10 Most Impactful Trades In NBA History
Winning an NBA title involves a lot of pieces to fill up the puzzle. Other than the players doing their job on the court, the management and executives of the team need to be at their A-Game as well. In certain cases, they look to the draft or a free agent to find a cornerstone of their franchise or even a player to support an existing franchise player. In other cases, they look to make the smartest trade available to them. This list could be either the best trades or the worst ones depending on who you support.
Here are some honorable mentions. Some of these trades left an impact, but never resulted in a title. Others, haven't managed to win a title, but still, have time to do so:
Steve Nash (Mavericks to Suns), James Harden (Thunder to Rockets), Kevin Garnett/Ray Allen (Timberwolves/Supersonics to Celtics), Tracy Mcgrady (Raptors to Magic), Mark Aguirre (Mavericks to Pistons), Jason Kidd (Suns to Nets), Alonzo Mourning (Hornets to Heat), Kawhi Leonard (Pacers to Spurs), Clyde Drexler (Trailblazers to Rockets)
Having said that, let's get to the top 10 most impact trades in NBA history:
#10 Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers to Miami Heat - 2004)
After eight seasons and a three-peat with the Los Angeles Lakers, "Shaq" was traded in a shock deal to the Miami Heat in 2004. The deal involved Caron Butler, Brian Grant and Lamar Odom, along with a first-round draft pick in 2006 (Jordan Farmar).
This set the stage for both teams to win titles in the coming seasons.
The Heat, who had the dynamic duo of O'Neal along with a young and rampant Dwyane Wade saw success first by winning the title in 2006.
The Lakers though, reached the Finals three times in a row between 2008-2010 winning the title twice in the process. Odom, who was directly involved in the trade, was an integral piece of their title runs. The trade also allowed them to free enough cap space to sign Pau Gasol in 2008.
This trade in many ways benefited both teams and resulted in a total of four finals appearances and three championships between the two.