take up. This list goes back in history and takes a look at big threes that weren't necessarily the best or just didn't happen to live up to their expectations like they should have. Some would say they were disappointing to say the least. With that in mind, let's take a look at every NBA team's most disappointing big three in their team's overall history.
Chicago Bulls: Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Toni Kukoc
The Bulls were without Jordan for the 1993-94 season. They had to rely on Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and Toni Kukoc to try to fill the void left by Jordan. They simply couldn't make it up.
They lost to the Knicks in 1994 and the Magic in 1995 with Jordan back for about 20 games of the season.
The Bulls proved they needed their best player to win six championships in eight seasons. But for those two seasons in between, that big three was very disappointing considering they were still very good players.
Atlanta Hawks: Kent Bazemore, John Collins, Dennis Schroder
The first big three comes from the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks seem to be rebuilding, but so far they have a big three that is less than spectacular. That would be the big three of Dennis Schroder, Kent Bazemore, and John Collins (we'll see how Luka Doncic factors into things) .
They have done their part a bit as Schroder averaged 19 points per game, Bazemore 13, and Collins with 10. That still hasn't been enough to compete in an East with Boston and Philly being good for the foreseeable future. Definitely not a great start for the Hawks fairly new big three.
Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Kenny Anderson
Before Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen came to town, Paul Pierce had to co-exist with other guys during his time as a Celtic. In this case, it was Antoine Walker and Kenny Anderson. Keep in mind, Kenny Anderson was an All-Star during the 1993-1994 season with the Nets and Antoine Walker was an All-Star in 1997-98. With these guys as part of a young, exciting Celtics team, you would think they would have had success. Wrong! They had one postseason run in the 2001-2002 playoffs before losing to the Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals. Other than that, it was a complete failure.
Brooklyn Nets: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Joe Johnson
Paul Pierce is back again. This time, he is with Kevin Garnett and Joe Johnson. Pierce and Garnett were part of the Celtics and Nets trade that started the Celtics over in 2013.
Pierce and Garnett thought they were going to a team with Joe Johnson that could combine veteran status with youthful upbringing and competing in the Eastern Conference. That didn't happen.
LeBron ran through the East with Miami and the Nets never became the team they should have been. The trade wound up setting Brooklyn back for years.
Charlotte Hornets: Muggsy Bogues, Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning
This trio for the Charlotte Hornets should have been so much better than they ended up doing. Muggsy Bogues was the little tenacious point guard that came from Wake Forest. Larry Johnson was the big, burly forward that had winning National Championship experience from being with the UNLV Runnin' Rebels. Alonzo Mourning was a huge defensive and shot-blocking presence from Georgetown. Together, they couldn't get out of the second round of the playoffs. They were going up against Michael Jordan and the Bulls along with Patrick Ewing and the Knicks. But this great trio should have been so much better.
Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams
Surprise, LeBron James made his name onto the list! LeBron didn't have much to play with. His big three involved him with guys like Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao. Varejao had some seasons where he'd average close to a double-double and Williams was an All-Star in Cleveland in 2008-09. They didn't get anywhere in the playoffs, considering LeBron had to carry the load in Cleveland for a very long time. We all know the story how he left for Miami, won in Miami, came back to Cleveland and won a title for Cleveland. But before that, we had to witness this as an NBA big three.
Denver Nuggets: Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby, Allen Iverson
Imagine having this as your big three. You have Carmelo Anthony who won a National Championship at Syracuse and is one of the better scorers in the NBA. You have Allen Iverson who is one of the more underrated point guards in NBA history. You also have Marcus Camby who was a force at the University of Massachusetts.
The experience did not pay off as well as it should have.
The Nuggets never made any deep playoff runs and all three players moved on. It is very sad to think about for Denver Nuggets fans everywhere.
Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, Josh Smith
The Pistons were always known for their physical style of play as well as their athleticism. They once had Andre Drummond, Josh Smith, and Greg Monroe all on the same team in 2013-14. How did they respond? Not too well as they didn't make playoffs and then the experiment ended right after that. Josh Smith was waived the following season and that closed the book on that big three. It is hard to believe that this big three couldn't do more with all of their talent. It was all for nothing.
Houston Rockets: Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen
The Houston Rockets had two seasons where they showed they were the best team when Michael Jordan tried to play baseball. They tried to bring on two of the 50 greatest NBA players to bring back more titles with Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen helping out Hakeem Olajuwon.
The trio never worked well together as personalities collided.
Charles Barkley had his ego going, Scottie Pippen wasn't a fan of Charles Barkley having an ego, and chaos ensured. Their one season together in 1998-99 ended in a first round exit and Pippen leaving town after that season. This trio should have made a deeper postseason run that season.
Indiana Pacers: Boban Bogdanovic, Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner
The Pacers are an up and coming team. They had a lot of hype coming into the playoffs. They drew a tough first round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but had a lot of speculation on them after stealing game one in Cleveland. The trio of Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner, and Bojan Bogdanovic was supposed to be the trio to help the Pacers get back to the days of Miller, Jackson, and Smits. They lost the first round in seven which was a big disappointment, so hopefully the trend doesn't continue.
Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Dwight Howard
This is by far one of the worst big threes to ever be assembled. They all had their talent, but together they just couldn't put it all together. Dwight Howard was upset about not having the ball as much as he did in Orlando. You also had to deal with Kobe Bryant being the main guy on the team. It only lasted for one season as Dwight left for Houston to have a new beginning. This looked to be a slam dunk of a big three when they were originally formed, which made it even more disappointing in the long run.
Miami Heat: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh
People might outrage on this one, so hear me out first. LeBron James wanted to win championships and knew he wasn't going to do so in Cleveland. He went and partnered with Dwyane Wade, added Chris Bosh, and went on to win two championships in four years. But they were disappointing because of their expectations. They lost in 2011 to a less talented Dallas Mavericks team, won in 2013 because of a Ray Allen three pointer late in Game 6 to send the series to a Game 7. They also lost in 2014 to a better Spurs team. Considering the Heat set expectations so high, claiming they'd be a dynasty, two was a bit of a disappointment.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook
This big three is a huge disappointment. The Oklahoma City Thunder thought they had championships in the future when they had James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook in the fold. The dream almost came true during the 2011-2012 season when they reached the Finals against the Miami Heat. They won the first game, then lost four straight. Harden left for Houston, Durant left about five years later, and now each of them are the signature guys for their team. What could have been if they somehow could have all stayed!
Orlando Magic: Penny Hardaway, Shaquille O’Neal, Horace Grant
The Magic in the 1990s were one of the best teams to never win a championship. They had the pieces in place with a young Shaquille O'Neal, a healthy Penny Hardaway, and a winner in Horace Grant who they got in free agency. They just never put it all together. They were swept in the 1995 NBA Finals by the Rockets and never recovered. They all moved on and an empty feeling was left inside of Orlando's hearts. Imagine if Nick Anderson just hit one of those four free throws late?
Philadelphia 76ers: Allen Iverson, Andre Iguodala, Chris Webber
For two seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers tried to recreate the magic they made in 2000-01 when they made it to the NBA Finals. They added on Chris Webber and Andre Iguodala to help out Allen Iverson in the City of Brotherly Love.
They made it to the first round of the playoffs the first season and didn't qualify for playoffs the second season the three played together.
It is a shame considering how good the three of them could have all been together in a deep playoff run in the East.
San Antonio Spurs: LaMarcus Aldridge, Pau Gasol, Kawhi Leonard
The Spurs have been one of the better teams in the league while dealing with the forming of "super-teams". The Spurs have put together a nice big three as well. Kawhi Leonard has become one of the best players in the NBA, LaMarcus Aldridge is an underrated power forward, and Pau Gasol has been a part of championship teams. They lost in the Conference Finals to Golden State in 2017 and lost again to the Warriors in the first round in 2018. This could be the end of this big three with Kawhi being in trade rumors. If he is, this is one Spurs trio that was a major disappointment all around.
Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison
This big three for the Washington Wizards played together for five seasons and could never get anything done. They made the playoffs three times, only to lose in the first round each of those three times. They also didn't make the playoffs in the last two seasons before the three of them split. Gilbert Arenas was in Washington since 2003, Antwan Jamison since 2004, and Caron Butler since 2005. You really hated to see the Wizards never made it past the first round of the playoffs. They were a huge disappointment to fans considering just how good all three of those guys were.
Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry
The Toronto Raptors currently have a big three that are running out of time to win a championship. They have a great back court with DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry with Serge Ibaka taking care of the front court. They had the number one seed overall in the East this past playoffs, only to lose in the second round to the Cavaliers in a sweep. The move resulted in Dwane Casey being fired and looking to move in a new direction. This trio could be splitting soon. If that is the case, their resume is quite disappointing to all fans.