Few moments off the court grab as much attention in basketball than a trade. Some trades are nicely balanced and just fly under the radar without causing huge shockwaves. Other times it’s a shock blockbuster exchange like the recent Luka Dončić to LA Lakers move that few saw coming.
Some of the most talked about trades however, are the ones where fans just ask “Why?”. There have been plenty of head-scratching moves when a team has perhaps taken a gamble on a player and occasionally these trades turn out to be strokes of genius.
The Gamble
All NBA trades are ultimately a gamble, and can be as hit-and-miss as playing a hand of blackjack at a live dealer table. Online casino platforms are popular around the world, and review sites like casinosonline.ph that rate platforms, are helpful tools that connect players to the best ones.
Like a blackjack player studying percentage, teams do deep analysis on players before a trade. But it’s only long-term, when the players get to know their new teammates inside out, will hindsight paint a clearer picture. But what are some of the NBA trades that genuinely looked like a huge risk, but ultimately paid off?
Kobe Bryant to the Lakers (1996)
In 1996 when Kobe Bryant was drafted there was so much chatter going on, ranging from him being called a “borderline sensation”, to calling out his lack of physicality and questionable ball-handling skills.
Bryant was the first player to get drafted right out of High School and he went 13th in the 1996 draft to the Hornets. He then quickly got moved to the Lakers for Vlade Divac, as LA needed some cap space to get Shaquille O’Neil.
This was a huge gamble by both teams. The Hornets risked losing a potential future superstar, while the Lakers didn’t even know if Bryant was going to fit in with their well established team. Things obviously worked out for the Lakers as Bryant became an NBA legend, collecting five championship rings.
Andrew Bogut to The Warriors (2012)
In 2012, Andrew Bogut found a new team in the Golden State Warriors after the Milwaukee Bucks sent him there. The Warriors at the time were in pretty poor shape and this was a much-maligned trade because, in it, they sent their only major franchise player Monta Ellis the other way and Bogut had been prone to injuries.
It turned out that Bogut’s leadership, defensive intelligence along with passing skills changed the way the Warriors played forever. He was key for them in their record-breaking 2015 season, when they won 73 matches and collected the Championship.
Ben Wallace to the Pistons (2000)
Things were gloomy in Detroit when the Pistons shipped out Grant Hill to Orlando in 2000, in return for a relative unknown in the form of Ben Wallace. For all the world, this looked like a trade that Orlando won, but it didn’t turn out that way.
Ben Wallace thrived in Detroit, helping them win the NBA title and producing a run to the Eastern Conference Finals for seven consecutive seasons. Wallace made such a big impact anchoring the Detroit Pistons’ incredible defence, while over in Florida, Hill was a wash because of injuries and a huge drop-off in form.
Marc Gasol to the Grizzlies
There were eyebrows raised when the Lakers captured Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies in a deal which saw his younger brother Marc go the other way. This looked a heavily lopsided deal in favour of the Grizzlies, with Marc Gasol, who had only been a 2nd round pick, going to Memphis along with a much-criticised Kwame Brown, a first round pick and guard Aaron McKie.
Pau Gasol at the Lakers was franchise-changing, but the Grizzlies unexpectedly did superbly out of this deal as well too. Not even they perhaps were ready for the player that Marc turned into, and with them, he had three All-Star appearances and helped the Grizzlies to a seven-year sequence of making the Playoffs.
Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to the Indiana Pacers (2017)
This was part of a blockbuster trade that saw the Pacers move All-Star forward Paul George to the Thunder. This was a huge risk for the Pacers, losing their star man and it looked to many that the franchise had come up short in the deal.
But that wasn’t the case, as Indiana thrived with Oladipo on the side, while longer-term, Sabonis went on to become an All-Star player. Even when he moved on to the Kings they got Tyrese Haliburton, so this was a big all-around win for the Pacers all the while Paul George’s big-time move never paid off.
