The NBA 75th anniversary team photoshopped around the 75th anniversary logo (photo accreditation: Pro Sports Outlook)
Linsanity in LA: The 10 craziest trades in NBA history
By Eddie Zielinski
A little over 78 years ago, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) was founded after merging with the National Basketball League (NBL). Around three years later, for the 1949-50 season, the league decided to change its name. It debuted the now world-renowned National Basketball Association (NBA).
For years, basketball has been a significant source of entertainment for the common folk. With 30 teams representing 30 cities and one team even playing in Canada, the league offers a diverse portfolio for viewers to support. But a big part of what the NBA’s identity has become is its lack of sleep. Players, coaches, and even cash considerations aren’t safe, with trades and signings always taking fans aback. These are the 10 trades that have shaped the NBA and left fan bases in complete and utter awe.
Number X: Oscar Robertson traded due to… jealousy?
Before the 1970-71 season, the then Cincinnati Royals (now Sacramento Kings) traded their franchise guy Oscar Robertson to the Milwaukee Bucks in a deal that stunned fans on both sides of the ball. On one hand, the Royals had missed the playoffs for three straight years, so a change was imminent. But to trade away the franchise guy instead of building around him left the NBA world appalled.
Regardless of fan belief, they pulled the metaphoric trigger and, in return, got Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk. No statement or official reason for the trade was ever reported, but the legend is that NBA Hall of Famer Bob Cousy, the coach of the Royals at the time, grew jealous of Robinson’s success.
If Cousy did this to try and tarnish Robertson’s legacy, though, he failed miserably. Robertson would go on to team up with Lew Alcindor (also known as Kareem-Adbul-Jabarr) and would go on to win a championship ring after six years of consecutive struggle in Cinci.
Number IX: Three consecutive MVPs are not good enough for Philadelphia
The year was 1968, and the Philadelphia 76ers were divorced from their old home in Syracuse five years ago and two years removed from an NBA championship headlined by their superstar and three-time most valuable player (MVP), Wilt Chamberlain. Following his first championship, Chamberlain and the Sixers already had a rocky relationship, but it continued to worsen until it boiled over. Trying to keep his focus on the court, though, Wilt continued to put up historic numbers, averaging 24.3 points and 23.8 rebounds a game en route on his journey to his third consecutive MVP. When in the playoffs, Chamberlain tried to lead the team to a championship in back-to-back years.
After dominating the Boston Celtics early in the series, the tragic death of public figure and activist Martin Luther King Jr. in the middle of the series led many to call for the series to be canceled and the distress of many players on both teams. The series continued to be played, though, and the Celtics would rally to pull off the first-ever three-one comeback in the NBA playoffs’ young history. After this, the fallout with the front office continued to happen, and with the abrupt departure of head coach Alex Hannum to the ABA, Chamberlain requested a trade, and General Manager Jack Ramsay granted it. Chamberlain was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers, which ended the Chamberlain era in Philadelphia. Some may present the question, didn’t Chamberlain want out? Yes, but that’s due to Philadelphia’s lack of communication with the star player. Wilt would continue to cement his legacy in LA, and the Sixers would struggle for years to come.
Number VIII: Bryant was traded on draft night
With the 1996 draft approaching, the Charlotte Hornets were looking to reshape their franchise with the 13th pick. When that day came, the Hornets took a senior in high school out of Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia. His name, you ask? Kobe Bryant. If you look back on that today, the Hornets drafted one of the greatest players ever. But looking a little deeper, you would find out he never put on the light blue threads in Charlotte. Bryant was shipped to the Lakers on draft night for Vlade Divac, one of the most perplexing trades in NBA history when looking back in time.
“Charlotte never wanted me,” Bryant reiterated when asked about the trade.
This trade would shape NBA history as Kobe became one of the most decorated players in the game, winning five championships, one MVP, and a Hall of Fame induction.
Number VII: The New Orleans Robbery of 2019
In 2019, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking for a star to pair with Lebron James after a disappointing season the year prior. They had their eyes on the Pelicans superstar, Anthony Davis. Davis, who at the time was only 26, had proven himself to be one of the best defensive big men in the league. The Pelicans weren’t giving him up for cheap, which showed when the Lakers finalized the deal.
The Pelicans traded Davis but, in return, took Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and a plethora of picks, which allowed them to draft superstar Zion Williamson. None of the players involved in the trade are on that respected team, and LA got a ring out of AD before his departure. Still, the opportunity to draft Zion and to lock the future up for years to come with a young core could outweigh the one championship that the Pelicans were far away winning in some people’s minds.
Number VI: The end of something special in San Antonio
2018 Kawhi Leonard and the San Antonio Spurs relationship had soured, and he wanted out. LeBron, signing to the Lakers that off-season allowed someone to make a run and claim the Eastern Conference Final crown. The Toronto Raptors, the only Canadian club in the sport, decided that they were going to try and go all in for Leonard. In a blockbuster deal, DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a 2019 unprotected first-round pick were shipped to the Spurs; in return, they received Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green.
Initially, the Raptors fanbase felt blindsided and hurt as DeRozan was their homegrown talent and a bona fide superstar. That sadness quickly withered, though, as Leonard would put on a show in Toronto, being known as the leader of the 2019 team that won the championship. Leonard would leave in the off-season, but this was Toronto’s first-ever championship, so it was a win for them.
On the other hand, this ended something special in San Antonio as Kawhi Leonard was a centerpiece of the 2014 team that won a championship. The Spurs also struggled to string wins together since then, having not been over a .500 Win percentage since 2019, though they look to change that this year with star De’Aaron Fox.
Number V: Carmelo forces his way out of Denver?
In 2011, the Denver Nuggets would complete one of the biggest trades in NBA history, sending New York native Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks. Quickly, speculation started pouring in, assuming Melo forced his way out. “That was never the case,” said Anthony during his appearance on “The Why with Dwyane Wade.”
The Nuggets, who had just reached the Western Conference Finals, made it seem like they were headed for a rebuild, and Anthony wanted no part of it. After expressing this to the front office, he was shipped to New York, where he would spend the next six years of his Hall-of-Fame career. While the Knicks did not win anything with Anthony, the trade remains one of the most prominent in NBA history.
Number IV: The start of Los Angeles’s impressive resume
Long ago, in 1975, the Milwaukee Bucks were four years removed from their first-ever NBA title, but their superstar, Kareem-Adbul-Jabbarr, wanted to leave, so it would be their last one for a while. Jabarr, who had no bad things to say about the Bucks, just wanted a change of scenery, and his wish was granted.
On June 16, 1975, Kareem was shipped to Los Angeles in return for Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith, and Brian Winters. The Bucks would struggle without Kareem, logging an active streak of 50 years before winning another championship without him. Jabarr would thrive in Los Angeles, winning two consecutive MVPs and five more championships before retiring as a Laker. Kareem and the Bucks may have never had a fallout, but the people of Milwaukee most likely resent him for the fact that he left and went on to win five rings.
Number III: 5 first-round picks?
In the summer of 2019, Kawhi Leonard, who was fresh off winning a championship with the Raptors, as mentioned earlier, told the Clippers to trade for Paul George or watch him sign with their cross-town rivals, the Lakers. So they did, but it cost them their future. The Clippers received Paul George at the expense of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two swaps.
At the time, Gilgeous-Alexander, who is eight years younger than George, was coming off a decent rookie season and was a nice bench piece for the Clippers. Little did they know, Alexander would eventually become one of the league’s best, averaging 30 points in two consecutive seasons.
Though all of those five picks haven’t been used up yet, the Thunder did select Tre Mann and Jalen Williams so far, who have helped the Thunder become one of the best teams in the Western Conference in the last few years. The Clippers struggled to keep Leonard and George on the court together due to injury.
After not winning anything in his five years of playing in Los Angeles, the Clippers would lose Paul George to free agency, making this one of the most lopsided trades in the league’s history.
Number II: The past traded for the future
In the summer of 2013, the Boston Celtics made one of the most brilliant trades in NBA history. The Celtics had two aging stars, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. After losing in the first round of the playoffs and losing the third piece to the “big three,” Ray Allen, to free agency the previous year, the Celtics were ready to flip the switch and prepare for the future.
The Celtics worked out a trade in which they traded those two stars to the Brooklyn Nets and, in return, received three first-round picks and a 2017 pick swap. The Nets, who had just moved from New Jersey two years prior, believed this made them title favorites. They were a competitive team in 2014 but did not win the title. Following the playoff loss, Pierce would leave, and Garnett would leave the following year.
On the other hand, the Celtics selected Jaylen Brown in 2016. They traded the pick swap to Philadelphia and selected Jayson Tatum with the pick they received from the 76ers. Tatum and Brown are known today as two of the biggest stars in the league, and debatably, the best duo could also help lead Boston to a Championship in 2024 and cement their legacy. This trade proved to the league that age is a very important factor, no matter how great the player once was, and the Nets have yet to win a title since.
Number I: Los Angeles does it again
On Feb. 2, 2025, what could be the most significant trade in sports entertainment took place. The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers completed a trade that sent Luka Doncic to LA and Anthony Davis to Dallas. Luka, 25, had proven to Dallas that he could be a franchise player by leading them to the finals just last year. But a 2025 campaign plagued by injuries had Doncic adding on weight and being unable to work out properly.
Dallas had concerns about Luka’s poor conditioning and availability for the Supermax contract. Davis, 31, has been one of the best defensive players in the league since joining the Lakers in 2019, helping them win a championship during the 2020 season.
The 2024-25 campaign for Davis has been one of his healthiest and best seasons yet. “I believe that defense wins championships,” said Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison, so the move to try and get Davis for his defensive presence is not surprising. But Davis is not known for being the healthiest of players either, only playing in 60 or more games in a season twice since arriving in LA, and since arriving in Dallas has already gotten injured after three quarters of basketball in a Mavericks jersey. So the decision to trade Doncic due to conditioning and receive a player like Davis, who hasn’t proven he is the healthiest, is questionable.
The Mavericks and Lakers will face off one more time this season after the Lakers won the first battle since the trade on Feb. 25, though with the absence of an injured Davis. The final matchup this season will happen on April 9, when Doncic returns to Dallas for the first time since the trade.
