Written Off? 8 NBA Players Who Deserve Another Shot

Joel Piton
14 minutes ago
7 min read

The NBA looks very different than it did even a decade ago. The league has become

faster, younger, and far less patient, with teams prioritizing immediate impact over long-term development. As a result, the path to a stable NBA career has narrowed considerably. Undrafted hopefuls and Euro League standouts once had real opportunities to carve out lasting roles, but today, fewer of those players are sticking around long enough to do so. The margin for error is thinner than ever.

At the same time, the NBA’s timeline has accelerated. Teams want wins—and they want them now. Young players are expected to contribute almost immediately, and if they don’t show clear progress within a couple of seasons, front offices are quick to move on. In a league where many teams realistically rely on only about half of their depth chart, there’s little room for experimentation or extended growing pains. Still, not every career follows a linear path. Some players entered the league with high expectations but struggled to adjust to the pace, role, or timing of today’s NBA. That doesn’t mean they didn't have talent. In fact, with the right opportunity, a few of them deserve another chance. Here’s who comes to mind for me:

Cam Reddish (SF)

Regarded by peers as one of the most unguardable high school scorers in the country, Reddish entered the league with the profile teams covet: a 6'7 wing with length, shot-making, and the tools to defend multiple positions. Now just 26 years old, his NBA journey feels prematurely over. Reddish carved out real minutes in Los Angeles, earning trust defensively and showing a willingness to take on tough assignments, but the production never consistently matched the opportunity. A brief stint overseas with Šiauliai in Lithuania ended early after a personal decision to return to the U.S., leaving his next move uncertain. Still, wings with size, athleticism, and defensive motor don’t just disappear—and Reddish remains young enough to reframe his career if given the right role and runway.

Markelle Fultz (PG)

A 6'4, pass-first point guard, Fultz entered the league with far more playmaking nuance than his pre-draft reputation suggested. At the collegiate level, his elite scoring often overshadowed just how advanced he was as a facilitator and floor general. Selected first overall, Fultz instead became one of the league’s biggest “what-ifs,” battling a string of injuries that limited both his availability and continuity. The stop-and-start nature of his career robbed him of rhythm, conditioning, and the sustained on-court reps needed to fully develop. His most recent stint in Sacramento was brief, just 3 points per game in roughly 8 minutes a night—but that context matters. There is still a place in today’s NBA for point guards who value orchestration over volume scoring, who can steady an offense, move the ball, and defend their position.

Malik Beasley (SG)

Runner-up finish for Sixth Man of the Year, Beasley delivered one of the quietest ironman seasons in the league, appearing in all 82 games for Detroit, something only a handful of players managed, while averaging 16 points per night on well over 40% shooting from three. Production like that doesn’t usually vanish from the NBA ecosystem. These archetypes are needed. Yet Beasley’s situation has become far more complicated than basketball. An investigation into betting-related allegations have effectively frozen his market value, casting a shadow that extends beyond the court and into every front office. Fair or not, the narrative has shifted from dependable sharpshooter to perceived risk, making a roster spot exponentially harder to secure until his name is cleared—if it ever fully is. As talented and available as Beasley has proven to be, the NBA has always weighed reputation alongside production, and in this league, optics can matter just as much as numbers.

Spencer Dinwiddie (PG)

At 6'6, Dinwiddie has long fit the mold of the modern combo guard: crafty off the dribble, lethal from the mid-range, and disruptive defensively with quick hands and size. At his peak, he was a do-it-all perimeter threat capable of dropping 20 on any given night, blending scoring with passing. Even in a turbulent, injury-riddled Dallas season, Dinwiddie still managed 11 points and 4 assists per game while shouldering inconsistent roles on a roster in flux. His brief preseason run with Charlotte ended abruptly, as he was waived before ever suiting up in a regular-season game. With injuries already thinning the Hornets’ backcourt, Dinwiddie’s ability to operate as a steady combo guard could have filled an immediate need. Now playing overseas in Germany, he’ll undoubtedly be eyeing a return stateside. And if there’s a veteran guard with the game, resume, and confidence to make the Euro League-to-NBA jump again, Dinwiddie belongs near the top of that list.

Bol Bol (C)

A truly unique 7'3 shooter with guard-like touch, Bol entered the league with sky-high expectations—and quietly, he’s met more of them than he gets credit for. In limited usage across his career, Bol has averaged just 13 minutes per game while producing 6 points on nearly 55% shooting from the field, consistently making the most of his opportunities. Efficiency has never been the issue. For a player rarely entrusted with extended run, Bol has shown he can stretch the floor, finish efficiently, and impact the game in short bursts. Why he currently sits outside the league remains unclear. Conditioning has long been the main concern, and at roughly 220 pounds, his slight frame has posed durability questions at times. Still, at just 26 years old, Bol remains a developmental outlier with upside that hasn’t been fully explored. In a league constantly chasing matchup advantages and floor-spacing size, it’s hard to argue that Bol Bol doesn’t deserve a roster spot and a longer look.

Christian Wood (PF)

At his peak, Wood was a legitimate 20-point-per-game scorer and a finalist for Most Improved Player, carving out value in Houston as a stretch big who could score at all three levels. But a 2023 move to Los Angeles abruptly shifted the trajectory of his career. Slotted behind Anthony Davis, Wood was pushed into a limited bench role that muted both his rhythm and production. The situation worsened when a knee injury led to arthroscopic surgery, sidelining him for the entire 2024–25 season. Now nearly two years removed from his last NBA game, Wood has been a free agent since February, and his career has gone quiet. Still, across a nine-year stretch, he’s averaged 13 points per game and I think he still has more ball left in him. Whether this is a sabbatical or a final chapter remains to be seen, the league has moved on from far less accomplished scorers far too quickly.

KJ Martin (PF)

Slightly undersized for the power forward spot, Martin has carved out his NBA value as an explosive athlete and relentless rim finisher. A high flyer who thrives in transition and as a cutter, he’s been a consistent driver across multiple stops, most recently with Utah. The limitation has always been range. For a 6'6 forward without a Zion Williamson–type frame, the inability to reliably stretch the floor narrows his margin for error in modern lineups. Still, that narrative may be shifting. Playing overseas in China, Martin has shown noticeable improvement as a perimeter shooter, knocking down threes at a higher clip which is an encouraging development for a player still just 24 years old. Athleticism like his doesn’t age out overnight, and with added shooting, there’s little reason he should already be written off. If the NBA is paying attention, a return stateside shouldn’t be out of the question.

Chris Paul (PG)

Hear me out: getting cut during what was supposed to be your farewell tour is brutal. And if it can happen to Chris Paul—a Hall of Famer who’s given everything to the game and to the NBPA—then it raises a larger question about how the league treats its veterans at the end. At 40, Paul appeared in just 16 games for the Clippers in what he publicly framed as his final season, before reports surfaced that he was effectively “sent home” mid-season. It was far from a storybook ending. Yes, we got one last glimpse of him in a Lob City jersey, but it feels unfinished. The Clippers are unraveling quickly with injuries, and letting him go the distance, Paul was cut out of a situation that never stabilized. Whether he wants to play again or not is another conversation entirely, but if there’s any player who’s earned one final stint on a legitimate contender, it’s CP3.

The NBA has been letting players walk and in this era, it's rare for someone who plays overseas to ever suit up again. Once a player ends up in Europe or in the G League, or is flirting with a 10-day contract, the door doesn’t just close—it locks. DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard, and Kemba Walker felt like the first wave of that reality: recognizable names who we wanted to see have legitimate NBA careers from start to FINISH. Now it’s not just former stars. More and more legit rotation-level talent sits in the free agent pool every year—guys who can defend, shoot, playmaker, rebound, stabilize a bench unit—yet can’t buy a real opportunity because the market has shifted toward youth, upside, and flexibility.

The league keeps getting younger, faster, and more position-less, but depth still matters. Playoff teams still need veterans, and I'll always defend that. And if these guys really are on the outside of the league looking in for the rest of there careers, let’s at least be honest about what that means: can one poor situation on a losing, non-playoff team deny you of the opportunity to ever play in the NBA again? Because plenty of these guys can.

Now I’ll turn it to you—which of these players do you want to see lace ’em up again?