Heading into the 2010-11 NBA season, Tyson Chandler was known as a defensive monster, and this was one of the main reasons the Dallas Mavericks traded for Chandler in the summer of 2010. While Chandler was one of the most sought-after defensive-minded centers in the NBA at that time, the Mavericks nearly struck out on what became gold due to the Oklahoma City Thunder and their young core of James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant at that time.
After spending three seasons with the Charlotte Hornets, Chandler revealed in the "To the Baha" podcast that he was almost traded to the Thunder in the middle of his third season with the Hornets.