The Worst NBA Trades in History

In the history of the NBA, there have been some truly terrible trades. These are the trades that make you wonder what the front office was thinking, and how the team could have been so short-sighted. Here are some of the Worst NBA trades in history.

The year was 2005, and the Boston Celtics were looking to make a splash. They traded all-star forward Antoine Walker and Tony Delk to the Dallas Mavericks for Raef LaFrentz, Jiri Welsch, and Chris Mills The Celtics were looking to clear salary cap space but they essentially gave away an all-star player for three role players. The trade is widely considered one of the worst in NBA history

In 1999, the Indiana Pacers made a trade that would come back to haunt them for years. They traded small forward Jalen Rose and a second-round pick to the Chicago Bulls for shooting guard Ron Artest (now known as Metta World Peace). Artest would go on to have a stellar career with the Pacers, while Rose became an all-star with the Bulls. The Pacers essentially traded an all-star player for a role player and it is considered one of the worst trades in NBA history

In 2002, the Los Angeles Lakers made a trade that was universally panned at the time, and is still considered one of the worst trades in NBA history They traded small forward Kobe Bryant to the New Jersey Nets for center Vlade Divac. Of course, we now know that Kobe Bryant went on to have one of the greatest careers in NBA history while Divac was a role player at best. The Lakers essentially traded away one of the greatest players in history for a journeyman center, making this one of the worst trades ever made.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Terrible Trade for Andrew Bynum

On July 10, 2013, the Cleveland Cavaliers made one of the worst trades in NBA history The team gave up two future first-Round Draft picks and two future second-round draft picks to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for center Andrew Bynum and $6 million in cash.

The Cavaliers thought they were getting a talented 7-footer who could help them compete for a championship. Instead, they got a player who was plagued by injuries and didn’t even last a full season with the team. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls just before the trade deadline in 2014 and was out of the league entirely by 2016.

The Sixers, meanwhile, used those draft picks to select Nerlens Noel (2013), Dario Saric (2014), and Richaun Holmes (2015). All three of those players became rotation players for the team and helped contribute to their rebuilding process.

The Brooklyn Nets’ Trade for Deron Williams

In 2011, the Brooklyn Nets were coming off a 23-59 season and were looking to rebuild. They had the sixth overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft and they used that pick to draft Kentucky Center Demarcus Cousins Cousins was a very talented player, but he had some character concerns.

The Nets then traded Cousins to the Charlotte Hornets for guard Deron Williams. Williams was a five-time All-Star and one of the best point guards in the league. The Nets thought they were getting a franchise player who could lead them back to relevance.

However, Williams didn’t want to play for the Nets and forced his way out of town just two years later. The Nets are still feeling the effects of that trade today. They gave up a lot for Williams and got very little in return.

The Orlando Magic’s Trade for Dwight Howard

In 2012, the Orlando Magic traded Dwight Howard Jason Richardson Chris Duhon, and Earl Clark to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Josh McRoberts, Christian Eyenga, a future first-round pick and second-round pick. At first glance, this looked like a decent return for the Magic considering they were able to unloadHoward’s contract.

However, the Magic have not made the playoffs since trading Howard and are still feeling the effects of this trade today. This is widely considered one of the worst trades in NBA history and set the franchise back many years.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ Trade for Dwight Howard

In 2012, the Los Angeles Lakers were coming off a disappointing season in which they were swept in the NBA Finals by the Dallas Mavericks In an effort to re-tool their roster and get back to contenders, they made a series of trades. The most notable was sending Andrew Bynum to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Dwight Howard

This was a disastrous trade for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Dwight Howard was a shell of his former self after injuries had taken their toll. He wasn’t close to the All-Star caliber player he once was, and he didn’t mesh well with Kobe Bryant The Lakers also gave up valuable role players like Metta world peace and Steve Nash in the trade.

The trade didn’t help the Lakers at all as they still missed the playoffs in 2013. They would eventually trade Howard away after just one season.

The Houston Rockets’ Trade for James Harden

In 2012, the Houston Rockets traded for James Harden a move that would come to define the franchise for years to come. In return for Harden, the Rockets gave up a package of Draft Picks and players that included Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin and Cole Aldrich. The trade was a steal for the Rockets, as Harden went on to become one of the best players in the league and helped lead the team to an NBA Finals appearance in 2018.

The Indiana Pacers’ Trade for Jermaine O’Neal

On August 2, 2000, the Indiana Pacers completed one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history In exchange for the young center Jermaine O’Neal and veteran small forward Al Harrington, the Pacers sent veteran Power Forward Dale Davis and rookie guard Jonathan Bender to the Portland Trail Blazers

At first glance, this trade may not seem so bad for Indiana. After all, they acquired a young star in O’Neal and a solid role player in Harrington while only giving up two players who were not major contributors to the team. However, this trade would come back to bite the Pacers in a big way.

While O’Neal would go on to have a solid career with Indiana, he was never able to live up to his full potential due to injuries. In his eight seasons with the Pacers, he averaged 19.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while being named an All-Star six times. However, he only played in more than 70 games in a season twice and was never able to lead the team to an NBA Finals appearance.

Meanwhile, Dale Davis had a very solid career with the Trail Blazers He averaged 10.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while providing great defense and toughness off the bench. He played a key role on Portland’s “Jail Blazer” teams that made consecutive trips to the Western Conference Finals in 2000 and 2001.

Jonathan Bender also had a very successful career with Portland, averaging 7.4 points per game while shooting 41 percent from three-point range He played an important role off the bench for the Trail Blazers and became one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA.

In retrospect, this trade was an absolute disaster for the Indiana Pacers While O’Neal had a solid career with the team, he was never able to stay healthy or lead them to an NBA Finals appearance. Meanwhile, Dale Davis and Jonathan Bender both went on to have very successful careers with the Portland Trail Blazers

The Phoenix Suns’ Trade for Jason Richardson

In what would become one of the worst NBA trades in history, the Suns dealt away two future first-round picks and Shawn Marion for Jason Richardson, Jared Dudley and a second-rounder in 2012.

The Suns were already a playoff team with Marion on the roster and didn’t really need Richardson, who was middle-of-the-road player at that point in his career. The two first-rounders they gave up ended up being Nos. 13 and 21 overall, while the second-rounder they got back was No. 32.

effectively gutting their future for a player who only lasted two seasons in Phoenix before being shipped off to Orlando.

The Detroit Pistons’ Trade for Chauncey Billups

In November of 1998, the Detroit Pistons traded Rodney White, a first-round pick, and a future second-round pick to the Toronto Raptors for All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups The trade was panned by pundits at the time and is widely considered one of the worst in NBA History

The Pistons gave up a lot for a rental player; Billups was in the final year of his contract and would have been a free agent at the end of the season. The Raptors, on the other hand, got two young players and a draft pick for a player who was likely to leave in a few months. The Raptors won the trade handily, and it set them up for future success.

The Pistons went on to miss the playoffs that year, while the Raptors made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Billups would go on to have a successful career with several teams, but he never led the Pistons to an NBA title

The Boston Celtics’ Trade for Kevin Garnett

In 2007, the Boston Celtics were coming off a 24-58 season, their Worst Record in almost two decades. In an attempt to turn their franchise around, they pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in NBA history The Celtics traded five players, two first-round Draft Picks and cash to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for All-Star power forward Kevin Garnett.

The trade transformed the Celtics into a championship-caliber team. They won the NBA title in 2008 and nearly won another one in 2010. The Timberwolves, on the other hand, have never recovered from the trade. They’ve only made the playoffs once since then and haven’t had a winning season since 2005.

The Worst NBA Trades in History