Very few trades in the history of sports leave one questioning whether they were real. Trades so out of the realm of possibility that one wonders if the insider who reported them got hacked. Trades so transcendent that years later, people remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. Saturday, Feb. 1, was one of those days. Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made one of the most improbable and controversial trades in NBA history, sending 25-year-old superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. It joins the ranks of other monumental trades in sports history that reshaped franchises and legacies forever.
3. Shaquille O’Neal traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Miami Heat
In 2004, the Lakers sent O’Neal to the Miami Heat in exchange for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler and a future first-round pick. On paper, it didn’t seem like a complete steal. Lamar Odom played a vital role in the Lakers’ future championships, but that’s where the returns ended. Grant and Butler barely contributed before departing the team, and the draft pick resulted in Jordan Farmar, a solid but unspectacular rotation player.
Meanwhile, Miami became an immediate contender. Shaq’s presence in a weaker Eastern Conference made the Heat a dominant force. Teaming up with a young Dwyane Wade, O’Neal led Miami to its first NBA championship in 2006. The Lakers, however, struggled for years after the trade, missing the playoffs in 2005 and relying on Kobe Bryant’s herculean scoring efforts to stay relevant. It wasn’t until the arrival of Pau Gasol and the drafting of Andrew Bynum that the Lakers returned to contention, moves unrelated to the Shaq trade. The lopsided nature of this trade cemented its place as one of the biggest steals in NBA history.
- Herschel Walker traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Minnesota Vikings
The 1989 season was shaping up to be a disaster for the Dallas Cowboys, with rookie head coach Jimmy Johnson and a barren roster outside of Walker and a few young prospects. Johnson, however, had a radical idea: trade the team’s best player. Against skepticism, he orchestrated a deal with the Minnesota Vikings that included Walker, four draft picks and five players in exchange for eight draft picks, including multiple first-rounders.
While Walker was initially productive in Minnesota, the Vikings failed to utilize him effectively. The team made the playoffs in 1989, but were quickly eliminated, and Walker’s performance declined over the next two seasons. By 1992, the Vikings released him, having never reached the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, Dallas capitalized on the haul they received, turning those draft picks into the core of a dynasty. Players like Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson and Russell Maryland became stars, and the Cowboys won three Super Bowls in four years. The “Great Train Robbery,” as Johnson called it, became one of the most infamous trades in sports history, leaving the Vikings with a bitter legacy and Dallas with an embarrassment of riches.
- Luka Doncic traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers
The trade that sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers is already being called one of the most shocking moves in NBA history. Doncic, a five-time All-NBA First Team player, had led Dallas to the NBA Finals last season and was considered a cornerstone of the franchise. Yet, concerns about his conditioning and ball-dominant style of play reportedly led to Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison to move on from him. Critics blasted the Mavericks for the perceived short-sightedness of the trade, arguing that Davis, a 32-year-old with an extensive injury history, was a poor return for one of the league’s top-three players. Some questioned whether Dallas would ever recover from losing a generational talent. The Lakers, however, seized the opportunity to secure their future. With LeBron James nearing retirement, acquiring Doncic ensures that the franchise will remain a championship contender for years to come.
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