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When the Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers, I remember thinking to myself that it had to be the most shocking NBA trade of my lifetime. And maybe ever.
Those who fall prey to the traps of sports media prisoner of the moment hyperbole could have, on the spot, declared it to be the worst ever. Personally, I stopped short of going that far. I needed some more time for things to actually play out. Even though it was beyond dumb.
Apparently, nine months was as much time as the Mavericks needed before firing embattled GM Nico Harrison, the executive who orchestrated the shocking trade. Ultimately, not even lucking into the No. 1 overall pick and selecting Cooper Flagg bought Harrison more time to see his defining transaction play out amidst the 'Fire Nico' chants from a betrayed fanbase.
And with that, it's officially time to ask where the Luka Doncic to Lakers trade ranks among the very worst in NBA history.
Click here to skip down to the list. Otherwise, here are a few important caveats:
- With one major exception, trades featuring draft picks as the primary asset in the moment don't count. The Hornets trading Kobe Bryant, the Sonics trading Scottie Pippen, the Bucks trading Dirk Nowitzki, the Clippers salary dumping Baron Davis for the pick that became Kyrie Irving, the Warriors trading both Kevin McHale AND Robert Parish... in hindsight, all terrible trades. But for every Kobe drafted 13th, there are Chris Duartes, Jerome Robinsons, Sebastian Telfairs and Marcus Haislips.
- There is no formula. Could I have come up with a system to measure value going in and going out? And then run said formula through every trade in the history of the league? Yes. Did I? No. (But if you do, send it to me and I'll share it everywhere.)
- Perception over time matters. Take, for instance, the Grizzlies trading Pau Gasol to the Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, and some gift cards to Blockbuster. It was a fleecing in the moment and earned then Memphis GM Chris Wallace an unimpeachable spot in the Atrocious GM's Summit. But the Grizzlies also netted Pau's younger brother, Marc, who would go on to become an All-Star, DPOY and one of the most beloved players in franchise history whose jersey hangs from the rafters in Memphis. That matters.
OK, that's it. On to the nine worst trades of all-time.
9. Thunder trade James Harden to Rockets
- Rockets receive: James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Lazar Hayward, Daequan Cook
- Thunder receive: Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two 1st-rd picks, 2nd-rd pick
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There's an alternate reality in which the Thunder decided to pay both James Harden and Serge Ibaka to keep a core together that also featured future MVPs Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
But fresh off losing in the 2012 NBA Finals, OKC decided to trade Harden - at the time a reigning 22-year-old 6th Man of the Year - effectively punting on what would have been the NBA's most fearsome trio for years to come. Even though at the time they had one more year before needing to pay Harden.
MORE: Mavs by the numbers since trading Luka Doncic
Sure, one of the picks became fan favorite Steven Adams. But Harden turned into a Hall of Famer and guaranteed 50-win contender all by himself in Houston. The Durant-Westbrook nucleus never returned to the NBA Finals (though in fairness, neither has Harden).
This isn't the only OKC trade on this list, and fortunately for Thunder fans, they are on the right side of the other.
8. Rockets trade Moses Malone to 76ers
- 76ers receive: Moses Malone
- Rockets receive: Caldwell Jones, 1st-rd pick
If this list went another two or three deep, Moses Malone would appear on it twice due to the 76ers gifting him away to the Washington Bullets.
But we're picking just one, and it has to be on the heels of Malone winning his second MVP award in Houston while in the thick of his prime.
Rockets fans will say this trade led to them landing Ralph Sampson and Hakeem Olajuwon with back-to-back No. 1 picks. And while that's true, nobody could have predicted that at the time.
In his first season in Philadelphia, Malone won yet another MVP and led the 76ers to the NBA title. Meanwhile, Caldwell Jones spent two seasons in Houston, averaging 9.7 points per game. The pick turned into Rodney McCray, a solid defensive starter for a half-decade in Houston who never sniffed an All-Star game.
MORE: Where Moses Malone ranks among all-time NBA players:
7. Celtics trade Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Nets
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- Nets receive: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, DJ White
- Celtics receive: Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans, three 1st-rd picks, 2017 pick swap
Remember that rule about no draft picks on this list? Yeah, I'm making an exception.
Mortgaging what amounts to four future picks, three of which came long enough into the future and beyond Brooklyn's short window, to add a 37-year-old Garnett and a 36-year-old Pierce is beyond reckless. That's even before knowing those picks turned into Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Had Brooklyn won, perhaps that steep price would have been worth it. But Mikhail Prokhorov's eyes got way too wide for a puncher's chance that two over-the-hill champions next to Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko and Brook Lopez would be enough to contend with Miami's LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Perhaps even losing to Miami in a deep playoff run would have warranted justification. But finishing 44-38 and losing in the second round to the Raptors? That's the type of payoff that earns notoriety and lands you on evergreen lists like this.
6. Thunder trade Paul George to Clippers
- Clippers receive: Paul George
- Thunder receive: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, four 1st-rd picks, two picks swaps
Everyone would have made this trade if they were in the Clippers' shoes.
Kawhi Leonard wanted to become a Clipper, but only if they also traded for George. Sam Presti knew it and extracted a treasure chest beyond belief.
In LA's defense, nobody knew SGA would turn into the NBA's best guard, future scoring champion and Finals MVP. An All-Star? Maybe. But not this.
While it's hard to hold it entirely against the Clippers given the context (and why this trade isn't higher up), the four picks and two swaps - including one in 2026 that hasn't even conveyed yet - add to an already hefty haul. Particularly when noting that one of those picks turned into Jalen Williams.
To add more salt to the wound, the Kawhi-PG pairing netted a whopping three playoff series wins, the highlight of which was a 2014 run to the Conference Finals without Leonard, who suffered an injury earlier in the postseason.
Just because it's defensible doesn't mean it's not bad. And for the Clippers, this is a bad trade.
MORE: Yes, SGA is a free throw merchant, but not because he flops
5. 76ers trade Charles Barkley to Suns
- Suns receive: Charles Barkley
- 76ers receive: Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, Tim Perry
Calling this trade package a poo-poo platter is disrespectful to Jeff Hornacek, so I won't do that.
Instead, let's just say you wouldn't trade a filet mignon for a relish tray.
After eight topsy-turvy seasons, the 76ers decided they had had enough of Sir Charles and sent the then-28-year-old to Phoenix, which kicked off the best year of his career.
First came the 1992 Olympics, where Barkley, not Michael Jordan, led the team in scoring. Then came the 1992-93 season when Barkley, not Jordan, won league MVP. Naturally, that season ended with Barkley losing to Jordan in the NBA Finals, but certainly through no fault of his own.
Meanwhile, Philly won 26 games, fired its head coach midway through the season and traded Hornacek to the Jazz the very next year. Not exactly the long-term relief one might expect for gifting away one of the league's top-five players in the thick of his prime.
4. Nets trade Julius Erving to 76ers
- 76ers receive: Julius Erving
- Nets receive: $3 million
I'd listen to any case claiming this to be the worst in NBA history.
Two months after officially joining the NBA as part of the ABA merger and desperately in need of cash to stay afloat, the Nets effectively sold Erving to the 76ers in exchange for $3 million,
You came here for some rankings, not a history lesson on front office basketball economics of the late 1970s. If you really want a rabbit hole on this trade, here you go. All you need to know is that Nets fans revolted, Dr. J won a title and 11 All-Star teams in Philly, and the Knicks themselves could have had Erving instead of the territorial fee owed to them by the Nets.
3. Mavericks trade Luka Doncic to Lakers
- Lakers receive: Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris
- Mavericks receive: Anthony Davis, Max Christie, Jalen Hood-Schifino, 1st-rd pick, 2nd-rd pick
OK, so here's the deal. Time will truly be the only arbiter here, and this trade could move up or down this list based on how the next few years play out.
But barely a month into his first full season in Los Angeles, Doncic is putting up career-high numbers across the board and is on a revenge tour in the best shape of his life and on the cover of Men's Health, which of course nobody could have predicted after Nico Harrison threw him under the bus for conditioning concerns following the trade. (Editor's note: Everyone, including my three-year-old son, could have predicted that.)
Meanwhile, the Mavericks are dealing with injuries to both Davis (again) and Kyrie Irving, and despite the promise of generational rookie Cooper Flagg, who quite literally fell into their lap, they look far from a championship-ready team. This despite making the trade IMMEDIATELY AFTER REACHING THE NBA FINALS... with Harrison inexplicably claiming that moving a 25-year-old superstar for a 32-year-old better aligned with their win-now timeline.
There's not much else to be said beyond hang tight to watch how this plays out.
To Mavericks fans everywhere: I'm sorry. Enjoy Cooper Flagg.
MORE: What Cooper Flagg's mom thinks about Mavs firing Nico Harrison
2. Warriors trade Wilt Chamberlain to 76ers
- 76ers receive: Wilt Chamberlain
- Warriors receive: Connie Dierking, Paul Neumann, Lee Shaffer
Like Moses Malone before, Wilt Chamberlain could easily have two entries on this list. At least the 76ers received an All-Star (Archie Clark) when they dealt Chamberlain away to the Lakers.
Connie Dierking averaged 8 points in 30 games with the Warriors. Paul Neumann played 180 games over 2.5 seasons, scoring 13.5 points per game. Shaffer never appeared in a single game.
Meanwhile, Chamberlain won three straight MVP awards and delivered a title to Philadelphia in 1967.
It would be like if the Mavericks traded Luka to the Lakers but got Bronny James, Christian Koloko and Jaxson Hayes instead of Anthony Davis.
Had Wilt never asked out and stayed in Philadelphia, this would be No. 1 on this list.
MORE: Five things you didn't know about Wilt's 100-point game
1. Bucks trade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Lakers
- Lakers receive: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Walt Wesley
- Bucks receive: Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, Junior Bridgeman
For anyone who thinks player empowerment started with LeBron's 'Decision', go read about how Kareem forced his way out of Milwaukee... and to the Lakers. Just because it happened quietly behind closed doors and not in a made-for-TV special doesn't mean it didn't pack every ounce of leverage.
Ultimately, there wasn't much the Bucks could do here other than do Abdul-Jabbar right after six historic seasons, which included an NBA title and three MVP awards.
The haul wasn't a bag of chips: Elmore Smith was a former blocks champion and Brian Winters went on to make a few All-Star teams in Milwaukee.
But this trade ignited a 14-year run with the Lakers that eventually paired Abdul-Jabbar with Magic Johnson, forming one of the most iconic duos in league history and delivering five championships.
It's not the worst trade in NBA history because of anything the Bucks did wrong.
It's the worst trade in NBA history because of what it ultimately cost them.
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