The NBA is a tough league to remain relevant in once the aging process hits. Most players witness a drastic decline towards the end of their careers before getting forced into retirement. There were rare cases of players having an ideal retirement with a farewell tour like Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki. However, the most unique scenario is when a player retires too soon.
NBA stars to retire while still having something to offer on the court made the move before their skills hurt their standing in the spot. Meanwhile, quite a few current players are reaching the end of the road and may need to call it quits before the decline hits harder. Find out how things work out on both sides with players who retired too soon and active players who should retire soon.
10 Retired too soon: Gilbert Arenas
The great run of Gilbert Arenas as a top tier scoring point guard started to fall apart after the controversial suspension for bringing a gun into the locker room. Washington Wizards started their plan to move away from Arenas as the face of the franchise.
Arenas was never the same coming back from suspension and barely received playing times for the Orlando Magic or Memphis Grizzlies. The retirement came at the age of 30 when most superstars are still in their prime.
9 Should retire soon: Carmelo Anthony
One of the incentives for Carmelo Anthony returning to the NBA was not wanting his career to end the way it could have with the Houston Rockets. The Portland Trail Blazers added Anthony this season with solid results.
Anthony is no longer a major difference-maker, but he had a solid season in Portland. Retirement may be ideal now instead of risking another potential disaster next season as ‘Melo ages and the Blazers get more star power back.
8 Retired too soon: Darren Collison
Darren Collison’s retirement was among the stranger stories in the NBA. The stint with the Indiana Pacers saw Collison still having a tremendous place in the league as a borderline starting point guard for the right team.
Collison chose to retire due to wanting to dedicate more of his time and live to religion. The Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers each tried to tempt Collison out of retirement this season, but he didn’t change his stance.
7 Should retire soon: Jared Dudley
Jared Dudley has become an endearing veteran player in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers added Dudley for his locker room presence, but he barely touches the floor at this stage of his career with weaker athleticism than the average player.
Dudley showed his contributions last year attempting to be an enforcer for the Brooklyn Nets against Ben Simmons. The clock is ticking on Dudley’s career of actually having a role on the court. Retirement and a move to coaching may be the best call.
6 Retired too soon: Carlos Boozer
Carlos Boozer had a very underrated NBA career with impressive stints on the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls. The defense of Boozer was always a weakness, but he made up for it with strong offensive numbers.
Boozer joined the Los Angeles Lakers towards the end of his NBA career and saw his value diminish. Teams didn’t want to sign Boozer despite averaging 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in just 23 minutes of action per game.
5 Should retire soon: Kyle Korver
The NBA evolving into a three-point shooting league with every team wanting a few specialists prolonged Kyle Korver’s career. Korver is one of the most effective three-point shooters in NBA history and it helps him still have a role at 39 years old.
The Cleveland Cavaliers used Korver as a strong part of their rotation during LeBron James’ last two seasons. Korver now is a reserve for the Milwaukee Bucks whenever they desperately need shooting on the court. Retirement should come soon for Korver who contributes little outside of the three-pointer while aging at the point where few can still play at that age.
4 Retired too soon: Latrell Sprewell
Latrell Sprewell was among the most underrated players of the late 90s and early 2000s. The New York Knicks made the 1999 NBA Finals with Sprewell as their best player. Sprewell joining Kevin Garnett and Sam Cassell gave the Minnesota Timberwolves their only real chance to contend for a title.
Fans were shocked when Sprewell fell out of the league. Sprewell was still producing, but he chose to sit out by turning down contracts. The league minimum was offered to Sprewell by the contending Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, but he waited for a bigger offer that never came.
3 Should retire soon: Tyson Chandler
Tyson Chandler has delivered a strong career as an NBA Champion and one of the best defensive big men of his era. Unlike most other players of his caliber, Chandler has embraced the role player spot with the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, and now the Houston Rockets.
The big man rarely sees any playing time and has become more of a locker room presence. Given how fast players are tossed out of the league when unable to play, Chandler should consider retiring at the end of this season.
2 Retired too soon: Ray Allen
The three-point shooting excellence of Ray Allen has a few teams still interested in a potential comeback. Allen surprised the NBA when sitting out after the 2013-2014 season. The final two years with the Miami Heat saw Allen only wanting to play for a contender.
Allen decided to sit out despite rumors of joining the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James. It never worked out and Allen chose to stay retired instead of potentially hurting his legacy. Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey revealed he has tried to get Allen out of retirement many times to no avail.
1 Should retire soon: Marc Gasol
Marc Gasol has had a great NBA career that may see him enter the Hall of Fame one day. The Memphis Grizzlies saw Gasol become the best player in franchise history. Gasol getting traded even worked out when he joined the Toronto Raptors and helped their 2019 NBA Championship run.
The current season saw Gasol hit a sharp decline. Gasol is putting up career numbers, but he is still a part of Toronto’s rotation. The best move may be to retire this offseason before he loses his spot in the rotation.