The Earvin Edit

It has been just over a month since the Dallas Mavericks shocked the basketball world by trading 26-year-old superstar Luka Luka Dončić. Since the trade, the Mavericks have gone 7-14 and have seen their once promising season take a complete nosedive. Dallas fans have been left frustrated and questioning why management would part ways with a generational talent. This trade does not mark the first time in NBA history that a star player was traded seemingly out of the blue. Several trades throughout league history have been outright head-scratchers. Here’s a look at some other moves that were seen as puzzling at the time.

Written by Earvin Adjei

The Lakers Fleece the Grizzlies for Pau Gasol (2008)

Lakers got: Pau Gasol and a second round pick

Grizzlies got: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol and two future first-round picks

Following the trade of Shaq in 2004 the Lakers were in desperate need of a costar to pair with Kobe Bryant. On February 1, 2008 that sidekick was finally acquired when the Lakers traded for the Grizzlies all-star power forward Pau Gasol. This trade was a massive win for the lakers. After Gasol landed in Los Angles, the Lakers would reach three consecutive NBA Finals, winning two of those appearences in 2009 and 2010. Memphis on the other hand had given away their franchise cornerstone for scraps. The Grizzlies would go into a rebuild and not reach the playoffs again until the 2010-11 season. Marc Gasol, the younger brother of Pau would go on to become a new franchise cornerstone and somewhat soften the blow, but the trade still remains one of the most baffling giveaways the league has ever seen.

The Thunder Break Up a potential Dynasty (2012)

Rockets got: James Harden, Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich and Lazar Hayward

Thunder got: Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks, and a second-round pick

Fresh off an NBA Finals appearance the Oklahoma City Thunder made the shocking decision to trade a piece of their budding young core. Ownership was looking to save money and with the contracts of both Serge Ibaka and James Harden set to expire a decision had to be made on who to let go to avoid the luxury tax. OKC chose to keep Serge Ibaka over Harden, breaking up a young trio of KD, Westbrook, and Harden. The beard wasted no time showing OKC that they had made a huge mistake. In his Rockets debut, Harden notched a double-double with 37 points and 12 assists. During his nine year stint in Houston, Harden led the Rockets to seven winning seasons, two Conference Finals, and won the MVP award in 2018. OKC would never reach the Finals again during the Durant-Westbrook era.

The Celtics & Nets’ Infamous Trade (2013)

Celtics got: Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans, three first-round draft picks, and the right to swap first-round picks in 2017

Nets got: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry, and D.J. White

Looking to trade their way to a ring similar to the Celtics in 2008, the Brooklyn Nets made an all-in move by acquiring aging veterans Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry from the Boston Celtics in exchange for a boatload of first-round picks. The deal backfired spectacularly. The Nets made the playoffs with their newly acquired players in year one but things went downhill after. Paul Pierce left for Washington in the offseason and KG and Jason Terry began to decline. The picks Brooklyn shipped off were unprotected so the Celtics now reaped the benefits of the Nets losing seasons. The Celtics drafted future all-stars Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum and have remained an eastern conference powerhouse while the Nets have struggled to find stability.

The Cavs & Celtics swap point guards (2017)

Celtics got: Kyrie Irving

Cavs got: Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and a first-round pick

Shortly after an NBA Finals loss Kyrie Irving shocked the Cavaliers organization and requested a trade out of Cleveland. The Cavs dealt him to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, and a first-round pick. On paper, it seemed like a fair swap. Irving gave the Celtics a younger superstar point guard, while Cleveland added Thomas who was coming off an MVP caliber season. Thomas’ injuries kept him in and out of the lineup for most of the season, and Cleveland decided to trade him in the middle of the season. Irving showed flashes of superstardom in Boston leading them to a 43-19 record before a season ending knee injury. The following season in Boston was filled with drama and saw the Celtics take a noticeable step back. They went from 55 wins the previous season to 49 wins and a disappointing playoff exit in the second round to the Milwaukee Bucks. Irving would go on to leave for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 free agency. In hindsight, neither team got what they hoped for, making this trade one of the more puzzling ones in recent history.

The Raptors Trade for Kawhi Leonard (2018)

Raptors got: Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green

Spurs got: DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl, and first-round pick

The Spurs organization is known for stability and a winning culture built on strong leadership, so it came as a shock when then franchise superstar Kawhi Leonard requested a trade. Not only had Leonard requested a trade but he had done so with his sights set on L.A. and the Lakers in specific. The Spurs would do the complete opposite and send Leonard packing his bags out the country and not to bright and sunny L.A. but to cold and snowy Toronto. On the other end of the trade, the Raptors made a bold move by trading arguably the franchise’s best player DeMar DeRozan. The risk was high seeing as Leonard was coming off an injury-plagued season and had only one year left on his contract. The Raptors gamble paid off in historic fashion, as Kawhi led them to their first-ever NBA Championship in 2019. Though he left for the Clippers after one season, the trade paid off as the Toronto hoisted the Larry O’Brien.

The Clippers give away the farm for Paul George (2019)

Thunder got: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five (yes five!) first-round picks, and two pick swaps

Clippers got: Paul George

Desperate to land Kawhi Leonard in free agency, the Los Angeles Clippers made a blockbuster trade for Paul George, sending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and a massive haul of future first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The move was seen as a necessity in order to land Leonard and deliver a title to Los Angeles. Even with this trade the Clippers have yet to reach the Finals. Meanwhile, OKC gained one of the best young guards in the league in SGA and a plethora of draft picks. As the years pass, this trade increasingly looks like a enormous win for the Thunder and a massive loss for the Clippers. SGA is now a MVP caliber player and those draft picks have turned into players such as all-star Jalen Williams.