Joe Johnson (Kenny Anderson and Jayson Tatum)
Joe Johnson never blossomed into a star with the Suns but he spent the rest of his rookie year at The Valley. However, it was the Boston Celtics who drafted the young shooting guard back in 2001. He played 48 games for the Celtics during the 2001-02 season before he was shipped to Arizona.
In his time with the Celtics, he had the chance to play with star guard, Kenny Anderson. He was a fixed starter for Boston but was already in his early 30s. The one-time All-Star was an underrated star in his early years in the league. While he was with the New Jersey Nets in the 1993-94 season, he was named an All-Star. The journeyman wrapped his NBA career after the 2004-05 season.
Johnson, on the other hand, developed into a solid rotation player with the Suns. After four seasons, he would join the Atlanta Hawks and make a name for himself as one of the best players in the league.
5/28/05 - Joe Johnson (15p/2r/3a) returned from his fractured orbital bone injury (vs DAL), but it wasn't enough as SA ran out to a big lead and the Phoenix #Suns dropped to 0-3 in the WCF w/a 102-92 loss at the Spurs. STAT: 34p/11r. Nash: 20p/3a. Duncan: 33p/15r. pic.twitter.com/iPiEcUImbQ
— Arizona Sports History (@AZSportsHistory) May 28, 2024
Fast forward to Johnson's final year in the league, he found himself back to where he started, the Celtics. The storied star played with a young Jayson Tatum during the 2020-21 season. Boston signed the former All-Star wingman to a ten-day deal and only played one game. But the interesting paths of each of the players make this unique.