Luke Ridnour takes seat in pantheon of oft-traded athletes
— -- If you blinked, you might have missed the latest Luke Ridnour transaction.
On Thursday, the well-traveled point guard was waived by Toronto, eight days after he was dealt to the Raptors by the Oklahoma City Thunder -- the fourth time he had been traded in a week. This off-season, he also was briefly a member of the Orlando Magic, Memphis Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets. Ridnour, 34, had been traded three previous times for a total of seven career deals. And that's not counting the pre-draft trade the Seattle SuperSonics made to obtain the first-round pick they used on Ridnour in 2003.
Ridnour's journey is certainly head-spinning, but many other players have been dealt multiple times, albeit not in one week. NBA journeyman Drew Gooden has been traded so many times (six) that he said he was "kind of numb to the feeling."
Here's a look at some other notable athletes (NFL trades are rare, so football players miss out on the fun) who know all too well that sometimes it's better to rent than buy:
NHL
Mike Sillinger (10 trades): The center had a long, productive career, making his NHL debut with the Detroit Red Wings in 1990 and playing until the 2008-09 season with the New York Islanders. In between, he skated in more than 1,000 games for 12 teams. Sillinger was traded twice on the same day in 2003 and was part of eight midseason deals. "Any time the deadline would come around, I'd think, 'Geez, I'm going to get traded,'" he said.
NBA
Chris Gatling (eight trades): Gatling somehow managed to be involved in eight trades during a career that spanned 11 seasons. More amazing, the first deal didn't come until his fifth season with the Golden State Warriors, who drafted him in 1991. The big man was traded midseason four times during a five-season span, from 1995-96 to 1999-2000.
Jim Jackson (seven trades): After starting his career with four-plus seasons as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, with whom he was one of the "Three J's" with Jason Kidd and Jamal Mashburn, Jackson was constantly on the move for the rest of his career. He never stayed in the same place for more than two seasons after leaving Dallas and was a member of 12 teams. He played for only 11, however, because he refused to report to the rebuilding New Orleans Hornets when he was sent there in December 2004 and was forwarded to the Phoenix Suns a month later.
MLB
Dick Littlefield (eight trades): A left-handed pitcher in the 1950s, Littlefield was traded eight times during a nondescript career. That total, however, doesn't include the most famous deal he was a part of. After the 1956 season, the New York Giants agreed to send Littlefield and cash to the Brooklyn Dodgers for Jackie Robinson. Robinson, however, had already decided to retire but hadn't announced it yet. When he did, the trade was voided.
Octavio Dotel (six trades): Six trades is a lot, but in Dotel's case it seems low. That's because the reliever played for an MLB-record 13 teams and seemingly was on the block every year when the deadline approached. "I've been all over the place, but it's not for bad," he once said. "It's for good, because every time I'm traded or I sign as a free agent, somebody wants me. It means I'm important -- for some reason."
Bobo Newsom (five trades): In addition to the five trades, Newsom changed teams in purchase transactions six times. Newsom's professional career spanned from the 1920s to the '50s and included stops with nine major league teams, some of which he played for multiple times. Newsom, the rare pitcher with more than 200 career wins but a losing record (211-222), was quite a character. According to Newsom's New York Times obituary, he refused to come out of a game attended by President Franklin Roosevelt despite suffering a broken jaw. "When the president comes to see Bobo pitch," Newsom said, "Ol' Bobo ain't a-gonna disappoint him."
