The Top 10 NBA Superstar Trades With The Largest Impact

It is pretty rare when an elite superstar, a player at the top of their game, is traded off by a team. Circumstances have to reach a boiling point where the team is not going anywhere or the player sees greener pastures and nothing will stop that fixation. In the NBA today, superstars (and those who think they are superstars) are all built the same. If their team has not won a championship or when they see their friends winning them in a brief amount of time, they see it as a need for a new setting.

This was a pretty rare event during the first 40 years of the NBA. During that time frame only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Barkley were in their actual prime before being traded away.

Over the past two years LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Chris Bosh have all been moved on (or left on their own) to new surroundings. That amounts to six out of what most would say are the top 20 players in the league, or 30 percent of the best talent in the world moving around.

More players will be on the move in due time. But here are the biggest deals involving superstars in their prime throughout NBA history:

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

1965, San Francisco for Wilt Chamberlain: Connie Dierking, Paul Neumann, Lee Shaffer and cash considerations

Immediate Impact: The Warriors traded an athlete that had never, and will never been seen again for patch-work pieces that did not lead to anything significant.

Future Impact: Neumann played two and a half more seasons before retiring scoring no more than 14.4 points a night. Dierking finished out the season and then was swapped for Bud Olson in a trade and Shaffer played a mere 41 games in a 76ers uniform.

Overall: The Warriors progressively got better over the next few years, but were never able to break through to the top.

1998, Washington for Chris Webber: Mitch Richmond and Otis Thorpe

Immediate Impact: Five coaches in three years? Winning 18, 29 and 19 games setting themselves up for the next, and most polarizing era in Wizards basketball…

Future Impact: The future of the Wizards became the enjoyment of new majority owner Michael Jordan. He took over a struggling team, drafted Kwame Brown and feuded with a future All-Star that he traded away.

Overall: The Wizards had one of the best frontcourts in the NBA and traded the wrong big man for a shooting guard that never met expectations for the team. It led them to numerous years in the lottery, and they never fully recovered since then.

2003, Milwaukee for Ray Allen with Ronald “Flip” Murray, Kevin Ollie and a 2003 First Round Pick (Luke Ridnour) for Desmond Mason and Gary Payton

Immediate Impact: A .500 team that is a reliable playoff team swapped a star in his prime for a star on his decline. The team saw no immediate success and this trade saw the end of George Karl‘s reign as head coach.

Future Impact: This move was less about Allen and more about the budding star shooter on the bench behind him that the Bucks wanted to get more time. Michael Redd became an All-Star in 2004 as one of the game’s best perimeter scorers until an injury cut his time in Milwaukee short.

Overall: This trade was a wash ultimately a changing of the guard in Milwaukee as Payton lasted only the initial season and Redd flourished in his starting role.

2004, Orlando for Tracy McGrady, Reece Gaines, Juwan Howard and Tyronn Lue: Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato

Immediate Impact: The trade put the Magic in the Eastern Conference basement as they tried to find an identity, but…

Future Impact: …this trade landed them Dwight Howard.

Overall: In hindsight this trade was great and a huge missed opportunity for the Magic. Trading McGrady before he hit the decline was a great move in the long run, but they just missed the chance to team the two together. The trade had to happen to get Howard, but that tandem would have been game-changing.

2004, Toronto for Vince Carter: Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams, a 2005 First Round Pick (Joey Graham) and a 2006 First Round Pick (Renaldo Balkman)

Immediate Impact: The team built itself around young star Chris Bosh (more about him later) and struggled. In the next few years of the draft the Raptors added more pieces in Charlie Villanueva (2005) and Andrea Bargnani (2006) around Bosh.

Future Impact: The team saw two consecutive years in the playoffs with no success after the trade, but overall the team became a middling team, not good or bad. The rights to Balkman were traded and Graham never amounted to anything more than a decent role player. Both Williams played two seasons or less and Mourning never suited up after the deal.

Overall: A few years after the Raptors lost the previously mentioned McGrady they traded his cousin and NBA superstar. In a matter of four seasons the team lost a perimeter duo that would have rivaled toady’s Wade-James tandem in Miami.

2010, Phoenix for Amar’e Stoudemire: A $16.5 Million Trade Exemption

Immediate Impact: When you get the chance to turn an All-Star power forward and key to a team that has made it to three Western Conference Finals in six years into $16.5 million in spending money you do it! Once you have that money, throwing it at Josh Childress (five years, $34 million), Hakim Warrick (four years, $18 million) and a trade for Hedo Turkoglu (five years, $53 million) is the next logical choice. Those decisions equaled a trip to the lottery.

Future Impact: Remember the Suns in the lottery in 2011? Expect more of the same until they actually win the lottery landing a new star. Aside from Steve Nash and Grant Hill this team is sorely lacking an identity.

Overall: Logically one would think the Suns could have offered Stoudemire the $16.5 million and called it a day. They were a contender with those two for six years and would have continued to be just that if they kept them together. A knee injury and an eye issue ended an era in the desert.

2011, Denver for Carmelo Anthony (and Chauncey Billups): Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, New York’s 2014 First Round Pick (unprotected), Golden State’s 2012 and 2013 Second Round Picks & $3 million

Immediate Impact: When you are accustomed to being in the playoffs year-in-and-year-out the loss of one star (and a starter in Billups) should not derail the team. The Nuggets made sure of that when trading the ever growingly intolerable Anthony for the entire young nucleus of the Knicks. Adding Chandler, Felton and Gallinari kept the young Nuggets afloat in the West, making the Playoffs.

Future Impact: No single player in this deal is as talented as Anthony, but the combination of Chandler and Gallinari represented depth and potential. The addition of Mozgov, who showed some promise with the Knicks, put this deal over the top. He could be a very productive center in the NBA for a long time.

Overall: Both teams won making this a rare, balanced deal. The Knicks got their star, Anthony got his wish to play in the Big Apple and the Nuggets kept a very good team on the tracks moving forward. Since the deal, Felton was flipped for Andre Miller (Portland) and Chandler signed a deal in China keeping him there till March.

10. 2011, New Orleans for Chris Paul: Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s 2012 First Round Pick (unprotected)

Immediate Impact: This trade has to also consider the recent loss of Paul’s pick-and-roll buddy David West. Those two were the teams top scorers and led the team in assists and rebounds per game respectively as well. Gordon will fill the shooting guard void between Jarrett Jack and Trevor Ariza becomes the team’s best perimeter offensive threat. Kaman is arguably a top 5 center in the NBA today, but will likely be a trade chip in the coming months since his $12 million contract is expiring.

Future Impact: If the Hornets (David Stern) wanted an immediate impact, they would have dealt Paul to the Lakers (via Houston) for Kevin Martin, Louis Scola, Lamar Odom and picks.

This deal gives the Hornets some flexibility with their roster. The Minnesota pick is the key to the deal as they are perennial bottom feeders and a certain lock for a top 10 pick in the best draft class in seven years.

Overall: This trade will not push the Hornets into title contention overnight, that was not the intent. It does however give the team a lot of choices and directions to go in. Gordon is a potential stud for the team to build around and the rest of the roster is basically up for sale. This team is going to try and re-image itself over the summer around two lottery picks and Gordon, who is clearly the best player a team has gotten back in these superstar trades.

Precedent Set: After a long lockout that cost the league a fourth of its games and put a black eye on the 2011-2012 season, nothing changed. Small-market teams still had no leverage and superstars were able to muscle out of any situation they wanted. Plus we found out: when the commissioner owns a team he will do as he pleases.

9. 1992, Philadelphia for Charles Barkley: Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang and Tim Perry

Immediate Impact: The trade caused the 76ers to go into a drastic rebuild including four coaches in four years and never winning more than 26 games. The team fell to the bottom of the Eastern Conference as fast as Barkley was able to raise the Suns to the top of the Western Conference.

Future Impact: Hornacek was flipped for a first round pick and Jeff Malone (to the Jazz). Perry lasted a few seasons before being traded for Derrick Coleman (in a larger deal to the Nets). Lang was cut.

Overall: The 76ers, a proud, historic franchise, turned one of the best players of his generation into Derrick Coleman’s twilight years, Jeff Malone and a first round pick. The team was a perennial lottery team until The Answer arrived.

Precedent Set: None. Barkley became one of the Suns best players in franchise history in a short period and the Suns continued their run as one of the most consistent non-championship winning basketball teams in NBA history.

(Tie) 7. 2010, Toronto for Chris Bosh: A $16 Million Trade Exemption, Toronto’s 2011 First Round Pick (returned) + Miami’s 2011 First Round Pick

Immediate Impact: The Raptors immediately became a bottom five team overnight and have yet to use the trade exemption as they do not want to add on any additional salary. Getting comfortable in the lottery, the Raptor fans season starts at the Chicago Combine.

Future Impact: Every lottery pick the Raptors take for the next few years are a result of this move. The addition of Jonas Valanciunas will be solid and so will the future top five picks going forward.

Overall: With Bosh, this team was a borderline lottery team, but usually near the back end of it. Without him they are in search of an identity and face going forward.

Precedent Set: Bosh followed the trail set by his current teammate LeBron James. See below.

(Tie) 7. 2010, Cleveland for LeBron James: A $14.5 Million Trade Exemption + two future First Round Picks

Immediate Impact: This exemption was set to expire on July 11th of this year, but due to the lockout it was extended for undisclosed time after the lockout ends. The Cavaliers have not made a firm decision on whether or not they will use it, or let it expire.

Future Impact: The loss of James resulted in an inverse record for the Cavaliers for the foreseeable future. What was once a 60-plus win Eastern Conference powerhouse now is a shell of itself trying to pick up the loose pieces. A few of those pieces came in the 2011 Draft in Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson.

Overall: It is never easy or smooth when you have to transition from having (arguably) the best player in the league and then not having him. The loss of James will sting for a while, but the Cavaliers have made progressions in the right direction but still need time to see if they are going to pay off.

Precedent Set: This was basically the Cavaliers trying to get something for the league’s most talented player. In a free-agent trade James sparked the future of five trades in the next year of fellow All-Star players. A new era in basketball began where “Super Teams” are the fad and superstars can hold their teams hostage.

6. 2004, L.A. Lakers for Shaquille O’Neal: Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, 2006 First Round Pick (Jordan Farmar) and a 2007 Second Round Pick (Renaldas Seibutis)

Immediate Impact: The Lakers fell apart. Kobe Bryant was surrounded by Chucky Atkins, Chris Mihm, Caron Butler and Lamar Odom as he jacked up 1,324 shots in 64 games as the team registered only 34 wins, the third-lowest total in the 82-game season era in franchise history.

Future Impact: This move shaped the Lakers to get back on top. They built around Bryant, re-hired Phil Jackson as head coach and were back in the NBA Finals three years later. This trade also brought over Odom who became a fixture in the teams’ success during a run to the Finals three years in a row.

Overall: This is a borderline “star traded in his prime” trade. Shaq was 34 entering the year and clearly on the decline physically. On the other hand, this move was enough to shake the foundation of two franchises. The Lakers missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 years and Shaq captured another ring right away in South Beach.

Precedent Set: The ugliest divorce in the history of basketball ended with the Lakers ultimately placing their future in the hands of Bryant. It led to a few more rings for Bryant and the infamous “One more than Shaq” line after winning the 2010 NBA Finals.

5. 2001, Phoenix for Jason Kidd with Chris Dudley: Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman and Soumaila Samake

Immediate Impact: The Suns traded the best point guard in the NBA away after a public freakout forced their hand. In return they got a very exciting point guard in Marbury that led the team for next handful of years.

Future Impact: Marbury was never able to get the Suns over the hump while in New Jersey, Kidd was busy taking his team to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. Still, the Suns remained one of the league’s most consistent teams in the transition.

Overall: On paper it was an even swap of stars, but in reality the Suns pulled the trigger too early on Kidd causing them to miss the window of opportunity at a title. That window re-opened when a future two-time MVP came back to Phoenix.

Precedent Set: Kidd was able to show his value taking basically the same team that Marbury had to the NBA Finals immediately. His legacy was sealed there and it became a point guard’s league after that.

4. 1968, Philadelphia for Wilt Chamberlain: Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark and Darrall Imhoff

Immediate Impact: The rights to Chambers were short lived as he was shipped to Phoenix for George Wilson. Clark was an All-Star in Los Angeles and never found the same success in Philadelphia during his brief, three-year stint. Lastly, Imhoff spent only two seasons with the team.

Future Impact: Another team lands Chamberlain’s services for a handful of players that had no longevity with the club or major impact.

Overall: Philadelphia stayed a relevant team in general, but just like the example before them in San Francisco, the 76ers didn’t get back equal value, albeit that would be difficult when regarding the most talented player the NBA had seen for its first 20 years.

Precedent Set: Chamberlain ended his career in Los Angeles starting a long lineage of star centers there.

3. 2007, Minnesota for Kevin Garnett (ladder half of his prime): Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair, a 2009 First Round Pick (Wayne Ellington) and a 2009 First Round Pick (Jonny Flynn)

Immediate Impact: As soon as this trade happened everyone in Minnesota got very comfortable using the word lottery in sentences involving the Timberwolves. Same as “wait ’till next year” and “this team has lots of young talent.”

Future Impact: The pieces were in place for this to be a “smooth” transition from the KG Era to a new era. Jefferson was a big man on the rise and the combination of low-cost role players and picks made this a young, cheap team. Too bad none of that happened.

Overall: The Timberwolves have not drafted lower than seventh since the trade, do you need anything else? What about only one of the seven players in the deal are still on the roster? How about four coaching changes? Or one All-Star? Here is the kicker: 78 total wins. This trade had to happen for both sides and the divorce was mutual, but the trade ended up being very one-sided.

Precedent Set: Garnett was disgruntled in Minnesota and both sides needed a change. This was a very public trade that showed the stars truly do have the power, but in this case, both teams received valuable parts.

2. 2008, Memphis for Pau Gasol and a 2010 Second Round Pick (Devin Ebanks): Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Marc Gasol, a 2008 1st rd pick (Donte Greene) and a 2010 First Round Pick (Greivis Vasquez)

Immediate Impact: After winning 50+ games in back-to-back years this trade left the team without an identity.

Future Impact: The trade landed the Grizzlies in the lottery the next three years where they were able to build a young nucleus around Mike Conley (2007), O.J. Mayo (2008), Sam Young (2009), and Marc Gasol.

Overall: This trade set back the Grizzlies for a few years, but netted them a franchise center with the same last name as the former franchise player they traded away.

Precedent Set: The fall of the mighty Lakers dynasty was short-lived as the widely-viewed one-sided trade sent Gasol, an All-Star big man, to the Lakers who were missing that piece to get back on top. Three trips to the NBA Finals (two wins) later, this trade kept the power in the West in Los Angeles.

1. 1975, Milwaukee for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (with Walt Wesley): Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith and Brian Winters

Immediate Impact: Losing the NBA’s all-time leading scorer never helps your team and for the Bucks it was back to mediocrity. They finished with no more than 44 wins the next four seasons and had a changing of the guard hiring Don Nelson as head coach.

Future Impact: The Bucks won their only championship with Kareem and have yet to reach one without him. The players they got in return were solid, but none could match one of the greatest ever. Bridgeman played all but two years of his career with the Bucks and was a 13.9 a night scorer with the team. Meyers (four years) and Elmore (eight years) finished their careers with the Bucks averaging 11.2 and 13.6 points a game respectively.

Overall: This trade was the second domino to fall as the team lost the Big O (Oscar Robertson) the year prior to retirement and Kareem did not want to spend his years as a great player on a good team.

Precedent Set: This was the original “superstar” trade giving the Lakers the anchor to their 1980s dynasty. It was also a sign of the times to come for small-market teams. Jabar replaced the retired Chamberlin giving them another decade and a half of paint dominance.

What do you think was the biggest trade ever of a superstar in his prime?

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