Wednesday, the Brooklyn Nets completed a trade that gives them one of the best big threes in NBA history. MVPs, scoring champions, and top 25 players of all-time Kevin Durant and James Harden, along with perennial all-star, champion, and All-NBA point guard Kyrie Irving. They had to give up a lot, of course:
-2022, 2024, 2026 unprotected first-round picks
-the right to swap first-round picks in 2021, 2023, 2025
-Caris LeVert
-Jarrett Allen
-Taurean Prince
Was it worth it?
I looked at the biggest trades in NBA history, finding the greatest players to ever be moved. Let's look at the top 15:
Note: these are not all-time rankings, but rankings of the version of the player that was traded. A slightly worse guy in the middle of his prime will be better than a higher all-time guy at age 32.
*Stats listed are the player's most recent numbers before the trade.
15. Oscar Robertson
from the Cincinnati Royals to the Milwaukee Bucks (age 32)
1969-70 stats: 25.3 pts 6.1 reb 8.1 ast on 51/82 shooting (no three-point line)
traded for Flynn Robinson and Charlie Paulk
The Big O's prime may have been slightly behind him, but he still was doing ridiculous things. He won his only title his first year in Milwaukee alongside Lew Alcindor in 1971. That's still the franchise's lone title. Hard to not call a trade a win when you get a ring out of it. Robertson made All-NBA his first year in MKE. He's 6th all-time in assists, 14th all-time in points, and 87th all-time in rebounds as a guard.
14. Shaquille O'Neal
from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Miami Heat (age 32)
2003-04 stats: 21.5 pts 11.5 reb 2.9 ast 2.5 blk on 58/0/49 shooting
traded for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, first-round pick
Coming off of his worst season as a Laker and a lot of turmoil (yes, those numbers are piss-poor for this guy), Shaq found a groove in Miami with sophomore Dwyane Wade, and they won it all in Shaq's second season there. Despite the purported "fall off," O'Neal was first-team All-NBA that season in LA as well as his first two in Miami. Truly a testament to how high he set the bar, and what all-time greats can do past their conventional primes.
13. Jason Kidd
traded from the Phoenix Suns to the New Jersey Nets (age 28)
2000-01 stats: 16.9 pts 6.4 reb 9.8 ast (led NBA) on 41/30/81 shooting
traded for Stephon Marbury
Jason Kidd is an interesting one, especially because he's one of only two single player swaps on this list. It was honestly a debate who had won the trade, considering Marbury was also All-NBA and had just posted 24/3/8. The fact that it's Kidd's name at the top spoils it though: it ends up being the Nets. Kidd is second all-time in assists, and actually is higher all-time in rebounds than he is in points (64th vs 87th). The Nets would make it to the Finals in Kidd's first two years in New Jersey, losing to the Lakers and the Spurs. Kidd was far and away the best player on both squads. No shame in falling to dynasties anyway. They didn't get taken to 7 games in any of the series they won either season.
12. Elvin Hayes
from the Houston Rockets to the Baltimore Bullets (age 27)
1971-72 stats: 25.2 pts 14.6 reb 3.3 ast on 43/65 shooting (no three-point line)
traded for Jack Marin
The Bullets/Wizards all-time leader in points, field goals, free throws, and blocks, and second in rebounds. Hayes won a scoring title (as a rookie) and two rebounding titles in his career. He was never Rookie of the Year, though, because that award went to his future Bullets teammate Wes Unseld, who also won MVP. Hayes was an All-Star his first 12 seasons in a row, as well as making All-Defense and All-NBA teams. He was the leading scorer on the champion 1978 Bullets, the franchise's only title. Unseld shook him again for the Finals MVP, though. That duo is the most underrated frontcourt of all-time.
11. Kevin Garnett
from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics (age 31)
2006-07 stats: 22.4 pts 12.8 reb (led NBA) 4.1 ast 2.9 stocks on 48/21/84 shooting
traded for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, two first-round picks
Garnett was traded for seven players, the most for any single player in NBA history. He won Defensive Player of the Year his first season in Boston, and was the Celtics best player en route to the best record in the league and a championship. The 2003-04 MVP put up a career-high in field goal percentage, and was All-NBA + All-Defense to boot. One of the five best power forwards to ever play, Garnett was just barely past his prime when this trade went down. But that means very little when you're an all-time great like KG. And I can tell you not a single associate of the Celtics regrets the move.
10. Chris Paul
from the New Orleans Hornets to the LA Clippers (age 26)
2010-11 stats: 15.9 pts 4.1 reb 9.8 ast 2.4 stl (led NBA) on 46/39/88 shooting
traded with two second-round picks for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and a first round pick via the Timberwolves
One of the five greatest point guards of all-time, Paul was the best point guard alive, barely in his prime when he was traded. He's led the NBA in assists four times. He led the NBA in steals 6 out of 7 seasons from 2007-2015. He has as many All-Defenses as he does All-NBAs (9). He's averaged over 20 points per game, and is nearly in the 50/40/90 club - having accomplished each threshold in different seasons. He was MVP runner-up in 2007-08, his third season at age 22. Instead, Kobe brought home his (somehow) only MVP. Paul would have been the youngest MVP in league history, edging out Derrick Rose by five months. His line that year: 21.1/4.0/11.6 (led NBA) with 2.7 stl (led NBA) on 49/37/85 shooting with a comical 2.5 turnovers.
9. Dwight Howard
from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers (age 27)
2011-12 stats: 20.6 pts 14.5 reb (led NBA) 1.9 ast 3.6 stocks on 57/0/49 shooting
traded with Earl Clark and Chris Duhon for Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic(!), Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, two first-round picks and two second-round picks
Howard was the best center in the world at the time of the trade. A top ten center of all-time at the height of his powers is no joke. Howard won Defensive Player of the Year three season in a row, made 8 straight All-NBAs, 8 straight All-Star teams, and 5 straight All-Defensive teams. He won 5 rebounding titles in 6 years, back-to-back blocks titles, led the league in field goal percentage, and took the Magic to the Finals without an 18 ppg teammate. He didn't work out in LA, but even in a down year, he still led the Association in rebounding.
8. Tracy McGrady
from the Orlando Magic to the Houston Rockets (age 25)
2003-04 stats: 28.0 pts (led NBA) 6.0 reb 5.5 ast 1.4 stl on 42/34/80 shooting
traded with Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, and Kelvin Cato
TMac was coming off of back-to-back scoring titles at ages 23 and 24, averaging 6+ rebounds and 5.5 assists both years, on a minuscule 2.6 turnovers. Injuries ultimately derailed his career - his final of 7 straight All-Stars and All-NBAs came at just age 27 - but McGrady was truly special. He put up gaudy and efficient numbers in the slowest, most defense-heavy era the sport has ever seen. His last year in Orlando, he won a scoring title on a team that put up just 94 points per game. And that offense ranked in the top half of the league!
7. Anthony Davis
from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers (age 26)
2018-19 stats: 25.9 pts, 12.0 reb 3.9 ast 4.0 stocks on 52/33/79 shooting
traded for Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and three first-round picks
Anthony Davis became the best teammate LeBron has ever played with the moment he was traded. The duo won the championship without a deep supporting cast in Davis' first season there, and are the odds-on favorites this year to win it again. He had a legit case to take James' Finals MVP award until Bron turned on the jets late. Davis finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting his first season in LA, was first-team All-NBA, and led the Lakers in scoring, rebounding, blocks, and steals.
6. Kawhi Leonard
from the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors (age 27)
2016-17 stats: 25.5 pts 5.8 reb 3.5 ast 1.8 stl on 49/38/88 shooting
traded with Danny Green for DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and a protected first-round pick
When Kawhi led the Raptors to the 2019 title, he became the fourth player to win Finals MVP in his first season on a team, and the only one to do it in their lone season on a team. Magic Johnson, Kevin Durant, and Moses Malone are the others. That's as great of company as you can have. Leonard scored the third-most points in a single playoff run that year, behind only LeBron James and Michael Jordan. With one more game at his average, he would've had the record. That run, he averaged 31/9/4 on 49/38/88 shooting.
The stats listed in the subhead are from the year before Leonard was traded, because he only played 9 games his final season in San Antonio. He finished that season third in MVP voting.
5. Charles Barkley
from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Phoenix Suns (age 29)
1992-93 stats: 25.6 pts 12.2 reb 5.1 ast 2.6 stocks on 52/31/77 shooting
traded for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang
The shortest player to ever win a rebounding title, 11 consecutive all-stars and all-NBAs. Barkley won the MVP and took Phoenix to the Finals in his first season as a Sun. They gave Michael Jordan what may have been his most competitive Finals series. Barkley is probably the best player to never win a championship, and it was far from his fault. He showed up in the playoffs.
4. James Harden
from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets (age 31)
2019-20 stats: 34.3 pts 6.6 reb 7.5 ast 2.7 stocks on 44/36/87 shooting
traded for four first-round picks, four pick swaps, Victor Oladipo, Rodions Kurucs, and Dante Exum
9, 5, 2, 9, 2, 1, 2, 3. These are James Harden's MVP finishes since his first season in Houston at age 23. He never finished out of the top 9, and has never missed the playoffs in his 11 season career. He is one of 6 players to lead the NBA in scoring and assists in a career, alongside LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, Oscar Robertson, Tiny Archibald, and Jerry West. His 36.1 point average in 2018 is the second-most since the merger, behind only Michael Jordan. He has won the scoring title three years in a row, something only Jordan, George Gervin, and Kevin Durant have done since the merger. He has the most points in a triple-double ever, the only 60-pointer. Only 6 players even have a 50-point triple-double; Harden has the most. His book relative to these other guys isn't finished. If the Nets win titles (with an s), he may move up even higher.
3. Moses Malone
from the Houston Rockets to the Philadelphia 76ers (age 27)
1981-82 stats: 31.1 pts 14.7 reb (led NBA) 1.8 ast 2.4 stocks on 52/0/76 shooting
traded for Caldwell Jones and a first-round pick
In 1981, the Rockets became the only team with a below .500 record to make the NBA Finals. In 1982, Moses Malone won MVP. And he never played for the Rockets again. The new owners didn't want to pay his $2 million salary.
Malone's first season in Philadelphia, the 76ers won the championship. Their 12-1 record in the playoffs stood as the best record in a playoff run ever until the playoffs expanded to add a round. The lone loss came by single digits, to a Milwaukee Bucks team that featured three Hall of Famers (Dave Cowens, Sydney Moncrief, Bob Lanier), 3-time All-NBA Marques Johnson, 1-time All-NBA Phil Ford, 2-time All-Star Brian Winters, and All-Defenser Paul Pressey. Those '80s Bucks are criminally under-recognized, but that's an article for another day.
2. Wilt Chamberlain
traded from the San Francisco Warriors to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul Neumann, Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer, and cash (age 28)
1963-64 stats: 36.9 pts (led NBA) 22.3 reb 5.0 ast on 52/53 shooting (no three-point line)
traded from the 76ers to the Los Angeles Lakers for Darrall Imhoff, Jerry Chambers, and Archie Clark (age 32)
1967-68 stats: 24.3 pts 23.8 reb (led NBA) 8.6 ast on 60/38 shooting (no three-point line)
Wilt was traded twice in his career, and both versions of the stilt conveniently end up second on this list. In 1965, he was traded from the San Francisco Warriors to the Philadelphia 76ers, and in 1968, Philly flipped him to the Lakers. Wilt won his first ring in 1967, and by the next year Philly was done with the polarizing legend. His final year in Philadelphia, he was so bored/fed up with critics that he decided to lead the league in total assists, and did. He is the only center to ever do so. He also led the NBA in rebounding, minutes, and field goal percentage. In 1972, he won his second title, making both teams to trade for him win it all.
1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
from the Milwaukee Bucks to the Los Angeles Lakers (age 28)
1974-75 stats: 30.0 pts 14.0 reb 4.1 ast 3.3 blk (led NBA) on 51/76 shooting (no three-point line)
traded with Walt Wesley for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, and Junior Bridgeman
Because it's never happened to LeBron or Michael, Kareem is the greatest player to be traded period. And it happened at the absolute peak of his powers. Look at those numbers. Kareem Abdul-frickin'-Jabbar averaged career-highs in rebounds (16.9) and blocks (4.1) his first year in LA. 5.0 assists were his second-best mark, as were his 3.3 offensive rebounds and 1.5 steals. 27.7 points were the most he averaged in 14 seasons as a Laker. If Magic Johnson entered the league in 1975 instead of 1980, Kareem might seriously have a ring for every finger.
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