Top 10 Biggest Trades In NBA History (No T-Mac lol)
Fri Jul 02, 2004 7:11 am
So while Tracy McGrady starts looking in Houston for a nice, gated community and Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak has his cell phone permanently grafted to his ear so he can continue to field offers for Shaquille O'Neal, we'll run through the biggest trades in NBA history.
10. Whoops!
If there's an overriding theme to the biggest trades in the history of the Association, it's that they were largely one-sided. And Seattle's draft-day dealing of Scottie Pippen for Olden Polynice may be the most one-sided of them all. Pippen went on to be the league's most famous second option and a six-time world champion. Polynice would play for seven teams (including two stints with the Sonics and Clippers) and would have entirely faded from public consciousness if it wasn't for his getting arrested for impersonating a police officer.
9. Webber's wild world
After being taken by the Orlando Magic with the No. 1 overall pick, Chris Webber was sent packing to Golden State for Penny Hardaway (the third pick in that draft) and three future No. 1s. It would be just a sign of things to come for Webber. Just a little over a year later, the Warriors sent him to Washington for Tom Gugliotta and three more first-round picks. His trade value was significantly diminished by 1996, when the Wizards dealt him to Sacramento for not-exactly-in-their-prime Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe Is a fourth deal involving Webber (say involving a certain L.A. big man) in the future?
8. Who's robbing whom?
When the Pistons sent Grant Hill to the Magic in a sign-and-trade deal, it was widely assumed that Orlando got the better of that transaction and that the lone consolation for Detroit was that it didn't let Hill walk away for nothing. Four years later, that deal looks a whole lot different. Hill has played in just 47 games for the Magic and is down to his last comeback attempt. The Pistons? They got Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins — who they later packaged to get another Wallace ... namely, Rasheed. With the Wallaces clogging the paint, they brought Detroit the title that Hill couldn't deliver.
7. 'The Holy Grail'
During the 1960s, the New York Knicks desperately wanted to lure Pistons star and Detroit native Dave DeBusschere to the Big Apple. How desperately? Years later, head coach Red Holzman would refer to DeBusschere in his book A View From the Bench as his "Holy Grail." The Knicks finally got their man in 1968, giving up future Hall-of-Fame center Walt Bellamy among others. But it proved to be worth the wait (and the price tag), as DeBusschere would team with Willis Reed and Walt Frazier on a pair of championship teams.
6. The Doctor is out
Can you call it a trade when it involves only one player? Well, it's our list, so we get to make the rules. And we're counting the New Jersey Nets' decision to send Julius Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers for $3 million in cash. The Sixers got a player that would lead them to the NBA Finals four times in seven years and help them win the franchise's second championship. The Nets? Well, they got that big, freakin' check.
5. Celtic pride
Boston's "Big Three" of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish is widely regarded as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) frontcourts in NBA history. Amazingly, team president Red Auerbach was able to assemble two-thirds of that legendary trio in a single deal. Auerbach sent a pair of first-round draft picks (Joe Barry Carroll and Rickey Brown) to Golden State for Parish and the draft pick that would later become McHale. Teamed with Bird, in his second year with Boston, the trio would go on to win the first of their three NBA titles.
4. Before The Feud
When Jerry West dealt Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the draft rights to high schooler Kobe Bryant, it wasn't exactly the sure thing it appears in retrospect. For starters, there was no guarantee that the cap space the move created was going to be enough to land Shaquille O'Neal, in which case the Lakers would have just sent the only serviceable center on their roster packing without enjoying the benefit of a replacement. Plus, at that time, the only prep-to-pros success stories were big men like Moses Malone and Kevin Garnett. Three NBA championships later, it appears (the current mess in Los Angeles notwithstanding) to have been the right move.
3. Stealing the Stilt
It's hard to say what's more amazing. That Wilt Chamberlain was traded not once, but twice. Or the sheer amount of garbage that the respective teams gave up to get one of the most dominant players ever to play the game. The 76ers got Chamberlain for Paul Neumann, Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer and cash. Three years later, Philly gave him up to L.A. for Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark and Darrall Imhoff. And in both cases, Chamberlain would ultimately become a catalyst for a championship-winning season.
2. Religious experience
If Lew Alcindor had never become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA history might have been very different. Abdul-Jabbar had converted to Islam prior to the 1971-72 season, but by 1975, he had grown unhappy in Milwaukee and wanted to play somewhere (either New York or L.A.) where more people shared his religious and cultural background. Bucks GM Wayne Embry complied, sending him to L.A. for Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith and Brian Winters. Abdul-Jabbar would earn three more MVPs, win five NBA championships and become the league's all-time leading scorer ... all while wearing a Lakers uniform.
1. The Capades capade
Heading into the 1956 draft, the Boston Celtics very much wanted to select University of San Francisco star Bill Russell. One problem. Well, actually two. The Celtics had the No. 3 pick in the draft that year, behind Rochester and St. Louis. Boston moved up a spot by sending Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan to the Hawks. Making sure Rochester didn't take Russell at No. 1 required something more creative. Like Celtics owner Walter Brown, who also owned the Ice Capades, promising his counterpart in Rochester additional touring dates if he promised to let Russell drop to No. 2. Apparently the Capades were a bigger draw then than they are now. Russell went to Boston and the Celtics won 11 titles during his 13 seasons.
Forom- http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2550394?GT1=4244
10. Whoops!
If there's an overriding theme to the biggest trades in the history of the Association, it's that they were largely one-sided. And Seattle's draft-day dealing of Scottie Pippen for Olden Polynice may be the most one-sided of them all. Pippen went on to be the league's most famous second option and a six-time world champion. Polynice would play for seven teams (including two stints with the Sonics and Clippers) and would have entirely faded from public consciousness if it wasn't for his getting arrested for impersonating a police officer.
9. Webber's wild world
After being taken by the Orlando Magic with the No. 1 overall pick, Chris Webber was sent packing to Golden State for Penny Hardaway (the third pick in that draft) and three future No. 1s. It would be just a sign of things to come for Webber. Just a little over a year later, the Warriors sent him to Washington for Tom Gugliotta and three more first-round picks. His trade value was significantly diminished by 1996, when the Wizards dealt him to Sacramento for not-exactly-in-their-prime Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe Is a fourth deal involving Webber (say involving a certain L.A. big man) in the future?
8. Who's robbing whom?
When the Pistons sent Grant Hill to the Magic in a sign-and-trade deal, it was widely assumed that Orlando got the better of that transaction and that the lone consolation for Detroit was that it didn't let Hill walk away for nothing. Four years later, that deal looks a whole lot different. Hill has played in just 47 games for the Magic and is down to his last comeback attempt. The Pistons? They got Ben Wallace and Chucky Atkins — who they later packaged to get another Wallace ... namely, Rasheed. With the Wallaces clogging the paint, they brought Detroit the title that Hill couldn't deliver.
7. 'The Holy Grail'
During the 1960s, the New York Knicks desperately wanted to lure Pistons star and Detroit native Dave DeBusschere to the Big Apple. How desperately? Years later, head coach Red Holzman would refer to DeBusschere in his book A View From the Bench as his "Holy Grail." The Knicks finally got their man in 1968, giving up future Hall-of-Fame center Walt Bellamy among others. But it proved to be worth the wait (and the price tag), as DeBusschere would team with Willis Reed and Walt Frazier on a pair of championship teams.
6. The Doctor is out
Can you call it a trade when it involves only one player? Well, it's our list, so we get to make the rules. And we're counting the New Jersey Nets' decision to send Julius Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers for $3 million in cash. The Sixers got a player that would lead them to the NBA Finals four times in seven years and help them win the franchise's second championship. The Nets? Well, they got that big, freakin' check.
5. Celtic pride
Boston's "Big Three" of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish is widely regarded as one of the greatest (if not the greatest) frontcourts in NBA history. Amazingly, team president Red Auerbach was able to assemble two-thirds of that legendary trio in a single deal. Auerbach sent a pair of first-round draft picks (Joe Barry Carroll and Rickey Brown) to Golden State for Parish and the draft pick that would later become McHale. Teamed with Bird, in his second year with Boston, the trio would go on to win the first of their three NBA titles.
4. Before The Feud
When Jerry West dealt Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the draft rights to high schooler Kobe Bryant, it wasn't exactly the sure thing it appears in retrospect. For starters, there was no guarantee that the cap space the move created was going to be enough to land Shaquille O'Neal, in which case the Lakers would have just sent the only serviceable center on their roster packing without enjoying the benefit of a replacement. Plus, at that time, the only prep-to-pros success stories were big men like Moses Malone and Kevin Garnett. Three NBA championships later, it appears (the current mess in Los Angeles notwithstanding) to have been the right move.
3. Stealing the Stilt
It's hard to say what's more amazing. That Wilt Chamberlain was traded not once, but twice. Or the sheer amount of garbage that the respective teams gave up to get one of the most dominant players ever to play the game. The 76ers got Chamberlain for Paul Neumann, Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer and cash. Three years later, Philly gave him up to L.A. for Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark and Darrall Imhoff. And in both cases, Chamberlain would ultimately become a catalyst for a championship-winning season.
2. Religious experience
If Lew Alcindor had never become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, NBA history might have been very different. Abdul-Jabbar had converted to Islam prior to the 1971-72 season, but by 1975, he had grown unhappy in Milwaukee and wanted to play somewhere (either New York or L.A.) where more people shared his religious and cultural background. Bucks GM Wayne Embry complied, sending him to L.A. for Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith and Brian Winters. Abdul-Jabbar would earn three more MVPs, win five NBA championships and become the league's all-time leading scorer ... all while wearing a Lakers uniform.
1. The Capades capade
Heading into the 1956 draft, the Boston Celtics very much wanted to select University of San Francisco star Bill Russell. One problem. Well, actually two. The Celtics had the No. 3 pick in the draft that year, behind Rochester and St. Louis. Boston moved up a spot by sending Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan to the Hawks. Making sure Rochester didn't take Russell at No. 1 required something more creative. Like Celtics owner Walter Brown, who also owned the Ice Capades, promising his counterpart in Rochester additional touring dates if he promised to let Russell drop to No. 2. Apparently the Capades were a bigger draw then than they are now. Russell went to Boston and the Celtics won 11 titles during his 13 seasons.
Forom- http://msn.foxsports.com/story/2550394?GT1=4244