Ranking the Worst Trades in NBA History
These NBA Trades Will Be Remembered as Some of the Worst All-Time
It’s been a 75-plus-season history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Beginning as the Basketball Association of America (BAA) in 1946, merging with the National Basketball League (NBL) in 1949 to form the NBA.
Over the course of all that time, there were countless transactions made with countless players (and other assets) rerouted along the way. Exactly how many names have been listed in the small-type agate is impossible to calculate.
Broaching the subject of “worst NBA trades” is also a tough task because “worst” needs to be defined in the context of this story.
Does it mean one-sided? Does it mean involving big names? Does it mean helping both teams?
Remember Bill Rusell was so coveted by the Boston Celtics that the Ice Capades were imported (to Rochester, N.Y.) as a lure (Google the whole episode back in 1956 to see how that impacted the then-Rochester Royals and the then-St. Louis Hawks).
Then, not quite 20 years down the road, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Milwaukee-to-Los Angeles trade changed the landscape of the league. That was made at the demand of Kareem wanting out of Milwaukee. The “disgruntled player movement,” whether through free agency or forcing a trade, has been standard practice in the league over the last number of decades
See Jimmy Butler-to-Golden State as the latest example (prior to 2024-25 mid-season writing).
There are any number of ways to look at transactions, but only one constant…trades aren’t able to be fully graded until the final outcome. What may seem to have favored Team “A” on paper turned out to help Team “B,” or vice versa.
There isn’t a self-respecting general manager out there who wants to make a bad trade…unless his team is tanking. That doesn’t mean any number of trades have come back to bite teams in the posterior.
In this current salary-cap era of the league, money can’t be ignored as player movements have to fit into certain slots. Some of these trades are so precise that often a third and fourth team is needed to make them work.
Here’s a look at some NBA trades that have made news while moving the needle…
What Big Trades Happened in the NBA in 2024-25?
It’s not NBA rumors, but a fact that many big names have changed teams during the first half of the (current) 2024-25 season. Start with Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic flipping teams (Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks) in a trade that actually involved three teams (Utah Jazz), six players, and three draft choices (one down the road in 2029).
Also, De’Aaron Fox and Zach Lavine changed jerseys in a three-team transaction (Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and San Antonio Spurs) before the aforementioned Jimmy Butler forced his way out of Miami, landing in San Francisco with the Golden State Warriors (Detroit and Utah were supporting players in the trade).
Those weren’t the only players (and/or assets) to move prior to the NBA trade deadline (Feb. 6th), but the biggest as of this writing.
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Who Was Traded for a Printer in the NBA?
We don’t think self-esteem is an issue with Kyle Korver, but one would forgive him if there was a time when he questioned his very worth. Back in 2003, the then-New Jersey Nets made the Creighton (Omaha, Neb.) sharpshooter the 51st overall selection in the draft.
Korver was then subsequently sold to the Philadelphia 76ers, with the Nets using that haul to fund a summer league team and, with what was left over, buying a copy machine. It wasn’t a typical trade, but rather unique.
Korver ended a well-traveled, 17-year NBA career in 2019-20 with 2,450 made 3-point field goals (eighth all-time as of this 2024-25 mid-season writing).
Did BetUS Lakers/Mavs Championship Odds Change After Big Trade?
Indeed they did. Before the Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic (LA Lakers-Dallas Mavericks) trade, LA was hovering around 40-1 (+4000) to be the NBA championship winner. It dropped to about 14-1 (+1400). Meanwhile, the Mavericks were about 20-1 (+2000) before the trade to approximately 30-1 (+3000). Bettors can’t ignore the fact that both Davis and Doncic are not healthy, both sidelined at the time of the trade.
Regarding Lukas Doncic's stats, he is averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 points and 7.8 assists in 22 games during the 2024-25 season, He’s been sidelined since Christmas with an injured calf.
Much was written about Doncic and wearing out his welcome in Dallas.
Davis, meanwhile, is averaging 25.7 points and 11.9 rebounds in ‘24-’25. The injury-prone star has been out since late January of 2025, a few weeks prior to this writing. He hasn’t appeared in more than 70 games in any season since 2017-18 (other than 2023-24).
What Are the Worst Trades in the NBA?
We can’t say if any of these big-name deals before/at the 2025 NBA trade deadline are going to rank among the worst NBA trades. History will make those determinations down the road.
However, there have been some bona fide godawful deals over the seasons. Some have been draft-day fiascos (Milwaukee sending Dirk Nowitzki to Dallas, Seattle SuperSonics rerouting Scottie Pippen to Chicago), while others were downright thefts (Boston unloading aging stars [Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce] to Brooklyn to eventually draft Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.
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Any Final Thoughts?
Player movement has always been a part of NBA news. It’s not possible to assess any trade at its outset, especially with the current NBA where future draft choices are often in the mix.
