NBA player Luke Ridnour was worth it because he was worthless

Elite sport is ruthless. Basketball player Luke Ridnour, for example, has experienced this firsthand, having been tossed from one NBA team to another like a sack of potatoes in just six days.

Before the NBA, the point guard’s star shined very bright. He was one of the best high school players of his class, excelled in college in a strong conference, and was selected 14th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2003 draft.

Ridnour’s NBA career lasted 12 seasons, and he averaged 9.3 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.3 rebounds, meaning that the American wasn’t a benchwarmer in the NBA but a decent rotation piece.

However, Ridnour is likely an unknown figure to many fans. Just an ordinary six foot two (188 cm) floor general who did a bit of this, and a bit of that, but never regained the brilliance he experienced before the NBA.

Finally, in June 2015, the NBA spotlight turned on Ridnour because he was involved in four trades over six days. Of course, he had no say in the matter.

The Raptors waived him

Ridnour, who had finished the previous season with the Orlando Magic, was first sent to the Memphis Grizzlies, while Latvian Janis Timma, the last pick of the 2013 draft, went the other way.

Fans of the Grizzlies were confused by the trade, wondering why the team acquired Ridnour as a third-choice point guard when Mike Conley and Beno Udrih could be backed up by a much younger Nick Calathes (yes, that EuroLeague legend), whose re-signing would likely have been cheaper.

It was probable that the Grizzlies would trade Ridnour away soon. And that’s precisely what happened.

The next day, his new club was the Charlotte Hornets, with Matt Barnes going the other way. But the June 25th manoeuvres weren’t over, as a few hours later, Ridnour was already a player for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who gave up Jeremy Lamb. Thus, the point guard had been on three teams within 25 hours!

The show was stopped at the end of the month when Ridnour was sent across the border to the Toronto Raptors, who packaged Tomislav Zubcic and cash considerations in return.

A little over a week after the whirlwind, the Raptors waived Ridnour as they signed Argentine legend Luis Scola. In September, the player decided to sit out the upcoming season, and in the summer of 2016, almost exactly a year after the trade circus began, Ridnour officially hung up his sneakers.

Thus, Ridnour’s last NBA game was the matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on April 1, 2015, which they lost 91–103. The American scored six points and provided one assist as a Magic.

Why was Ridnour valuable?

Ridnour is neither the first nor likely the last NBA player to be traded so many times in a short period. For example, the summer of 2009 was very turbulent for Quentin Richardson, who was involved in four trades.

But there’s a big difference between this happening over a couple of months or over six days.

At first glance, it might seem evident that Ridnour was traded more often than some people change their socks because he lacked quality, was injured, or messed up everything when he joined a new team. No, as surprising as it may sound, he was a hot commodity.

Namely, Ridnour’s contract was non-guaranteed, and teams could easily waive him until July 10 – the Raptors did so on July 9. Had they kept the playmaker on board, they would have had to pay him $2.75 million for the season.

A non-guaranteed contract means that teams used the veteran with extensive NBA experience to their advantage by freeing up $2.75 million in cap space when they sent his contract away. Or Ridnour was traded for a more expensive player the team wanted to get rid of. He was an ideal trade asset for at least four teams.

Because his contract was worthless, and that made him valuable.

Although Ridnour was on the books for four teams, he didn’t visit any of them. During the circus, he was at home near Seattle, playing with his sons and enjoying the summer. Ridnour’s agent described the situation best: they traded his client’s contract, not him as a player.

Later, Ridnour remarked that he didn’t care about the trades since he had already decided to quit basketball. Actually, he and his family found this funny.

Ridnour’s career saw him on the rosters of eight NBA teams. But this is far from the record, as fellow point guard Ish Smith has been on the books of 13 clubs. Who knows, maybe the NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets last year can reach at least 14 teams, as he is currently a free agent.

Ridnour, the father of four sons, is anything but free. He is probably playing around the lake or nearby with his children.

And think that the summer of 2015 was quite a strange time.