The worst all-time trade for every NBA franchise

Russell will forever be associated with the Celtics, since they're the only team he ever played for. The Hawks actually drafted him, but traded his rights for All-Star forward Ed Macauley and promising rookie Cliff Hagan, which worked out in the short term as the Hawks won a title in 1958. But, Russell of course brought a whopping 11 championships to Boston.

Johnson made a minimal impact for the Celtics after they selected him with the No. 10 pick in the 2001 draft. They viewed him as disposable enough to offload him for a couple of role players in Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers. Johnson, though, developed in Phoenix, and after they sent him to the Hawks, he became a multi-time All-Star.

Boston saw their championship window was closing in the 2010s, but luckily, it found an eager trade partner in the Nets. They took on Pierce in Garnett, giving up a wealth of unprotected draft picks in the process. These picks ended up being huge for Boston, allowing them to select franchise cornerstones Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum.

Before the 1996 draft, the Hornets agreed to pick Kobe and trade him to the Lakers, getting veteran big man Vlade Divac in return. The Hornets only hung onto Divac for a couple of seasons. Meanwhile, Kobe went on to be one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen, spending 20 years in LA.

In a draft-night swap in 2006, the Bulls unloaded Alridge (the No. 2 pick) for Tyrus Thomas (No. 4) and Viktor Khryapa, a mostly ineffective two-year veteran. Thomas's ceiling ended up being as an athletic but not outstanding role player. Aldridge, meanwhile, ended up earning seven All-Star selections and All-NBA honors as one of the best forwards of the 2010s.

The Cavs were backed into a corner: Kyrie wanted out and the team had to do something. The Celtics gave them Isaiah Thomas, who was coming off an All-NBA season but was dealing with a hip injury, and other pieces. Thomas was ultimately bogged down by his injuries and didn't contribute much to Cleveland, so the Cavs gave up an All-Star for little return.

Arguably the worst trade in not just NBA history, but possibly sports history as well. Just months after Luka Doncic led the Mavs to the NBA Finals, GM Nico Harrison flipped his franchise superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around the much-older and oft-injured Anthony Davis. It was an immediate disaster that led to the fans' revolt and ultimately cost Harrison his job. and will be the measuring stick for awful sports trades for the foreseeable future.

With the 27th pick in the 2013 draft, the Nuggets selected Gobert... then promptly traded him for essentially nothing. In Utah, Gobert got off to a quiet start in his rookie season, but by his second year, he was one of the league's best defenders, winning a DPOY award not long after that. That said, the Nuggets ended up with Nikola Jokić not long after offloading Gobert, so they didn't miss the Frenchman too much.

It's easy to see why the Pistons wanted Iverson: Although older, he was still playing well in Denver. However, he didn't end up being a fit in Detroit and he signed with Memphis the next season. Billups, meanwhile, had one of the best statistical seasons of his career with the Nuggets and even made an All-Star team.

The Warriors needed money in 1965, so they got rid of Chamberlain for three players and cash. Wilt had his biggest statistical seasons with the Warriors, but in Philly, he won three straight MVP trophies and a championship in 1967. They players the Warriors got, meanwhile, were nowhere near as impactful as Wilt, even collectively.

The Rockets traded up in the 2001 draft to get the No. 8 pick, Eddie Griffin, giving up the No. 13 pick, Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins, and Brandon Armstrong. Griffin proved to be underwhelming and had a short career. Meanwhile, Jefferson played for nearly 20 seasons and Jason Collins also had a decade-plus career.

In a draft-night deal, the Pacers unloaded Kawhi Leonard to the Spurs for George Hill. The latter was a reliable young guard, and for the first few seasons after, it didn't seem like a notable trade. Eventually, though, Leonard became one of the NBA's best defenders and a multi-time All-Star.

The Clippers were not interested in keeping an aging Baron Davis around, so they sent him and a first-round pick to the Cavaliers for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. That doesn't read like a terrible deal... except for the fact that the pick was unprotected. It ended up being No. 1 overall, which Cleveland used to select Kyrie Irving.

This one was tough to avoid: The Shaq/Kobe situation was coming to a head, so LA essentially had to offload one of them. Shaq, while aging, was still a 20-and-10 player, and he helped Miami win a championship not long after his arrival. However, the Lakers did net Lamar Odom in the trade, who ended up being a key piece of their 2009 and 2010 championships.

Francis made it clear he didn't want to play in Vancouver, even before the team drafted him. They picked him anyway, though, but he ultimately refused to suit up for the team. So, they got rid of him in a three-team deal involving the Rockets and Magic. Among the players the Grizzlies got was Michael Dickerson, who was one of the team's best scorers for a couple of seasons, but Francis blossomed into an All-Star in Houston.

Seikaly was one of the most consistent players during the Heat's first season in the NBA. In 1994, though, he was dealt for Billy Owens and Sasha Danilović. Both players were solid, but neither stuck around long-term, so Miami gave up a reliable big man for ultimately very little in return.

In the 1998 draft, the Bucks used their No. 9 pick on a German prospect named Dirk Nowitzki, but traded him to the Mavericks for Robert Traylor. The latter stuck around the league for just a few ultimately underwhelming years. Nowitzki, meanwhile, played in the league for two decades and is one of the greatest players of all time.

In the immediate aftermath, this deal didn't look terrible, as both were promising guards showing a lot of promise in their first couple of years in the NBA. But, the Timberwolves moved on from Marbury during his third season. Allen, meanwhile, spent seven seasons in Milwaukee, during which time he became a multi-time All-Star and one of the league's best offensive players.

After becoming one of the league's best point guards over his first six seasons, Paul wanted to play for a contender. So, the Hornets shipped him to the Clippers in exchange for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and a first-round pick. None of those assets provided the team with a significant long-term impact, while Paul went on to have an all-time great career with a handful of teams.

As part of a big four-team deal, the Knicks dealt Sprewell to the Timberwolves and landed Keith Van Horn. Van Horn barely had time to get settled in New York, playing in just 47 games before he was again moved. Sprewell, meanwhile, helped Minnesota reach the conference finals in 2004.

There was some disagreement between Harden and the Thunder on a contract extension, so the team dealt him, breaking up their trio of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook. Harden came off the bench in OKC, but in his new home in Houston, he was given the keys. He became one of the league's best players, leading in scoring for three consecutive years and claiming an MVP trophy.

In the Magic's defense, the team was in a tough spot: Howard had requested a trade and Orlando didn't think he'd stick around long-term. So, in a four-team trade, they landed Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vučević, Moe Harkless. None of them were on Howard's level, although Vučević later became an All-Star.

There came a point when Barkley no longer wanted to be in Philly. The team knew it and got rid of him, but the return was relatively paltry. The highlight was Jeff Hornacek, who was an All-Star, but the 76ers traded him before he played two full seasons. Barkley, meanwhile, won his first MVP trophy with the Phoenix Suns.

When the Suns drafted Rondo in 2006, they weren't interested in keeping him and immediately dealt the point guard to the Celtics for a 2007 pick. Rondo quickly earned a spot in the Celtics rotation, and by his third season, he was established as one of the NBA's best passers and defenders. He went on to make multiple All-Star teams and win a championship with Boston in 2008.

When the ABA and NBA merged in 1976, a dispersal draft was held to assign some ABA players to NBA teams. The Trail Blazers grabbed Moses Malone, but then traded him to the Buffalo Braves for a future draft pick. If that wasn't bad enough, the Braves quickly fumbled the bag themselves, trading Malone days later.

Towards the end of his run with the Royals, Oscar wasn't the MVP-level star he was in years prior, but he was still an above-average scorer and facilitator. Still, they gave him up to the Bucks. This was seemingly premature, as Oscar guided Milwaukee to a championship, alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Dandridge, in his first season with the new team.

In the two years the Spurs had Rodman, he led the league in rebounding. The Bulls snapped him up, though, getting rid of Will Perdue in a trade. Rodman was in his mid-30s with the Bulls but still tremendously effective, spending three years with the franchise and winning three titles.

There was famously a lot of tension between VC and Toronto towards the end of their time together, so a trade was inevitable. The issue was how little they got in return: Alonzo Mourning (who refused to report to the team), Aaron Williams, and Eric Williams. Carter remained one of the league's big stars in New Jersey before his production fell off and he transitioned into a veteran role.

The Jazz picked Wilkins at No. 3 in 1982, but he flat-out refused to play for the team. So, they traded him to Atlanta for John Drew and Freeman Williams. Those two were alright, but Wilkins was a star and one of the league's most exciting players for the next decade-plus, so the return wasn't great.

The Wizards didn't get a terrible return for Webber: Otis Thorpe was still useful in his late 30s, while Richmond was an All-Star scoring over 23 points per game. Webber, though, was young and on the rise. Indeed, he made the Kings a feared team in the West and was one of the league's best players during his run in Sacramento.