9 Players You Probably Didn't Know Played Last Season

Over 500 different players played in at least one game this past season, so you'd be forgiven for not knowing all of them. The players on this list, however, are all fairly well-known names in basketball who might have flown under the radar because of a lack of playing time, so much so that you might have forgotten they were still active in the NBA. Excluded from this list are players who I've already written on this blog, so don't expect to see Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, or Brandon Jennings here. And with that out of the way, here are 9 players you probably didn't know played last season.

Kendrick Perkins

While the success of the Boston Celtics in the late-2000s is obviously almost entirely thanks to the quartet of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo, to say that having Kendrick Perkins didn't provide anything beneficial is unfair. Drafted with the 27th pick in the 2003 draft by the Memphis Grizzlies, Perkins quickly found himself on the Celtics thanks to a draft day trade. While he spent his first two seasons as a reserve, Perkins found his way into the starting lineup midway through the 2005-06 season, a job he would hold uncontested for the better part of two years on route to being part of a championship team in 2008. In his seven and a half seasons with the Celtics, Perkins averaged 6.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 56% from the field as he took on the role of the Celtics' enforcer. His run in Boston would come to an end midway through the 2010-11 season, as he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Perkins, who had just returned from MCL and PCL tears a month before the trade, would not play at the same level he did in Boston for the rest of his career. He played about three and a half seasons worth of games in OKC, averaging 4.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and shot 46% from the field before being traded in 2015 to the Utah Jazz in a three-team trade. The Jazz quickly waived Perkins, who signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the remainder of the season. After playing with the New Orleans Pelicans for a season, Perkins would sit out the entire 2016-17 season before signing with the Cavaliers again for this past season. Perkins was waived within a month but was resigned and played one game during the season, recording three points and a rebound against the New York Knicks. Perkins would be waived yet again this offseason, likely putting an end to Perkins' NBA career.

Yes, this was the best picture I could find of Williams on the Lakers

Derrick Williams

Back in 2011, I wanted the Cavaliers to draft Derrick Williams instead of Kyrie Irving. In hindsight, that would've been a terrible idea and someone should've slapped 15-year old me for knowing nothing. As I said, Williams was drafted in 2011, being selected with the #2 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves and, to put it bluntly, has been a bust. Williams spent a little over two seasons with the T'Wolves, averaging 10.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game while shooting 42% from the field and 30% from three-point range. Williams would be traded early in the 2013-14 season to the Sacramento Kings for Luc Mbah a Moute. He would play about two seasons with the Kings, averaging 8.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 44% from the field and 30% from three-point range in Sacramento.
Williams would sign with the New York Knicks in 2015 and would play a full season with the team before signing with the Miami Heat in 2016. He would be waived halfway through the season before being signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the remainder of the year. Without a team to start the latest season, Williams played with the Tianjin Gold Lions in China for the majority of the season before signing a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. He would play in two games, recording two points and one rebound in those games. Williams would not receive another 10-day contract. While he obviously isn't as good as you'd expect a 2nd pick to be, I do think Williams is still a decent enough player that he should be able to get a spot on a roster, so I'd be surprised if Williams sat out all of next season.

Udonis Haslem

Out of all the players on the 2006 Miami Heat roster, two of them are still playing in the NBA today. One of them is Dwyane Wade, who might be heading to China for next season. If that happens, that leaves just one man; Udonis Haslem. And unlike Dwyane Wade, Haslem has been with the Heat not just since the championship win, but since he first played in the NBA. After going undrafted in the 2002 draft, Haslem went overseas to play in France with Chalon-Sur-Saone for a season, which earned him a spot in the NBA with the Heat in 2003. Haslem would go on to play all 15 seasons of his career so far in Miami, with career averages of 7.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 49% from the field.
Along with that, Haslem has been a part of three championship teams and currently holds the Heat's career rebounding record, also becoming the first undrafted player in NBA history to hold a franchise rebounding record. Haslem had his best seasons between 2005 and 2010, a span in which he averaged 10.5 points and 8.4 rebounds and shot 50% from the field. By 2015, Haslem's role was significantly reduced, as he has averaged under 10 minutes per game for the last three seasons. This past season, Haslem would play in 14 games, averaged below one point and one rebound per game, and shot 20% from the field. Haslem was not resigned by the Heat this offseason and, at 37 years old, he's likely done in the NBA. Still, for an undrafted player, he carved out a pretty solid career for himself.

Emeka Okafor

If you had forgotten about Emeka Okafor and where he had gone, you're probably not alone, as he was out of the NBA for an extended period of time before this past season. Drafted with the 2nd pick in the 2004 draft, Okafor was the first draft pick ever made by the Charlotte Bobcats, and he would not disappoint in his rookie season. Okafor would average 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 45% from the field. Okafor would impress so much in his rookie season that he was named the Rookie of the Year, beating out future all-stars Dwight Howard, Luol Deng, and Andre Igudola. Okafor would play a total of five seasons with the Bobcats, averaging 14 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 51% from the field. During the 2009 offseason, the Bobcats would trade Okafor to the New Orleans Hornets for Tyson Chandler. Okafor would play three seasons with the Hornets as their starting center, but his numbers would drop, averaging 10.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 55% from the field during his time in New Orleans.
Okafor would be traded again in the 2012 offseason to the Washington Wizards for Trevor Ariza and would play one season in Washington before being traded again to the Phoenix Suns in a trade also involving Marcin Gortat. Unfortunately, Okafor would be sidelined for the entire season due to a herniated disc in his neck. That injury would end up sidelining him for a total of four seasons, finally being medically cleared in 2017. Okafor would sign with Philidelphia 76ers before this past season started, but he would be waived before the season started. Okafor would end up returning to New Orleans (now the Pelicans) midway through the season and playing in 26 games, averaging 4.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and a block per game while shooting 51% from the field. Still under contract, Okafor will return for the Pelicans next season.

Dante Exum

Dante Exum's NBA career has been quite the complicated one. Drafted with the 5th pick in the 2014 draft by the Utah Jazz. The Jazz clearly had high hopes for the 18-year old, but his rookie season would see him put up a disappointing 4.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting a poor 35% from the field and 31% from three-point range. The Jazz did see a decent amount of success with Exum as the starter (the team went 24-17 during that period) and Exum could still bounce back as he was still just 19 years old. Unfortunately, Exum would miss all of next season after tearing his ACL. Exum would return for the 2016-17 season and would average 6.2 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting 43% from the field and 30% from three-point range. Exum would go down with injury again, missing the majority of this past season due to a shoulder injury. He would end up playing in just 14 games this season, averaged 8.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 28% from three-point range. For his whole career, Exum has averaged 5.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 40% from the field and 31% from three-point range. The Jazz are clearly still committed to the Dante Exum experiment, as he was re-signed on a three-year, $33 million deal, so it'll be interesting to see what happens next season with Exum.

Richard Jefferson

When it comes to the best players who have never made an all-star game, Richard Jefferson has to be in the discussion, especially when talking about his run on the New Jersey Nets. Drafted with the 13th pick in the 2001 draft, Jefferson was quickly moved to the Nets in a trade. Jefferson would go on to play a total of seven seasons in New Jersey, averaging 17.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field and 34% from three-point range. Jefferson, along with all-stars Jason Kidd and Vince Carter, would lead the Nets to their successful period since the mid-70s in the ABA, a run which included two finals appearances. After seven years with the Nets, Jefferson was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks in a trade involving Yi Jianlian. This would kickstart the journeyman portion of Jefferson's career, as he would play for seven teams over the next nine seasons, never staying with a team for longer than two and a half seasons. He would play one season for the Bucks before being traded in the offseason to the San Antonio Spurs. Jefferson would play two and a half seasons there, averaging 11.2 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 46% from the field and 40% from three-point range, before being traded (along with TJ Ford and a first-round pick) to the Warriors for Stephen Jackson midway through the 2011-12 season. Jefferson would play for a season and a half with the Warriors before being traded to the Jazz as part of a massive three-team, six-player, six-pick trade. Jefferson played one season with the Jazz before signing with the Dallas Mavericks for one season. Jefferson would then sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he would finally end up winning his first NBA Championship. Jefferson would play a total of two seasons with the Cavs before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks, who quickly waived him before this past season started. Five days later, Jefferson signed with the Denver Nuggets, for whom he played 20 games and averaged 1.5 points and below 1 rebound and assists while shooting 44% from the field and 29% from three-point range. Considering how Jefferson was considering retirement back in 2016, it wouldn't be surprising if Jefferson had played his last game in the NBA this past season.

Tony Allen

While he was never a strong scorer or a player you would build your team around, Tony Allen has gained a reputation over the years as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league and as someone who is capable of defending high scoring members of the backcourt. Drafted with the 25th pick in the 2004 draft by the Boston Celtics, Allen would play the first 6 seasons of his career with the Celtics, primarily as a reserve occasional starter. During his time in Boston, Allen would average 7.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and a steal per game while shooting 48% from the field and 29% from three-point range. Allen would show signs of being a strong scorer during the 2006-07 season, as he would average 11.5 points through the first 33 games, but an ACL & MCL tear would cut that season short. In 2010, Allen would sign with Memphis Grizzlies, where he would play for seven seasons. This is where Allen would establish himself as a top-notch perimeter defender, as he would make six All-Defensive teams during his time in Memphis, making both the 1st & 2nd teams three times each. During his time as a Grizzly, Allen would average 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 47% from the field and 27% from three-point range. Prior to this season, Allen would sign with the New Orleans Pelicans. He would play in 22 games for the Pelicans, averaging 4.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game while shooting 48% from the field and 33% from three-point range. Allen would end up being midway through the season to the Chicago Bulls as part of the Nikola Mirotic deal. The Bulls would end up cutting him and he would not get picked up again. Allen has not signed with another team since, and at 36, his career has likely run its course.

Andrew Bogut

While he probably didn't live up to the expectations of a #1 draft pick, there were a couple of years where Andrew Bogut was looking like one best young centers in the league. Drafted 1st overall in the 2005 draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, Bogut would have somewhat of a disappointing rookie season, averaging 9.4 points and 7 rebounds per game while shooting 53% from the field. However, Bogut would improve over the years and become a valuable player for the Bucks. In his seven seasons with the Bucks, Bogut would average 12.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 52% from the field. During that time, Bogut would also make the All-NBA third team in 2010 and was the league leader in blocks in 2011. Bogut (along with Stephen Jackson) would be traded in 2012 to the Golden State Warriors for three players including Monta Ellis. Bogut would go on to play four seasons with the Warriors, averaging 6.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 58% from the field. Additionally, Bogut would be named to the All-Defensive 2nd team and won an NBA Championship with the Warriors in 2015. Bogut would be traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 2016 for a second-round pick. He would play 26 games before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the Nerlens Noel trade. The 76ers would cut Bogut and he would sign with the Cavaliers, where he played a total of 56 seconds before breaking his leg and being waived. Bogut would sign with the Los Angeles Lakers this past offseason, playing 23 games and averaging 1.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 68% from the field (17/25) and a perfect 2/2 from the free throw line. Bogut would be waived midway through the season before he would rule himself out for the rest of the season to be with his pregnant wife in Australia. Bogut would end up signing a two-year deal with the Sydney Kings of Australia's National Basketball League, keeping him out of the NBA for at least two more seasons.

Josh Smith

For a couple of seasons, it looked like Josh Smith was on the cusp of being one of the NBA's next top 10 players. Drafted with the 17th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2004 draft, Smith would play the first nine seasons of his career with the Hawks, showcasing a strong scoring ability and solid defensive ability. During his time in Atlanta, Smith would average 15.3 points, 8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game while shooting 47% from the field and 28% from three-point range. Smith would end up leaving the Hawks in 2013 and would sign a four-year, $54 million deal with the Detroit Pistons. However, after just a season and a half in the Motor City, the Pistons would waive Smith, who would go on to sign with the Houston Rockets for the rest of the season. Smith would sign with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015, only to be traded back to the Rockets midway through the season. After being unsigned before the 2016-17 season, Smith would head overseas the year, playing for the Sichuan Blue Whales of the Chinese Basketball Association. Smith would return to the NBA after year and signed with the injury-plagued New Orleans Pelicans. However, Smith would play just three games with the team averaging just 0.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game while shooting 25% from the field before being waived. Smith is still without a team for the next season, and while he isn't too old at 32 years old, it doesn't look like Smith will be playing this season.

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