First things first, I do not see Kobe Bryant being traded this season. What would the Los Angeles Lakers gain by trading Kobe Bryant? If Kobe Bean Bryant continues to adorn the purple and gold of the Lakers three things are guaranteed. 1) The Lakers will at least make the playoffs. Not contend for a title, but they will be a top eight team in the Western Conference. 2) The Los Angeles Lakers will stay relevant always showcased on ESPN Sportscenter, guaranteed. 3) Because of reasons 1 & 2, the Lakers can charge whatever they want for tickets, which is the number one reason the team will not trade Kobe Bryant. Movie stars do not want to spend thousands for courtside seats to watch Luol Deng or Josh Howard. Los Angeles needs a Super Duper Star… Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Amare Stoudemire, that’s about it. I honestly don’t even think Gilbert or Dirk are big enough stars for L.A. I am not saying I would take any of these players for Kobe, because I wouldn’t, but I’m just saying. L.A. needs its show time, excitement, and playoffs. Jerry Buss understands this so Kobe is not going anywhere. Buss already botched the Shaquille O’Neal trade and was too scared to pull the trigger on the Kwame Brown & Andrew Bynum for Jason Kidd deal(which is the entire reason Kobe is pissed), but he cannot lose Black Mamba. Does Buss really want to go down in history as the guy who dealt away Shaq and Kobe? Which got me thinking… What are some of the worst trades in the last 15 years?
OK, a few rule disclaimers.
- This is my list, so if you don’t like it, leave a comment and we can discuss.
- I think Vince Carter is soft as cake, so the poo-poo platter Toronto got for him is fine by me.
- Orlando also received the poo-poo platter for Tracy McGrady, but T-Mac still hasn’t made it out of the first round of the playoffs so it’s a wash.
- I like Stephon Marbury a lot. It is not his fault that future Hall of Famers take over his teams after he leaves. Besides, Jason Kidd pleaded guilty to domestic violence, Phoenix had to trade him.
- Eddie Curry averaged 20pts, 7rebs, and shot 58% from the field last season for the New York Knicks. With that said, do you really think Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah will be able to match that production? (The two players the Bulls drafted with the Knicks draft picks traded for Curry) I don’t think so, but it’s too early to tell.
- Similarly if the Phoenix Suns get O.J. Mayo, Michael Beasley, Derrick Rose, Ty Lawson, or Donte Green with Atlanta’s unprotected 1st round pick this upcoming draft (for Joe Johnson) this will go down as the most lopsided trade ever, but again, to early to tell.
Alright with that out the way, here are the worst 5 trades over the past 15 years;
Honorable Mention
The Washington Wizards trade Kwame Brown and Laron Profit to the Los Angeles Lakers for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins.
Kwame Brown was supposed to be the future of the Washington Wizards. During his pre-draft workouts with Michael Jordan he told his royal airness, “if you draft me, you’ll never regret it.� It did not take long before Jordan regretted it. MJ verbally and physically abused Kwame, crushing all confidence he once possessed. It is rumored that during practice Jordan smacked Kwame in the face and told him to “stop being a bitch!� After Jordan was fired by the Wizards Kwame still could not get the job done. During the 2005 playoffs a Gilbert Arenas video appeared on the scoreboard at the Verizon Center pleading with fans to no longer boo Brown. Kwame responded with skipped playoff practices and a game. He even threatened to punch Arenas in the face through the media. So he was shipped to Los Angeles were he averages a pathetic 7pts and 6rebs.
In return the Washington Wizards received the 2001 Big East Player of the Year. Drafted by the Miami Heat with the 10th pick of the 2002 draft Caron Butler was traded to the Lakers in the deal that sent Shaquille O’Neal to Miami, only to eventually land in Washington. Joining the Wizards “big three� Caron Butler made his first All-Star team and averaged 18pts and 7rebs a game this past season. I bet Kobe wished he was a part of a big three (Kobe, Lamar, and Caron) instead of having Kwame Brown.
5. The Miami Heat trade Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a 1st round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for Shaquille O’Neal.
The Miami version of Shaq is extremely lazy. Shaq took half of the season off last year and in case you didn’t know, Miami is in a lot of trouble this year. There is no doubt in my mind that Dwayne Wade will opt out of his contract in the fourth year player option. But they did win a championship so… I still don’t understand why Shaq can play second fiddle to Wade, but not Kobe.
Jerry Buss completely botched this trade. He traded away Caron Butler for Kwame Brown and Brian Grant was awful. Would you trade Shaquille O’Neal for Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom? I didn’t think so.
4. The Milwaukee Bucks trade the draft rights to the 9th pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, Dirk Nowitzki, to the Dallas Mavericks for the draft rights to the 6th pick of the 1998 NBA, Draft Robert “Tractor� Traylor, and Pat Garrity.
At the time Milwaukee felt this was a good move for their franchise. Tractor Traylor was coming off an Honorable Mention All-American season. The Big Ten 1st Teamer even broke a backboard! After seven NBA seasons averaging 5pts and 4rebs a game following his estranged father Paul Silas wherever he coached, Traylor left the NBA for better things. For example: pleading guilty to a federal income tax charge stemming from interactions with his drug dealing cousin. Traylor is also standing charges of laundering four million dollars in drug money…
Meanwhile Dirk Nowitzki has career averages of 22pts and 9rebs. The six time All-Star was named the 2007 NBA MVP and won the 2006 three-point shoot-out trophy. The Bucks should have kept the David Hasselhoff junkie!
3. The Washington Wizards trade Chris Webber to the Sacramento Kings for Mitch Richmond.
Sorry, I just threw up…
The Bullets were a young team on the rise. After ending an eight year playoff drought the future looked bright. The problem… Webber loved the DC nightlife too much. So the Wizards traded the budding superstar for a fading Mitch Richmond before the start of the 1999-2000 season. (You have no idea how much pain this section is causing me) Mitch Richmond was fresh off a 23pt per game season averaging a 39% stroke from three, but the Kings never won over 40 games with him as their star. Never fully healthy in Washington, Richmond never won more than 30 games in his three years with the club.
Chris Webber went on to dominate the NBA for the next six years. He turned the Sacramento Kings into an instant contender battling the Lakers every year for Western Dominance. One of the best power forwards of his era, Webber averaged 23pts, 11rebs, and 5asts a game while in Sacramento.
2. The Charlotte Hornets trade the draft rights to the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers for Vlade Divac.
As the story goes…
The night before the 1996 draft the New Jersey Nets GM John Nash and new VP & head coach John Calipari ate dinner with Kobe Bryant’s parents. With the eighth pick of the draft the Nets were going to select the high school star. Bryant lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia allowing him to stay close to home and commute to Continental Airlines Arena in Jersey. Adidas’ Sonny Vaccaro had different plans for Kobe. Adidas just signed Kobe to a ten million dollar contract desiring him in a bigger market than New Jersey. The Hornets and the Lakers made a deal. Vaccaro and Bryant’s agent Arn Tellem told Nash that if the Nets selected Kobe he would refuse to play for them. Entering his first year as an NBA head coach Calipari did not want to take the risk. The rest is history, Kobe fell all the way to 13th were Jerry West already had his deal in place and dealt Vlade Divac for Kobe.
With that being said, Charlotte made a terrible mistake giving Kobe Bryant away to the Lakers. Sure Vlade Divac is one of only four (Kareem, Olajuwon, and Garnett) players in NBA history to achieve 13,000pts, 9,000rebs, and 3,000 assists. I don’t care if the 1996-1997 season was the best season in franchise history (54-28) for the Hornets. Vlade only averaged 11pts and 9rebs during his two seasons with the Hornets. I am sure the hive would have loved a Mugsy Bogues, Kobe Bryant backcourt to team with Glen Rice and Anthony Mason.
1. The Philadelphia 76ers trade Charles Barkley to the Pheonix Suns for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang.
Who are Tim Perry and Andrew Lang? Can you honestly tell me you remember them? This is the worst trade ever… So what did Barkley do his first season as a Sun?
Averaged 26pts, 12rebs, 5asts during the regular season, won league MVP, and took his team to the NBA Finals. Enough said.
