The Los Angeles Lakers have been involved in some of the biggest trades in NBA history, but Saturday night’s deal might be the biggest of all time.
Yes, there’s recency bias, and there’s no way of knowing how the deal will pan out. But the Lakers acquiring Luka Dončić, a 25-year-old who is a five-time NBA All-Star and five-time All-NBA First Team selection — someone who just led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals last season — is monumental. Players with Dončić’s credentials at his age rarely get traded, much less during the season.
GO DEEPER
Luka Dončić to Lakers from Mavericks for Anthony Davis in NBA blockbuster
But if legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley can be traded, it stands to reason there may be no true untradable player.
In 10 years, Dončić to the Lakers might rank as the biggest trade in NBA history. Only time will tell. But before Dončić or Anthony Davis play for their new teams, there is no denying this is the kind of trade that can alter the power of the league for the next decade and beyond.
And there’s plenty of dealing still to be done before Thursday’s trade deadline. One major move was made Sunday when the San Antonio Spurs acquired De’Aaron Fox from the Sacramento Kings as part of a three-team deal that also included Zach LaVine going from the Chicago Bulls to the Kings. Fox, 27, was an All-Star in 2023 and joins Victor Wembanyama, who made his first All-Star team this year and looks to be in the conversation for best player in the league for years to come.
All-Stars like Jimmy Butler and Bradley Beal could be dealt soon. And, as the Lakers and Mavericks showed, there could be some surprises in the works around the NBA.
With that in mind, we decided to rank some of the trades where the biggest names in the NBA found new teams. And yes, Dončić is included.
1. Bucks trade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Lakers
In six seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, Abdul-Jabbar won three league MVPs, two scoring titles and NBA Rookie of the Year in 1970. He also paired with another all-time great, Oscar Robertson, to win an NBA championship in 1971, Abdul-Jabbar’s second season. The 7-foot-2 center’s impact was so great, the Bucks won an NBA title in the franchise’s third year of existence, the fastest of any expansion team.
But the Bucks fell short of winning another title the next three years, and Robertson retired in 1974 after the team lost in seven games to the Boston Celtics.
Almost five months after that Game 7, Abdul-Jabbar, who grew up in New York and went to college at UCLA, informed Bucks brass he wanted to leave Milwaukee. Abdul-Jabbar, Bucks general manager Wayne Embry, two members of the Bucks’ board and Sam Gilbert, Abdul-Jabbar’s adviser, met for dinner in Milwaukee on Oct. 1, 1974. That’s when Abdul-Jabbar let the Bucks know he wanted out.
“We asked Kareem if there was dissatisfaction with us, and he said no, he just wanted to be traded from Milwaukee,” Embry told the Los Angeles Times in 1987. “He said his lifestyle and the lifestyle in Milwaukee were not compatible.”
On the floor, Abdul-Jabbar was injured for the first 17 games of the season, and the Bucks stumbled through a 38-44 campaign.
“I had only one year left on my contract, and I told them I really wasn’t interested in signing up again,” Abdul-Jabbar said. “I wanted to leave Milwaukee. If they would trade me, it would be the best thing for everybody.”
Off the floor, the Bucks looked to accommodate their center’s request to be dealt to three reported destinations: New York, Washington or Los Angeles. They wanted the best return for a three-time NBA MVP. Jabbar and the Bucks kept silent until March 14, 1975.
“I have no unkind feelings toward the people of Milwaukee or Wisconsin,” Abdul-Jabbar said at the time. “I want to underline that. But my family and friends aren’t here, and culturally, what I’m into does not exist here. My stay with management has been great, and the personnel on the team are great. I have no complaints on that.”
Three months later, on June 16, 1975, the Bucks traded Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley to the Lakers for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, Junior Bridgeman and cash.
OTD (1975) The Bucks sent 3 x MVP Kareem Abdul-Jabbar & Walt Wesley to the Lakers for Brian Winters, Elmore Smith, Junior Bridgeman & David Meyers.
As a member of the Lakers, Kareem won 5 NBA Championships, 3 more MVP awards & finished his career with the most PTS in NBA history pic.twitter.com/Ynbr7VptFf
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 16, 2022
At the time, everyone knew how seismic the move was.
“In a deal that reshapes the face and possibly the future of pro basketball,” Steve Cady of The New York Times wrote, “the Milwaukee Bucks traded Kareem Abdul‐Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers.”
The Lakers won five NBA championships with Abdul-Jabbar at center. He went on to win three additional NBA MVP awards and retired as league’s all-time leading scorer. The Bucks wouldn’t win another championship for 46 years.
2. San Francisco Warriors trade Wilt Chamberlain to 76ers
Like Major League Baseball and the NFL, the NBA started migrating westward in the late 1950s and early ’60s. In the NBA, the Lakers were first, moving from Minneapolis to Los Angeles before the 1960 season. Two years later, the Philadelphia Warriors, one of the NBA’s original franchises, relocated to San Francisco. In tow, they brought the greatest offensive force the NBA had ever seen: Wilt Chamberlain.
During the 1961-62 season, Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points, 25.7 rebounds and 48.5 minutes per game. In the 1964-65 season, Wilt continued to put up otherwordly numbers, but even he wasn’t immune to trade rumors. Chamberlain was averaging 38.9 points and 23.5 rebounds when the San Francisco Warriors dealt him to Philadelphia, his hometown, on Jan. 15, 1965, for Connie Dierking, Paul Neumann, Lee Shaffer and cash.
Chamberlain won three consecutive league MVPs (1966-68) and led the Sixers to the 1967 NBA championship — breaking a string of eight consecutive Celtics’ championships and beating the Warriors for the NBA title.
3. Mavericks trade Dončić to the Lakers
In magnitude, only Chamberlain being traded midseason is close. But Dončić, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, heading to the Lakers in a three-team deal will be talked about for years to come. The Mavericks received Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick. Utah Jazz received Jalen Hood-Schifino and two second-round picks.
Taking into account that Dončić has yet to enter his prime, the Abdul-Jabbar-to-the-Lakers trade is comparable. Dallas landed an elite player in Davis, but a 25-year-old with Dončić’s credentials being dealt caught the entire league by surprise. The Lakers, who have featured many of the NBA’s marquee names, now have one of the brightest young stars — and a league MVP candidate — alongside LeBron James.
Luka Dončić and LeBron James once were competitors. For the rest of the season, they’ll be teammates in Los Angeles. (Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
In many deals where a team trades a star player, that team is expected to see a lot of losing. But Davis, a member of The Basketball 100, joining Kyrie Irving should keep Dallas in contention.
Need to read more about this? We have you covered: Trade grades | Instant analysis | Behind-the-scenes details | Celebrity social media reaction | Mavs’ GM speaks | LeBron won’t ask out | What’s next for Lakers? | What’s next for Mavericks?
4. 76ers trade Chamberlain to the Lakers
As noted above, Chamberlain was a part of one of the biggest trades ever in 1965. Three years later, he was on the move again. His time in Philadelphia netted him a championship, but he requested a trade as part of a contract dispute with the Sixers.
On July 9, 1968, the 76ers traded Chamberlain to the Lakers for Darrall Imhoff, Jerry Chambers and Archie Clark. Chamberlain was such a big force that he was traded twice with championship results.
The Dominance of Wilt Chamberlain pic.twitter.com/DQGVnuo3uN
— David Astramskas (@Redapples2021) November 24, 2021
Sending Chamberlain to the Lakers led to one of the league’s first super teams, as he joined Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. How big of a deal was this? The late Los Angeles Times columnist Jim Murray wrote that a team of Baylor, Chamberlain and West was like a baseball outfield of Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and Willie Mays or a football backfield of Bart Starr, Jim Brown and Gale Sayers.
The 1971-72 Lakers won a record 33 straight games and a then-record 69 games in the regular season en route to the 1972 championship. Chamberlain was the NBA Finals MVP, averaging 19.4 points and 23.2 rebounds with a new big three of himself, West and Gail Goodrich after Baylor retired in 1971 because of a knee injury.
5. Cincinnati Royals send Oscar Robertson to Bucks
In his 10 seasons with the Royals, Robertson racked up accolades. He won NBA Rookie of the Year in 1961. He was MVP in 1964. He averaged a triple-double for his first five seasons. He was a 10-time All-Star and was All-NBA First Team his first nine years. He did everything … except win a championship.
Near the end of his Royals tenure, there was friction between Robertson and Royals coach Bob Cousy. On April 21, 1970, the Royals dealt him to the Bucks for Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk.
“I had the final say where I wanted to go,” Robertson told the Cincinnati Inquirer after the trade. “I picked Milwaukee because it was the best offer.”
He teamed up with a young Abdul-Jabbar, and the duo helped the Bucks win a championship in 1971. Robertson also earned two more All-Star appearances in Milwaukee before retiring after the 1973-74 season.
6. Lakers trade Shaq to Heat
O’Neal was a three-time NBA Finals MVP and a three-time MVP in 2004, but the Lakers balked at signing him to another contract extension. The Lakers lost to the Detroit Pistons in the finals that summer, and they had a young superstar in Kobe Bryant who had clashed with O’Neal about the center’s conditioning, among other things.
The Lakers were beaten down by injuries, and losing to a hungry Pistons team was the culmination of issues between O’Neal and Bryant. The Lakers would decide not to retain coach Phil Jackson, who had led them to three straight titles from 2000 to 2002. General manager Mitch Kupchak said after the season he would consider trading O’Neal — who had been the face of the franchise since arriving from the Orlando Magic as a free agent in 1996. O’Neal responded by demanding a trade.
On July 14, 2004, the Lakers traded O’Neal to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a future first-round pick. O’Neal’s presence proved big — literally and figuratively — as Miami won the 2006 NBA championship. He teamed up with Dwyane Wade, who was named the finals MVP.
Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade made for a dynamic 1-2 combo for the Miami Heat in 2006. (Jesse D. Garrabrant / NBAE via Getty Images)
Odom also benefited from the trade, as he was a key part of back-to-back titles with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010. Additionally, Odom won NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2011.
7. New York Nets send Dr. J to 76ers for $3 million
On Oct. 20, 1976, the Nets traded Julius Erving to the 76ers for $3 million.
Yes, the Sixers landed Erving without giving up any players. Why? The Nets couldn’t afford to increase Erving’s salary because of fees associated with joining the NBA from the ABA — including a $4.8 million “invading fee” from the New York Knicks. The Sixers offered $3 million for Erving’s contract and an additional $3 million to cover fees to the join the NBA.
Erving was a star in the ABA and had led the Nets to the 1976 ABA championship before the league folded. The Nets were one of four ABA teams absorbed by the NBA.
With salary demands the Nets could not meet, team owner Roy Boe gave Erving permission to speak with the Lakers and Bucks before deciding on the Sixers.
Erving continued his Hall of Fame career in Philly, winning league-MVP honors in 1981 and a championship in 1983.
— John Brisker (@JohnBrisker2021) January 5, 2022
8. 76ers trade Barkley to Suns
Barkley established himself as a star in Philadelphia. He had become the best player on the Sixers with Moses Malone traded to Washington in 1986 and Erving retiring in 1987. But the Sixers couldn’t get past Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who had won back-to-back championships. Philadelphia lost in the postseason to the Bulls in 1990 and 1991. The Sixers missed the playoffs in 1992, but Barkley was an All-Star and made All-NBA Second Team.
With the team headed in the wrong direction, and with Barkley unhappy, he was sent to the Phoenix Suns on June 17, 1992, in a trade for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry and Andrew Lang.
“We had to make a change in personnel to get to the next level,” said Cotton Fitzsimmons, the Suns’ director of player personnel, during a 1992 news conference announcing the deal. “I can’t think of another player, other than a few centers, who might be able to take us to another level better than Charles can.”
Joining Kevin Johnson in Phoenix, Barkley won his only NBA MVP in 1993. The Suns, however, lost to the Bulls in the NBA Finals that season. Barkley’s Suns never made it back to the finals.
9. Trail Blazers send Clyde Drexler to Rockets
The Portland Trail Blazers made two runs to the NBA Finals in the early 1990s with Drexler, losing in 1990 to the Pistons and in 1992 to the Bulls. By 1995, Portland was no longer in title contention, and the team chose to send its star to a team that had a chance of winning a championship.
On Feb. 14, 1995, Blazers sent Drexler and Tracy Murray to the Houston Rockets for Otis Thorpe, a first-round draft pick and the draft rights to Marcelo Nicola.
Drexler joined a Rockets team that had won the NBA championship the year before, and he helped the Rockets repeat with a sweep of the Magic in the finals. The Rockets were struggling much of the season before Drexler’s arrival. He averaged 21.4 points playing with his former college teammate, Hakeem Olajuwon. Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said the Rockets would not have repeated if not for adding Drexler.
10. Baltimore Bullets send Earl Monroe to Knicks
The Bullets traded Monroe to the Knicks for Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth and cash on Nov. 10, 1971. The Bullets lost the 1971 NBA Finals to Milwaukee, and their star guard was unhappy. A contract dispute led to the Bullets dealing their star to the Knicks.
There were concerns about whether Monroe’s freewheeling style could mesh with the Knicks team-wide system.
“We made the trade because Monroe is a great basketball player,” Holzman said after the trade. “I’m sure he can adjust to our style of play.”
Earl Monroe’s creativity on the court was unmatched 🎥
⭐️ Celebrate the Golden Anniversary of the 1973 Knicks ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/sEcEOZXwmc
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 21, 2023
Monroe was one of the best guards in the NBA, and he joined Hall of Famer Walt Frazier in the Knicks backcourt, as well as Hall of Fame center Willis Reed. The Knicks won the 1973 championship with the help of this trio.
Honorable Mentions
Celtics add KG, Ray Allen
The summer of 2007 proved big for Boston. The Celtics acquired former league MVP Kevin Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair and two 2009 first-round picks. The Celtics added Allen from the Seattle SuperSonics, along with Glen Davis, for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak and the fifth pick in 2007, Jeff Green. The Celtics went on to win the 2008 championship.
Pau Gasol lands in L.A.
Gasol was a star in Memphis, but the Grizzlies weren’t close to a title contender. The Lakers were in need of an All-Star-caliber player to pair with Bryant. On Feb. 1, 2008, the Lakers made the deal to bring Gasol and a second-round draft pick from Memphis for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Pau’s brother, Marc Gasol, and first-round picks in 2008 and 2010.
Gasol helped the Lakers reach the finals in 2008, where they lost to the Celtics. He would then help the Lakers win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.
Kawhi doesn’t get his wish
Kawhi Leonard was the 2015 NBA Finals MVP for San Antonio, but by the 2017-18 season, it had been reported he planned to sign with the Lakers as a free agent in 2019.
Rather than trade Leonard to the Lakers, the Spurs sent him and Danny Green to the Toronto Raptors for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first-round draft pick on July 18, 2018. Leonard only spent one season with the Raptors, but he led them to their lone NBA championship in 2019 before leaving to sign with the LA Clippers as a free agent.
(Top photo of Luka Dončić and Shaquille O’Neal: Troy Taormina / USA Today)
