Trades in NBA History: The biggest and most shocking trades in basketball history have catapulted teams to championships and long-term success. Here are seven of the biggest deals in NBA history:
1. April 30, 1956: St. Louis Hawks trade Bill Russell for Boston Celtics
Bill Russell, shown with Celtics coach Red Auerbach in 1956, won 11 NBA titles in Boston.
Jack O’Connell / The Boston Globe / Getty Images
The Rochester Royals overtook Russell with the first overall pick in the 1956 NBA Draft, believing the former University of San Francisco star’s engagement to play for the U.S. Olympic team would cause him to miss the start of the season. The Royals were also said to have been wary of Russell’s salary demands – only the Celtics, Fort Wayne Pistons and Harlem Globetrotters, the barnstorming team, were supposed to be ready to stand up.
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The St. Louis Hawks, one of the poorer teams in the NBA, drafted Russell with the second overall pick and traded him to Boston for St. Louis native center Ed Macauley and pick. coveted 1953 draft draft Cliff Hagan, who had yet to play for Boston due to a military service enlistment. In total, Red Auerbach, the Boston coach’s general manager, secured three future Hall of Fame members – Russell, KC Jones and “territorial” pick Tommy Heinsohn – from the 1956 draft.
The Hawks won the NBA title in 1958, beating Boston. But that feat pales in comparison to Russell’s success for the Celtics. In Boston, he played 13 seasons and won 11 championships, including nine in the 1960s, an unmatched record of excellence in major professional sports. He is considered one of the best players of all time.
July 2, 1968: Philadelphia 76ers trade Wilt Chamberlain for Los Angeles Lakers
Will Chamberlain, shown with 76ers coach Alex Hannum (left) and owner Irv Kasloff in 1967, held out the following season.
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After talks with Chamberlain ended, Philadelphia traded the NBA’s three-time MVP to the Los Angeles Lakers. “He can hold ‘at least 7-4” and he can be the best scorer-rebounder-defenseman-passer in basketball history, “wrote Jack Kiser of the Philadelphia Daily News. “He still wasn’t good enough to write his own ticket with the 76ers.”
Chamberlain almost ended up with another Los Angeles team, the Stars of the American Basketball Association. They would have been willing to make Chamberlain, one of the greatest athletes of all time, a co-owner.
Instead, it was distributed to the Lakers for Darrall Imhoff, Jerry Chambers, and Archie Clark. His time with the Lakers started off tough, which Imhoff expected: “… I don’t know if you can be happy with three super stars (Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and Chamberlain) on one team.”
Despite his declining score in Los Angeles, Chamberlain eventually mingled with Baylor and West. In 1972, the Lakers won the NBA title, the second in the Hall of Fame career.
April 3, 1970: Cincinnati Royals trade Oscar Robertson for Milwaukee Bucks
As with many major NBA trades, salary demands were a major factor in Robertson’s split with the Royals. But as the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Jim Schottelkotte wrote, that was only part of the story. Robertson, the first player in league history to score a double-digit average in goals, rebounds and assists in a season, and Royals coach Bob Cousy, did apparently did not hear.
“The situation here was a situation that I couldn’t go on,” Robertson told the Applicant.
Cousy was conciliatory after the deal, which brought Charlie Paulk and Flynn Robinson to Cincinnati. “I’m sure Oscar will continue his successful career with Milwaukee and maybe have the opportunity to end his playing days with a Championship club now that he’s teamed up with a player of the caliber of Lew Alcindor,” a- he declared.
The partnership between Robertson and Alcindor, who would later become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, paid off almost immediately. In 1971, the Bucks won their first NBA title.
June 4, 1975: Milwaukee Bucks trade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for Los Angeles Lakers
On March 14, 1975, the Bucks lost to the Lakers, 105-104. But the outcome of the game was secondary. Afterwards, Abdul-Jabbar, one of the greatest players in basketball history, confirmed he wanted to be traded.
“The problem is, I don’t have any family or friends in Milwaukee,” the center star said. “Milwaukee isn’t the kind of city I’m talking about. I don’t hit it or the people. It’s just that socially and culturally, I don’t fit into Milwaukee.”
Three months later, Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley moved to Los Angeles for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters and rookies Dave Meyers and Junior Bridgeman.
Abdul-Jabbar started Los Angeles, where he won back-to-back MVP awards in his first two seasons. Ultimately, the Lakers won five championships in his 14 seasons in Los Angeles.
October 5, 1995: San Antonio Spurs trade Dennis Rodman for Chicago Bulls
Rodman was the best rebounder and one of the best defensemen in the NBA. He was also perhaps the most eccentric figure in the league. After a playoff loss to Houston, the Spurs traded him to the Bulls for center Will Perdue. The deal was broken by Chicago Tribune columnist Bernie Lincicome.
“Here is the short list of those who would be better news than Dennis Rodman for the Bulls: Typhoid Mary, Moammar Gadhafi, Charles Manson, Lizzie Borden, Jeffrey Dahmer,” he wrote. “I could go on, but this is a rep starting five.”
Bulls head coach Phil Jackson was cautiously optimistic about bringing the bombastic Rodman on board, saying: “We’re just talking about trying to take good chances with the basketball club. -ball to put them in a championship state. ”
Rodman supercharged the Michael Jordan-led Bulls, which became one of the sport’s greatest dynasties. In three seasons in Chicago, the Bulls have won three NBA titles and Rodman has dominated the league bouncing in each.
July 6, 1996: Charlotte Hornets trades Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers
Kobe BryantKobe Bryant poses with Lakers general manager Jerry West (left) and coach Del Harris after his trade in Los Angeles.
Steve Grayson / WireImage / Getty Images
Charlotte drafted Bryant for the Lakers, intending to sell the 17-year-old high school player in Los Angeles to veteran center Vlade Divac, who was initially reluctant to leave. The acquisition of Bryant seemed a risk for Los Angeles as players preparing for the pros were viewed with skepticism.
“I’m sure people will question me because of my age. That’s the big mystery to most people, ”said Bryant after being drafted with the 13th pick overall.
Divac eventually agreed to the trade, and Bryant won five NBA titles and an MVP with Los Angeles, teaming up with Shaquille O’Neal to form a turn-of-the-century powerhouse.
7. July 10, 2010: Cleveland Cavaliers trade LeBron James for Miami Heat
LeBron James (left) teamed up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to win two NBA titles with Miami.
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James’ move to Miami is best known for his television announcement, which airs on ESPN and dubbed “The Decision.” But the move was really a trade, in which the Cavaliers received two first-round picks and two second-round picks from Miami for James.
The deal united James, stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami and created very high expectations. “They’d better flatten the Earth and not take prisoners. The Heat never got hotter. Only one championship, more than one in fact, will allow them to get away with not being infamous, ”wrote columnist Mike Lopresti.
The Miami herald Dan Le Batard complimented James, writing, “He chose to take less money. He chose to sacrifice being the singular star of his team to share the stage. ”
The movement paid off, but not immediately. In James’ first season in Miami, the Dallas Mavericks upset the Heat in the NBA Finals. But Miami bounced back to win the next two championships.
