Babe Ruth got traded. Wayne Gretzky got traded. Diego Maradona got transferred, which is just a fancy way of saying traded for money instead of for another player.
Blockbusters happen. The latest was the stunning deal that sent Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis.
Here's a look at some of the biggest blockbusters in NBA history, with one caveat — draft-night trades that panned out in huge ways (like Dallas acquiring Dirk Nowitzki and the Lakers getting Kobe Bryant) aren't included, nor are ones that really were free-agent moves like LeBron James getting sent to Miami in a sign-and-trade involving the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010.
1968: Wilt gets traded
Wilt Chamberlain — who had a 100-point game six years earlier — got traded by the Philadelphia 76ers to the Lakers for Darrall Imhoff, Archie Clark, Jerry Chambers and cash.
1975: Kareem to the Lakers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who already was a two-time MVP and an NBA champion, got moved by the Milwaukee Bucks (along with Walt Wesley) to the Lakers for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers and Junior Bridgeman.
1976: Dr. J to Philly
Welcome to the NBA, Julius Erving. The three-time defending ABA MVP got traded by the New York Nets to the Philadelphia 76ers for $3 million.
1992: Barkley joins the Suns
It didn't lead to a title, but Charles Barkley's move to Phoenix got the Suns into the 1993 NBA Finals and gave Barkley an MVP trophy. He was traded by Philadelphia for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang.
1996, 2001 and 2008: The sagas of Jason Kidd
Jason Kidd was coming off his first All-Star season when Dallas traded him to Phoenix in December 1996. The Suns traded him to New Jersey in 2001 — leading to a couple of Nets runs to the NBA Finals — and then they eventually sent him back to Dallas in 2008. The Mavs, with Kidd, won the NBA title in 2011. (And Kidd, as the current coach of the Mavs, has a ringside seat to this latest blockbuster.)
2000: Ewing leaves the Knicks
Patrick Ewing wanted to leave New York after 15 seasons, and the Knicks orchestrated a four-team blockbuster to make that happen. The principals: Ewing went to Seattle, the Lakers got Horace Grant, the Knicks landed Glen Rice and Phoenix got Chris Dudley and a first-round pick.
2004: Shaq says ‘Hello, Miami’
The Lakers — never afraid to make a big move — sent Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler and a first-round pick. O'Neal helped the Heat to their first championship two years later.
2007: KG joins the Celtics
After 12 seasons in Minnesota, Kevin Garnett got traded to the Boston Celtics for a massive haul of players and draft capital — Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff and Sebastian Telfair, along with two first-round picks. It worked wonders for Boston, which won the 2008 NBA title and had the unforgettable moment of Garnett, confetti stuck to him, screaming “Anything is possible!” in a televised interview after the Celtics' championship was clinched.
2011: Melo to the Garden
About eight years removed from leading Syracuse to a national title, Carmelo Anthony returned to the Empire State — going to the Knicks in a massive deal in terms of both size and scope. The Knicks got Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Anthony Carter, Sheldon Williams and Corey Brewer. Denver got Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov and picks. Minnesota got Eddy Curry and Anthony Randolph.
2018: Kawhi to the Raptors
In another move that quickly led to a championship, the Toronto Raptors landed Kawhi Leonard (along with guard Danny Green) from the San Antonio Spurs for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round draft pick. The Raptors won the 2019 NBA title, with Leonard leading the way.
2019: AD to the Lakers
Setting the stage for the 2020 NBA title run, the Lakers got Anthony Davis in a three-team deal that notably sent Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and Brandon Ingram — plus a lot of picks — to New Orleans in a deal that also involved Washington.
2021: Harden to Brooklyn
Already with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn got James Harden from Houston to form a Big Three that seemed destined to win titles. It didn't work — injuries doomed everything — but it was a massive swing by the Nets.
2022: Harden leaves Brooklyn for Philadelphia
Harden got moved by Brooklyn to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons — who asked for a trade months earlier — along with guard Seth Curry and center Andre Drummond. The 76ers also received Paul Millsap.
2023: Irving joins the Mavericks
The Mavericks and Nets agreed days before the trade deadline on a deal that sent Kyrie Irving to Dallas for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and a package of draft picks. It created a big new duo: Irving and Luka Doncic.
2023: Durant heads to Phoenix
At one time, the Nets had a Big Three of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Durant was the last member of the trio still in Brooklyn, and he got moved in February 2023 to Phoenix. It was a four-team deal, with the Nets getting Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson, first-round picks in 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029, and a first-round pick swap in 2028 from the Suns, who also got T.J. Warren from the Nets.
2025: Luka to LA, AD to Dallas
The latest came Sunday: Luka Doncic from Dallas to the Lakers, Anthony Davis leaving Los Angeles for the Mavericks. How seismic? It's the first midseason trade ever for current All-NBA players.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
The Associated Press
