There are several reasons why the NBA is one of the best leagues in the world. When the offseason arrives and players who are free agents decide their next destinations, all fans are on edge.
However, every once in a while a trade comes out of nowhere and everyone goes into a state of madness. The effects a trade can have on a franchise can be far-reaching.
In that sense, these are 20 trades that profoundly impacted the teams involved and the NBA as a whole.
Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers
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In 1996, the Lakers drafted Vlade Divac and immediately traded him for a young rookie named Kobe Bryant. Well, you know the rest of the story.
Kobe became a legend in Los Angeles, winning multiple rings. However, the trade also helped free up cap space to sign another Laker legend, Shaquille O’Neal.
Dominique Wilkins to the Atlanta Hawks
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After the 1981–82 season, the Utah Jazz had the 3rd pick of the draft and chose Dominique Wilkins. Due to financial reasons, the Jazz had to trade ‘Nique a couple of months later.
Wilkins didn’t play a single game as a Jazz player and got traded to Atlanta. The Hawks got and developed an outstanding young player who would later be considered the greatest to ever play in a Hawks jersey.
Oscar Robertson to the Milwaukee Bucks
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In 1970, while Oscar Robertson was balling out for the Cincinnati Royals, the team surprised everyone by trading him to Milwaukee. Some people suspected that head coach Bob Cousy was jealous of all the attention Robertson was getting.
The Big O let the basketball do the talking. He became a Bucks legend with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, won a ring the following season, and cemented his legacy as one of the most versatile players ever.
Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors
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Raptors GM Masai Ujiri faced a tough decision in the 2018 offseason. Kawhi Leonard was available in the trade market, and despite having played only nine games the prior season, he was still a superstar up for grabs.
Ujiri knew that he had to pay the price: he traded fan favorite DeMar DeRozan, a decision that shocked the NBA. Needless to say, it was worth it. Kawhi helped the Raptors win their first NBA championship that season, and it didn’t matter that much when he left them right after to sign with the Clippers.
Scottie Pippen to the Chicago Bulls
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Without this move, the Bulls wouldn’t have won what they did in the 1990s. The Seattle Supersonics drafted Scottie Pippen with the fifth pick in the 1987 draft, but they immediately traded him for big man Olden Polynice.
Polynice averaged 7.8 points per game and 6.7 rebounds during his career. Pippen, on the other hand, became one of the best perimeter defenders of all time and one of the greatest all-around offensive players, winning six rings in Chicago.
Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers
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Kevin Love had wanted out of Minnesota for years. When LeBron James came back to Cleveland in 2014, the front office was looking to establish a big three like Bron had in Miami.
Love was the missing piece of the puzzle. With LeBron and Kyrie Irving, they came back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals against the Warriors and won a ring in 2016.
Wilt Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers
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On July 9, 1968, the Philadelphia 76ers traded Wilt Chamberlain to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Darrell Imhoff, Archie Clark, Jerry Chambers, and cash considerations. Wilt forced his move to LA, being one of the first superstars to openly fight for a trade.
He got his wish delivered. The Lakers formed their Big 3 with Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor, went to the Finals four times in five years, and won a ring in 1972.
Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks
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At the 2011 trade deadline, the Knicks pulled off one of the largest trades in the history of the organization. New York traded Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, a first-round pick, and two second-round picks to Denver in exchange for Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, and Renaldo Balkman.
In search of wins and relevance, New York got their excitement back, and the Knicks went to the playoffs in the 2012–13 season. Anthony became a fan favorite from the get-go and made a huge impact on Knicks basketball. However, everything fell apart in the upcoming years, and Melo ended up being traded to the Thunder in 2017.
Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat
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In 2004, Shaq issued an ultimatum to the Lakers: either they re-signed him to a max contract or he would request a trade.
Dr. Jerry Buss didn’t give him the max, and he actually opened the door for Shaq to leave. “Mr. Buss called me and said, `Hey man, I love you. Understand that you don’t want to take less money; Miami is interested.’ Ok, I’ll go to Miami. Thank you, sir, cool with me… Business of basketball,” Shaq recalled in his documentary. O’Neal got traded to the Heat and won a chip in 2006.
Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics
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In 2007, the Boston Celtics pulled off a trade that changed the course of the franchise for the better. Boston sent Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, and two 2009 first-round picks to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Garnett.
KG allied with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, forming the Big Three. Together, they helped the Celtics bring home Banner 17, winning a ring in 2008 against Kobe Bryant’s Lakers.
Dirk Nowitzki to the Dallas Mavericks
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Mavs GM Don Nelson made a big move in a 1998 draft day deal. He got Dirk Nowitzki (the ninth pick) and Pat Garrity’s draft rights (19th overall) from Milwaukee for Robert “Tractor” Traylor (sixth overall).
Needless to say, Dallas ended up fleeceing the Bucks on thatdeal. Nowitzki became a Hall of Famer and brought a chip to Texas in 2011.
Dennis Rodman to the Chicago Bulls
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One of the most unique personalities in the NBA was exasperating the Spurs front office. Rodman ended up being traded by GM Gregg Popovich to the Bulls in 1995, with the authorization of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on Chicago’s side.
The Bulls benefited from Rodman’s defense, rebounding, and all-around energy. He kept being himself, but that didn’t stop him from being a key part of the Bulls’ consecutive championships between 1996 and 1998.
Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics
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In the 2017 offseason, Kyrie Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers. Months later, a blockbuster deal happened: Kyrie got traded to the Celtics, with Isaiah Thomas going to Cleveland.
The trade massively changed both franchises’ courses. Irving dealt with health and chemistry problems throughout his time in Boston, while Thomas had a major hip injury that never allowed him to be his old self.
Magic Johnson to the Los Angeles Lakers
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Wasn’t Magic selected as the first pick by the Lakers in 1979? Yes, but what makes that pick curious is that the LA team didn’t actually own it.
The New Orleans Jazz signed Gail Goodrich and sent two first-round picks and a second to the Lakers in 1976. One of those picks became Magic Johnson, who led the Lakers to the NBA Finals nine times in twelve seasons from 1979–80 to 1990–91, winning five rings.
Alex English to the Denver Nuggets
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The Nuggets were looking for a franchise star in 1980. They decided to go after Alex English, sending former All-Star George McGinnis to Indiana.
At the time, no one expected the kind of player that English ended up being. He became the best Nugget of all time. He appeared in eight All-Star games, ended up 15th in all-time NBA scoring, and led the Nuggets to nine consecutive playoff appearances.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers
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After six great years in Milwaukee, Kareem got tired of the city. The Bucks fulfilled his desire to go to a bigger market by sending him to Los Angeles in 1975.
Kareem would soon become a Lakers legend. He went on to win five more championships with the purple and gold.
Bill Russell to the Boston Celtics
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Red Auerbach became obsessed with Bill Russell in the 1950s. He felt the big man was the missing piece for his Celtics.
Boston pulled the trigger and traded two key players, Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan, for the second pick in the 1956 draft. On that same night, the C’s got two more future Hall of Famers in Tom Heinsohn and KC Jones. After pulling off one of the most decisive trades in NBA history, Boston went on to win 11 rings in 13 years.
Clyde Drexler to the Houston Rockets
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At the 1994 trade deadline, the Portland Trail Blazers were far from contention and had to make a decision: honor Clyde Drexler’s trade request or lose him for nothing in free agency. Drexler got traded to the Rockets, fulfilling his desire to play with his college buddy, Hakeem Olajuwon.
Hakeem and Clyde led Houston to their second consecutive championship in 1995, sweeping the Magic in the NBA Finals. The Rockets made the playoffs every year during Drexler’s time in H-town until his retirement in 1998.
Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers
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Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak pulled off a robbery in the 2007–08 season. While LA was struggling and was in danger of missing the playoffs, Memphis was far from any kind of competition.
Kupchak saw the opportunity and got All-Star Pau Gasol without giving up any key players. By the end of the season, Los Angeles had the best record in the Western Conference but lost to the Celtics in the 2008 Finals. However, Pau helped the Lakers win back-to-back rings in 2009 and 2010.
Julius Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers
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After some territory payments to the New York Knicks and the player demanding a salary raise, the New York Nets couldn’t afford Julius Erving. Taking advantage of their financial problems, the 76ers swooped in and traded for Dr. J, making him the highest-paid player at the time.
Starting from 1976, Erving cemented his status as a legend for the 76ers, and went on to win a championship ring with them in 1983, after multiple trips to the Finals.
