Longest-Tenured Players By NBA Team

So far this offseason, several teams have seen their longtime superstar depart, either in free agency or retirement. Dwyane Wade is no longer a member of the Heat. Kevin Durant has left Oklahoma City. And Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan retired from the NBA after spending their entire careers with the Lakers and Spurs, respectively.

While Kobe had easily been the longest-tenured Laker, those three other players had competition for the title of longest-tenured player on their respective teams. Nick Collison‘s stay with the Seattle SuperSonics, before they relocated to OKC, predated Durant’s time with the team. In Miami, Udonis Haslem joined the Heat in the offseason Wade did. As for the Spurs, Duncan was the team’s longest-tenured player, but Tony Parker wasn’t far behind — he has been in San Antonio for 15 years.

The NBA’s current list of longest-tenured players by team features some obvious names, like Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas or Brook Lopez in Brooklyn. But there are also some surprising players on the list below. With Al Horford no longer in Atlanta, for instance, the longest-tenured Hawk is Mike Scott.

Be sure to check out the rosters and depth charts at RosterResource.com for full details on how and when each team acquired every player on its roster. Here are the NBA’s current longest-tenured players by team:

  1. Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki (draft trade), June 1998
  2. San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker (draft), June 2001
    • Manu Ginobili was selected by the Spurs in the 1999 draft, but didn’t sign with the team until 2002.
  3. Oklahoma City Thunder: Nick Collison (draft), June 2003
    • Collison joined the franchise when it was the Seattle SuperSonics.
  4. Miami Heat: Udonis Haslem (free agent), August 2003
  5. Memphis Grizzlies: Mike Conley (draft), June 2007
  6. Brooklyn Nets: Brook Lopez (draft), June 2008
  7. Los Angeles Clippers: DeAndre Jordan (draft), June 2008
  8. Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry (draft), June 2009
  9. Toronto Raptors: DeMar DeRozan (draft), June 2009
  10. Chicago Bulls: Taj Gibson (draft), June 2009
  11. Washington Wizards: John Wall (draft), June 2010
  12. Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins (draft), June 2010
  13. Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward (draft), June 2010
  14. Indiana Pacers: Paul George (draft), June 2010
  15. Boston Celtics: Avery Bradley (draft), June 2010
  16. Minnesota Timberwolves: Nikola Pekovic (draft-and-stash), July 2010
    • Pekovic was drafted in 2008, but didn’t sign with the Timberwolves for two years.
  17. Denver Nuggets: Wilson Chandler (trade), Danilo Gallinari (trade), February 2011
    • Chandler and Gallinari were acquired in the same trade with the Knicks.
  18. New York Knicks: Carmelo Anthony (trade), February 2011
  19. Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving (draft), Tristan Thompson (draft), June 2011
    • Irving is technically the slightly longer-tenured Cavalier, having been selected first overall, while Thompson was picked fourth overall.
  20. Charlotte Hornets: Kemba Walker (draft), June 2011
  21. New Orleans Pelicans: Anthony Davis (draft), June 2012
    • Davis joined the franchise when it was the New Orleans Hornets.
  22. Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard (draft), Meyers Leonard (draft), June 2012
    • Lillard is technically the slightly longer-tenured Blazer, having been selected sixth overall, while Leonard was picked 11th overall.
  23. Detroit Pistons: Andre Drummond (draft), June 2012
  24. Milwaukee Bucks: John Henson (draft), June 2012
  25. Atlanta Hawks: Mike Scott (draft), June 2012
  26. Phoenix Suns: P.J. Tucker (free agent), August 2012
  27. Orlando Magic: Nikola Vucevic (trade), August 2012
  28. Houston Rockets: James Harden (trade), October 2012
  29. Philadelphia 76ers: Nerlens Noel (trade), July 2013
    • The trade that sent Noel from New Orleans to Philadelphia was agreed upon in June and finalized in July.
  30. Los Angeles Lakers: Nick Young (free agent), July 2013
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