Ranked: The worst trades in NBA history

NBA trades can sometimes make or break a franchise, with one decision sometimes being the difference between creating a successful franchise and a failing franchise with no direction. Here are the worst trades in NBA history.

In the 2019 offseason, the LA Clippers traded for Paul George, sending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and seven first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In George's five seasons with the Clippers, injuries to him and Kawhi Leonard meant they made it out of the first round only twice, failing to reach the NBA Finals once.

The trade has been the building block to the Thunder's current success. Shai turned into an MVP-caliber player, finishing second in voting last season. The picks have allowed OKC to build a highly talented team around him, with Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams being two hallmarks of the squad. They currently sit first in the Western Conference.

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In 1978, the Utah Jazz made a six-player trade with the LA Lakers, sending Sam Worthen, Freemen Williams, and Kenny Carr to the Lakers for Gail Goodrich, Jack Givens, Essie Givens, and a first-round pick.

The Utah Jazz finished last in the following season, which meant they had won the NBA lottery for the 1979 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, the Lakers owned their first overall pick, which happened to be Magic Johnson. The 6ft9in point guard became the greatest point guard in history, winning five NBA titles. The Jazz are still waiting for their first title.

The Houston Rockets won back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. Their star men, Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon, carried the team, and their young core of Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Chucky Brown, and Mark Bryant were the perfect pieces to keep the Rockets at a championship level.

According to ClutchPoints, instead of trying to win three straight, the Rockets traded their four young players for an aging Charles Barkley, the 1993 MVP. The Utah Jazz beat the Rockets in the 1997 Western Conference Finals, and that was the closest they got before the trio was abandoned. Cassell and Horry went on to win further NBA titles.

In 1998, the Milwaukee Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki as the ninth pick in the draft, but the Bucks were more interested in Robert Traylor, who they exchanged Nowitzki for when the Mavericks drafted Traylor.

Traylor averaged 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in his seven-year NBA career, while Nowitzki became the most outstanding overseas player ever, playing 21 seasons in Dallas and becoming a 14-time All-Star. He earned 12 All-NBA selections, the 2007 MVP, and led the Mavericks to their first title in 2011, securing the Finals MVP. He is one of six players to score over 30,000 points.

After a hugely successful spell in Boston, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry were traded from Boston to the Brooklyn Nets. All three were over 35 years old, and the Celtics received five players and four first-round picks.

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The 2016 first-round pick was used to draft Jaylen Brown, and the 2017 pick was used to get Jayson Tatum, bringing together a duo that led the Celtics to their first title since 2008 last year. StatMuse reports that Garnett averaged 6.6 points for the Nets, and Pierce averaged 13.5. The Celtics are dominating the NBA, and the Nets are still in a rebuild.

Before being traded to the Lakers in 1968, Wilt Chamberlain had established himself as the most dominant player, winning the previous three MVP awards and leading the Sixers to the NBA title in 1967. In the trade, Phili received Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark, and Darrall Imhoff, but that was nothing compared to the impact of Chamberlain.

According to GiveMeSport, the Sixers struggled without Wilt, failing to get out of the second round of the playoffs until 1977, when they lost in the NBA Finals. The Lakers thrived with him, reaching four NBA Finals and eventually winning the title in 1972, where he was named Finals MVP.

During the 1987 NBA Draft, the Seattle Supersonics drafted Scottie Pippen with the fifth pick. After selecting him, they sent Pippen to the Chicago Bulls for Olden Polynice and two picks, teaming him up with Michael Jordan. The rest is history.

Pippen spent 12 seasons in Chicago and became the most excellent wingman in the game's history to Jordan. Together, the pair won six NBA Championships in eight years, with Pippen being the chief facilitator and an elite defender. Polynice and the Sonics didn't pass the second round in his four seasons.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar established himself as one of the best players in the league for the Milwaukee Bucks, leading them to their first NBA title in 1971. However, in 1975, Kareem requested a trade from the Bucks, and they agreed. The Lakers received Kareem, and the Bucks got Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, and Brian Winters.

With Kareem and later Magic Johnson in 1979, the Lakers won five NBA Championships, dominating the 1980s. In 14 seasons with the Lakers, he was a 13-time All-Star, had 10 All-NBA selections, and three MVP awards. Oh, and the Bucks didn't win another title until 2021.

Everyone remembers Bill Russell as a Boston Celtic, but in the 1956 NBA Draft, he was selected second overall by the St Louis Hawks. The Hawks did receive Cliff Hagan and Ed Macauley, both Hall of Fame players, but Russell went on to have one of the most legendary careers ever.

Russell secured a record 11 NBA Championships, five MVP awards, 11 All-NBA selections, and a 12-time All-Star as a player. Hagan and Macauley led the Hawks to the NBA title in 1958, but it wasn't close to the impact of Russell.

In the 1996 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets selected Kobe Bryant as the 13th pick out of high school. The Hornets didn't want to take a risk on Bryant, so instead traded him to the LA Lakers for experienced center Vlade Divac.

Bryant played 20 years with the Lakers, winning five NBA Championships, two finals MVPs, and an MVP. He scored 33,643 points, averaging 25 PPG. Vlade Divac played for the Hornets for two seasons.

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