Charlotte Hornets Traded Kobe Bryant, Milwaukee Bucks Shipped off Dirk Nowitzki & Other Draft Day Trades that Altered the NBA's History Forever

Believe it or not, there are some trades that changed the NBA's history forever. 

Whether it was for the good or bad, is debatable. 

But let's look into them and see how much of an impact they have had. 


Phoenix Suns traded Rajon Rondo to Boston Celtics

Rondo was actually a Phoenix Suns pick in 2006 but they traded him to the Celtics for a draft pick the following year. That pick in 2007 was eventually traded to Portland for money. So basically the Suns traded an All-Star PG of Rondo's caliber for some cash. They had Steve Nash at the time. Imagine how good Rajon could have been under such a legend.

Credit: Youtube/NBA

Boston Celtics acquire Ray Allen and Sonics get NOTHING!

Right after that, Danny Ainge executed another big steal by acquiring Ray Allen to complete the 'Big 3' that would eventually win the championship that same year and gave up the 5th pick, which was Jeff Green as well as Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West to the Seattle Supersonics.

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Chicago Bulls swap LaMarcus Aldridge for Tyrus Thomas with Blazers

With the 2nd pick in the '06 draft, the Bulls got LaMarcus Aldridge and with the 4th pick, the Blazers chose Tyrus Thomas. But on second thought, the Blazers ended up sending Thomas and Viktor Khryapa for Aldridge and a second-round pick. In a nutshell, instead of forming a scary dynamic duo of Derrick Rose and LaMarcus Aldridge, they saw Thomas turn into a sub-par player eventually trading him after 2 years.

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Minnesota Timberwolves trade Ray Allen for Stephon Marbury

Milwaukee had Marbury at four and the Wolves got Ray Allen with the next pick.  But they immediately swapped their selections. Although Marbury had a lot of talent, he never lived up to his potential, at least in the NBA but is a basketball icon in China with his own statue there.

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Milwaukee Bucks shipped Dirk Nowitzki for Robert Traylor

The Bucks picked Dirk with their 9th pick in the '98 Draft but before Nowitzki even put on that jersey, he and Pat Garrity were traded to Dallas for Robert Traylor. Traylor averaged 4.8 per game in a 6-year career, whereas Dirk became the best international player the league ever set eyes on, leading the Mavs to their first and only NBA championship in 2011.

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Supersonics traded Scottie Pippen for Olden Polynice

Another bad call on the Seattle Supersonics' part. At the 1987 NBA draft, the Sonics trade Scottie Pippen, who they selected with the 5th overall pick, to the Chicago Bulls. In exchange, they got Olden Polynice and a future draft pick. Who is Polynice? Exactly! The Bulls got a Hall of Famer and if Seattle had been smarter, they could have formed their own trio with Pippen, Shawn Kemp, and Gary Payton.

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Charlotte Hornets traded the legendary Kobe Bryant

Charlotte Hornets selected Kobe Bryant with the 13th overall pick in the '96 NBA Draft. But Kobe wasn't too happy with this and wanted to go to LA. So, the Hornets traded him to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. Divac played well in LA but lasted only 2 years in Charlotte. The Hornets thought they wouldn't have to deal with the risk of a high school player but then Kobe became Kobe and the rest is history.

Credit: YouTube/NBATop10

St. Louis Hawks traded Bill Russell to Boston Celtics

St. Louis Hawks became the biggest trade losers when they trade Bill Russell to the Boston Celtics. A player who got the franchise 11 of their 17 NBA championships, making the Celtics one of the best franchises in NBA's history. Whereas, the Hawks ended up relocating to Atlanta instead. Maybe if they hadn't shipped Russell, they would have been the franchise with the 11 titles. Who knows...

Credit: YouTube/NBATop10

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