The Worst Trades in the History of the NBA
In the long history of the NBA, there have been a ton of trades that have significantly altered the landscape of the league. Let's look at the trades that have set certain teams back the most, while greatly helping the other team involved in the deal. Frankly, the title just as easily could have been titled “The Best Trades in the History of the NBA," but what's the fun in that? Let's dog on the teams that made horrible moves that still keep fans up wondering what could have been if only management was a little bit less shortsighted.
1st- Danny Ainge robs the Minnesota Timberwolves for Rudy Gobert
While it’s only been a year since this trade went down, it’s impossible to understand how an NBA General Manager actually thought this was a good idea. The Timberwolves gave up Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Walker Kessler, four first-round picks, and a pick swap for Rudy Gobert. Gobert is a very good regular season defender, a great screen setter/roller, and a very good rebounder. He was also 30 years old when this trade went down, a bad free throw shooter, has no post-game or passing ability and has proven unable to guard teams that gameplan for him in the Playoffs. Despite this, the Minnesota Timberwolves mortgaged their, and young superstar Anthony Edwards', future on the idea that Gobert would elevate them to a contender level. In doing so, they locked in on the core of Edwards and the two highest paid Centers in the league, Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns. As everyone predicted, Towns proved too slow to effectively play the Power Forward spot, and the Wolves finished four spots worse in the standings. Both Towns and Goberts' best moments came when the other was off the court. Given the lack of cap space or assets going forward, it's hard to imagine how the Wolves will ever build a contender around Anthony Edwards. It’s also somewhat ironic that Walker Kessler appears to be a younger, cheaper, and better version of Rudy Gobert, possessing all the same strengths and weaknesses. Given that this trade had no chance of ever working out and will likely lead to the team having to trade their young superstar, it takes the top spot on our list.
2nd- Boston Celtics trade the washed up versions of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry for the picks that became Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown
This trade shows the importance of good ownership in the NBA since the team had recently been acquired by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, who desired the team to instantly be transformed into a championship contender with his core of Joe Johnson, Deron Williams, and Brook Lopez. Had they assembled that lineup two to three years earlier, it probably would have worked. But Lopez was the only player who was even close to his prime at the time, so the team locked in merely as a contender for a mid to late playoff seed. The Boston Celtics on the other hand, used the draft picks to acquire the superstar Jayson Tatum as well as star Jaylen Brown, who as recently as the year before last season took them to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Warriors. The future is bright in Boston, and it appears likely that this team will be able to win a championship in the next five years. Given how much this set Brooklyn back and helped Boston usher in its new era, it takes the second spot on our list.
3rd- Oklahoma City Thunder trade young James Harden for a package of Role Players
Before James Harden became the strip club-loving locker room cancer that he is today, he was a star in his role as the sixth man for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder had built a young core consisting of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and James Harden but figured that they would be unable to pay all four of them and decided Harden was the odd man out. So they traded him to the Houston Rockets, receiving Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, who left after one season, and two first-round picks, one of which became Steven Adams. Lamb, Martin, and especially Adams were all good role players, but Harden became a bonafide superstar in Houston, leaving us wondering what could have been, had the Thunder decided to keep him. Harden, Westbrook, and Durant have all won an MVP award, so it appears very likely they would have been able to win a championship had they stayed together, especially considering they made the NBA Finals their last season together, when they lost to the Miami Heat. This big mistake by the Thunder earns them the third spot on our list.
4th - Rockets trade Chris Paul and 4 first round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook
With the Thunder and Rockets two spots in a row, these teams should probably think a little harder before interacting with one another. While Russell Westbrook was still an excellent player, it's arguable Chris Paul was actually the better player at the time. The Rockets had just pushed the KD Golden State Warriors to six games and had been up three to two the year before when Chris Paul got hurt at the end of Game Five. It's definitely possible they could have closed it out, had Paul not gotten hurt, and subsequently went on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, who got smoked in the Finals by that Warriors team. Kevin Durant left the Warriors the summer this trade went down, so it's hard to fathom why the team that had been so close before felt the need to shake it up significantly. The next season the Rockets nearly went up two to zero on the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers, but, Westbrook shot 4/15 overall and 1/7 from three with the Lakers leaving him completely unguarded. Westbrook finished minus 14 in that Game Two, while the Lakers won by eight. His actual impact was probably worse, however, as it took away driving lanes for Harden and Eric Gordon. Everyone else who played more than 23 minutes shot 50 percent or over, and it's hard to imagine Chris Paul not playing well enough to cement the win, giving the Rockets what would have been their best chance at a title in the Harden era. Giving up four first-round picks in the deal was insane, earning them the fourth spot on our list.
5th- Sixers give up prime Charles Barkley for almost nothing
Charles Barkley had recently requested a trade, so the Sixers sent him to the Phoenix Suns for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang. The Sixers spent the next five years missing the playoffs, while the Suns made the 93 Finals and saw Barkley win a regular season MVP award. Failing to receive so much as a single draft pick for one of the greatest players in the History of the NBA cements this as one of the worst moves of all time. This trade earns the fifth spot on our list.
6th- Seattle SuperSonics receive Ray Allen and a first round pick from the Milwaukee Bucks for Gary Payton
This trade doesn’t seem horrible on paper since Allen and Payton were stars when the deal happened. Milwaukee was unable to re-sign Gary Payton after the year ended, however, Allen spent the next four years averaging 24.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 4.0 APG while shooting 39 percent from three, making the All-Star team every year.
7th- Sixers trade Jayson Tatum and a future first for Markelle Fultz
A year after drafting Ben Simmons as the number one pick, the Sixers decided the best way to improve their team would be to move up from third to first pick to draft the consensus number one pick Markelle Fultz. The Sixers gave up a future first-round pick to facilitate the deal. Danny Ainge and the Boston Celtics claimed the player they would select at third was the best player in the draft, and that turned out to be right. Jayson Tatum has since become a superstar for Boston, while Fultz immediately injured his shoulder after violating the terms of his contract by riding a motorcycle. Fultz went on to have a few terrible seasons in Philadelphia before being traded for a late first-round pick that became Tyrese Maxey.
8th- Clippers give up what became the number one pick in Kyrie Irving for Mo Williams.
The Clippers had recently drafted Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Eric Gordon, so they felt they were perhaps a Mo Williams away from contending. That turned out to be very wrong, and the draft pick they sent became Kyrie Irving, who later helped Cleveland win an NBA Championship over the Warriors.
