At the start of every season, teams bring in all their expert minds to form the best teams possible. Behind the glitz and glamor of the NBA franchises picking up a victory, there lies immense hard work to set up a perfect batch of athletes to gel well throughout the season. And sometimes, in order to find a perfect match, franchises tend to hit a fortune.
Here’s a look at some of the best NBA trades that changed teams’ fortunes.
5. Andrew Wiggins
Looking for stability in their lineup, the Golden State Warriors took a huge gamble in 2020. They traded Jacob Evans, D’Angelo Russell, and Omari Spellman, along with a Round 1 draft pick to rope in Andrew Wiggins from the Minnesota Timberwolves. And Wiggins grabbed the opportunity with both hands. After just a year, Wiggins came to his absolute best and played a principal role in guiding the Warriors to NBA glory in 2022. Averaging 39.2 MPG, 18.3 PPG, and 8.8 RPG in the playoffs, Wiggins became an NBA All-Star, establishing his legacy in the league.
4. Ben Wallace
When Grant Hill decided to leave the Pistons, they orchestrated a deal that turned out to be worth gold dust. Trading in Hill to the Orlando Magic, the Detroit Pistons acquired the services of Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace. At the time, no one knew who these athletes were. However, over time, while Atkins faded out, Wallace began to take giant steps. Soon taking up the role of the defensive anchor of the Pistons, Wallace guided his team to a historic championship run in 2004.
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In the finals, the Pistons humbled the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, who had won the NBA championship for three consecutive years until 2004. Wallace continued to be a defensive pillar winning the Defensive Player of the Year on four occasions. To honor his achievements, Wallace also became a Hall of Famer.
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3. Dennis Rodman
With star players like Micahel Jordan and Horace Grant leaving the Chicago Bulls, the once invincible team looked quite out of sorts. In a desperate bid to fill the void, the Bulls traded Will Perdue for Dennis Rodman. Instantly, Rodman brought the fire to the Bulls’ outfit. His dominant presence inside the court was enough to attract his opponents’ attraction, allowing the others to score. The fact that the Bulls were +918 in the final couple of Rodman’s years and won three more championships with him goes on to show his sheer dominance within the NBA realm.
2. Kawhi Leonard
The San Antonio Spurs let go of George Hill to the Indiana Pacers. However, they quietly picked up Kawhi Leonard instead who went on to become an asset for the team in the future. Showing off his defensive qualities initially, Leonard soon became a threat on the offensive end of things as well. Leonard soon contributed significantly to take the Spurs into the finals in 2013. While he missed out on winning the championships by a small margin, Leonard made amends the following year, guiding the Spurs to victory in 2014
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1. Kobe Bryant
The Charlotte Hornets made perhaps their biggest blunder when they traded Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac. At the time, Divac was an established defensive player who provided the much-needed stability to the Hornets’ lineup. However, the not-so-popular Kobe Bryant soon went into God mode. Benefitting from the trade, Bryant helped the Lakers win five NBA titles, establishing his status as an icon.
He transitioned into a legend soon, and after 20 years of his NBA career, Bryant ended with 1-time NBA MVP, 15-time All-NBA Player, 2-time Finals MVP, and 18-time All-Star. Before passing away unexpectedly in a helicopter crash in 2020, Bryant was also inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame.
Thus, with these trades changing the complexion of the team’s win-loss record, the NBA realm will be eager to watch out for more such trades in the near future.
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