The NBA’s Most Game-Changing Blockbuster Trades

The NBA is widely considered the best sporting organization worldwide. One of the reasons that makes this league interesting to follow is the blockbuster trade that can reshape franchises, shift power dynamics, and influence championship runs. Most of the time, there are rumors that lead to a particular move, but every now and then, there are trades that go against all of the expert predictions and best tipsters, leaving the entire basketball world in shock. Some of those trades left an indelible mark on the league, and in this article, we are breaking down some of the biggest, most influential trades in NBA history.

The Most Shocking NBA Trade Ever?

When Luka Doncic went down with an injury on Christmas Day, no one could have predicted that it would actually be the last time he put on the Dallas Mavericks uniform. Days before the NBA trade deadline, the basketball world went upside down with the news that Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. 

Immediately, we all knew that it was one of the most unexpected trades in NBA history. Doncic was named to the All-NBA First Team in the previous five seasons, was the reigning NBA leading scorer, and took the Mavs to the NBA Finals the year before.

However, the Mavericks GM Nico Harrison decided to move Doncic because he was apparently out of shape and was eligible to sign a max extension the following summer. There is no doubt that the Lakers won this trade since they got one of the best players in the league, who is still only 25 years old and would be the face of the franchise and probably the league in the next decade.

Shaq’s Move to Miami (2004) – The Lakers Dynasty Breaks Apart

Sometimes not even winning championships can keep a team together. The Los Angeles Lakers made epic moves back in 1996 when they signed Shaquille O’Neal and traded for rookie Kobe Bryant. These two, playing under head coach Phil Jackson, became the best duo in the league and won three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. 

The two began to look in separate directions, though, as Bryant wanted to be the team’s main man, and things drastically shifted. When Bryant essentially forced the Lakers front office to pick between the two superstars, the tensions between them reached a breaking point.

In order to retain the younger player, the Lakers moved O’Neal to the Miami Heat in return for draft picks, Brian Grant, Lamar Odom, and Caron Butler.

In the end, both teams benefited from the transaction. The Lakers won consecutive NBA titles in 2009 and 2010, while the Heat took home the trophy in 2006.

Pau Gasol to the Lakers – A Championship Catalyst (2008)

By himself, Bryant was unable to lead the Lakers to victory. After O’Neal left, the squad was having trouble, but Pau Gasol’s move helped things turn around.

In 2008, at the age of 28, Gasol was just about to reach his prime and the Lakers needed a big man. The Los Angeles team made a great trade by giving up Aaron McKie, Javaris Crittenton, Kwame Brown, Marc Gasol’s draft rights, and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010.

Bryant was still the Lakers’ most important player, of course, but Gasol was the missing component. Back-to-back titles that solidified Kobe’s legacy and the Lakers’ place in NBA history were the outcome of the two players’ excellent on-court collaboration.

The Dirk Nowitzki Trade (1998) – A Franchise-Altering Mistake

Back in the 1990s, European players were not as valued as today, and one man changed all that. Dirk Nowitzki was a European prospect who turned many heads on basketball tournaments before the draft. The German was drafted ninth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, but they traded him on draft night to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the sixth overall pick, Robert Traylor.

Nowitzki needed some time to adapt to NBA basketball, but once he did that, he became one of the top scorers in the league. He spent his entire career in Dallas, winning the MVP in 2007 and leading the Mavs to the NBA championship in 2011. Nowitzki is sixth on the all-time leading scorers list and is one of the most respected one-team players in league history.

Charles Barkley Joins the Suns (1992) – A Career-Changing Move

Charles Barkley was one of the league’s top power forwards in the 1980s, but he was unable to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to any postseason glory. Barkley called for a trade as the annoyance on both sides increased.

Barkley spent eight seasons in Philadelphia before being dealt to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for Tim Perry, Andrew Lang, and Jeff Hornacek. Barkley earned MVP in his first season in Phoenix and guided the Suns to the NBA Finals, where they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls in six games. Barkley solidified his place in NBA history in Phoenix, despite the fact that he never took home a title.

Kevin Garnett to the Celtics – The Start of a New Era (2007)

Kevin Garnett was one of the best players in the league in the 2000s and a synonym for loyalty. Still, after 12 seasons in Minnesota, he decided it was time for a change and was traded to the Boston Celtics for seven players in 2007.

Garnett joined forces with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, and the Celtics won their first NBA championship since 1986. That was the first big-three in the era, and teams like the Miami Heat and the Golden State Warriors followed the recipe that later led them to winning championships.

Kyrie Irving to Boston – A High-Risk Gamble (2017)

However, the Celtics won only the 2008 championship with that team and were pushing hard to bring the glory days back to Boston. In such an attempt, they traded Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and Brooklyn’s 2018 unprotected first-round pick to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving. 

Anyway, things did not go as planned for either team. Irving was often injured and failed to take the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his two seasons there, while Thomas’ career completely changed, and soon he was out of the league.

It is obvious that some risks pay off and some don’t. However, every NBA team can change its fortune with only one trade, and if the Lakers did that with the Doncic move we are about to see in the years to come.