NBA trades, often involving star athletes, have the power to reshape the NBA’s competitive landscape, making or breaking championship aspirations.
Players often ask for a trade due to their dissatisfaction with the team’s direction, or lack thereof. Star players want to be competitive each year while teams may go in a different direction due to factors such as the inability to surround their stars with the right talent or the union has run its course.
In today’s list, we will discuss 10 NBA trades that shaped the league’s history. We will only include trades that have resulted in an NBA championship.
Dennis Rodman to Chicago Bulls, 1995
San Antonio finally gave up on Rodman’s eccentric behavior and traded him to the Bulls in exchange for backup big man Will Perdue and cash considerations. The trade was initially seen as a risk due to Rodman’s unpredictable antics and advancing age.
But Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen assured the Bulls’ front office that they would collectively ‘control’ Rodman in his time with Chicago. The trade was a huge success as Rodman was the spark Chicago desperately needed to achieve another three-peat from 1996 to 1998.
Shaquille O'Neal to Miami Heat, 2004
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At the height of Shaq’s feud with Kobe, the Lakers shocked the world by trading O’Neal to Miami in exchange for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, and Brian Grant.
In his prime, Shaq was named as the league MVP in 2000 and won three Finals MVP from 2000 to 2002. With Miami, O’Neal teamed up with young star Dwyane Wade and steered the franchise toward their first title in 2006.
Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston Celtics, 2007
Garnett and Allen’s time with their respective teams has run its course. Minnesota has failed to build properly around Garnett and Allen’s Supersonics was due for a rebuild.
The price to attain both players was astronomical but it was necessary due to the fact that both of them were at the latter stages of their prime years.
Garnett and Allen partnered with long-time Celtic Paul Pierce to form a Big Three in the East. They won a championship in their first year together and remained contenders within the next few years.
Dirk Nowitzki to Dallas Mavericks, 1998
Nowitzki was a relatively unknown player before the 1998 draft. It was also a time when European players were deemed ‘soft’ by NBA standards. Nobody really scoffed when Dirk and Pat Garrity were traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for the 6th pick of the 1998 NBA Draft, college standout Robert Traylor.
In hindsight, it was understandable why the Bucks had chosen to trade Nowitzki for Traylor – the league was fairly physical in the 1990s. Dirk became one of the greatest power forwards in basketball history while Traylor only played seven uneventful seasons in the NBA.
Oscar Robertson to Milwaukee Bucks, 1970
Robertson was already an established superstar in the NBA before he was traded to Milwaukee. He was a ten-time NBA All-Star and a league MVP but was missing a championship in his resumé.
Rumor has it that there was an irreparable friction between Robertson and Cincinnati Royals head coach Bob Cousy which factored heavily in The Big O’s departure. Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar formed a fantastic duo in Milwaukee and both players steered the franchise to an NBA title in 1971.
Scottie Pippen to Chicago Bulls, 1987
Pippen shot up the draft boards in 1987 due to his potential as a defender and a scorer. Although the Bulls have had some success with Michael Jordan, the team badly needed a makeover to seriously contend in the brutal Eastern Conference.
They quickly pounced on Pippen’s availability by trading veteran Olden Polynice, the 8th pick in the 1987 draft and future draft pick options to Seattle. In just a few years, it was evident that Pippen’s talent was special and he became one of the best small forwards in the history of the league.
Kobe Bryant to Los Angeles Lakers, 1996
After Bryant was selected by the Hornets as the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, his camp immediately demanded a trade to get out of Charlotte.
The Lakers and sent beloved big man Vlade Divac to Charlotte in exchange for the yet unproven Kobe Bryant. This was initially seen as a win-win scenario for both teams as Charlotte needed a center badly to replace Alonzo Mourning’s production.
But as we all know, Bryant became one of the best players in the history of basketball and won multiple championships with the Lakers. This trade shaped the basketball landscape for nearly a couple of decades.
Bill Russell to Boston Celtics, 1956
While we all may think that Russell was a Celtic from the start, this was not initially the case in 1956. Russell was originally drafted by the St. Louis Hawks as the second overall pick in the 1956 NBA Draft.
The Hawks traded him to Boston in exchange for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan. Russell won an unprecedented 11 championships in 13 years with the Celtics.
He became a vicious rebounder and defender, thus cementing his place as one of the best big men to ever play in the NBA.
Kawhi Leonard to Toronto Raptors, 2018
Leonard’s time with San Antonio was fruitful but there was some bitterness along the way. He won a Finals MVP in 2014 but struggled with injuries in the subsequent seasons, which caused irreparable friction between him and his San Antonio teammates.
Toronto swooped in and traded for Leonard even if they knew that there was a huge possibility that he would end up as a one-year rental.
It was a bold move by Raptors President Masai Ujiri but paid off in a huge way as Kawhi led Toronto to their first NBA title in 2019. Kawhi did move to the Clippers when free agency began, but the impact he left at Toronto was timeless.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Los Angeles Lakers, 1975
Kareem is probably one of the top two centers in the history of the league. He was already a superstar in Milwaukee prior to his trade to the Lakers in 1975.
This was considered one of the most lopsided trades in league history as the return to Milwaukee was abysmal. The Bucks received Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman and Dave Meyers in exchange for Kareem and Walt Wesley.
Kareem won five NBA titles with the Lakers during the 1980s and solidified himself as the best-scoring big man the game has ever seen.
