Are these the craziest trades in NBA history?

NBA trade market
Some have got it wrong
Who are they?
Rodman joining Chicago
Championship success
Pippen to Chicago
Michael Jordan's sidekick
Nowitzki to the Mavericks
Dallas legend
Barkley to Phoenix
MVP
Kobe Bryant joining the Lakers
Big mistake
Kyrie Irving to Cleveland
Number one pick
Pau Gasol joining the LA Lakers
Lakers legacy
NBA trade market

In the NBA, the trade market can be franchise-defining, either putting in the building blocks for championship success or years of playoff misses.

Some have got it wrong

Throughout the years, some franchises have got it massively wrong in the NBA trade market.

Who are they?

Let's look through some of these defining trades that have shaped the NBA in recent years.

Rodman joining Chicago

In 1995, the Chicago Bulls needed a strong rebounding presence after letting Horace Grant go to the Orlando Magic. The Bulls brought in the greatest rebounder of all time, Dennis Rodman.

Championship success

The San Antonio Spurs let a 34-year-old Rodman go to Chicago in exchange for former Bulls backup center Will Perdue. Unfortunately for the Spurs, Rodman would be crucial for the next three years, winning three NBA Championships.

Pippen to Chicago

In the 1987 NBA draft, the Seattle Supersonics held the fifth pick, drafting small forward Scottie Pippen. The Supersonics would later send him to Chicago for center Olden Polynice.

Michael Jordan's sidekick

Polynice averaged five points and four rebounds in five years for Seattle, whilst Pippen went on to become one of the best players in the league, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls.

Nowitzki to the Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki was selected in the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. Later in the day, he and 19th pick Pat Garrity were packaged to Dallas for the power forward Robert Traylor.

Dallas legend

Whilst Traylor would go on to average five points and three rebounds, according to sportscasting.com, Nowitzki would go on to win an NBA Championship and NBA MVP in a hall-of-fame career.

Barkley to Phoenix

In 1992, Charles Barkley was arguably the best power forward in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers. Shockingly, the 76ers wanted to trade Barkley and looked to the Phoenix Suns for a trade package.

MVP

Philadelphia traded Barkley for Jeff Hornacek and two role players, setting the team on a string of bad seasons. However, Barkley would take his Suns team to the 1993 NBA Finals and win the MVP award.

Kobe Bryant joining the Lakers

Kobe Bryant became one of the greatest NBA players of all time with the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite that, prior to even playing a game in the NBA, the Charlotte Hornets traded him on draft day.

Big mistake

The Hornets traded Bryant for center Vlade Divac. Initially, it looked like a great trade for the Hornets, making the playoffs two seasons in a row, but the Lakers would have the last laugh, winning five NBA Championships with Bryant being the head of the success.

Kyrie Irving to Cleveland

The Los Angeles Clippers sent Baron Davis and an unprotected first-round pick (Kyrie Irving) to Cleveland for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.

Number one pick

Cleveland's unprotected pick became the number one pick of the 2011 NBA draft, choosing Kyrie Irving to help build the franchise after LeBron James had left.

Pau Gasol joining the LA Lakers

The Memphis Grizzlies traded Pau Gasol and a second-round pick to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and the rights to Marc Gasol in 2008.

Lakers legacy

Pau Gasol would go on to form a historic dynamic Lakers duo with Kobe Bryant, winning two championships, having five All-Star selections, and four All-NBA teams.

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