Three historic trades across sports that compare to NBA's latest mega deal 

The trade that sent shockwaves throughout the sports world late Saturday night saw the Dallas Mavericks send Luka Doncic, among others, to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a package highlighted by Anthony Davis. And since those tapped into NBA circles didn't see the mega deal coming, fans are still left confused in the immediate aftermath of the news. 

So with some now calling this deal the most shocking trade in history, it's time to look back on three of the most impactful and surprising trades throughout sports history.

Red Sox trade Babe Ruth to Yankees 

In a move that triggered "the Curse of the Bambino," the Boston Red Sox traded baseball star Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. The trade was agreed to in late December of 1919 but not publicized until Jan. 5, 1920. 

Boston sent its most prized possession to New York for only four payments of $25K in return. 

Even over a century ago, money was at the root of the deal. Shortly after guiding the Red Sox to the 1918 World Series title, Ruth asked for his salary to be raised from $7K to $15K, which would match that of Ty Cobb. Ruth's salary was eventually raised to $10K, but despite success on the field, the Red Sox franchise was experiencing an attendance decline and decided to move Ruth.

The rest is history. Ruth, who was an elite pitcher in Boston, became a full-time slugger, would go on to capture four more championships and then end his career with statistics and fame that allows him to still argue as the greatest of all-time to this very day. 

As a punishment from the baseball gods, the Red Sox wouldn't win another World Series until 2004, enduring many gut-wrenching moments throughout a long 86 years, often times at the hands of the Yankees.

Milwaukee Bucks trade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Los Angeles Lakers 

Before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar became a Laker legend, he was a young player on the rise in Milwaukee. And only a few years after delivering Milwaukee an NBA title, the Bucks shipped Abdul-Jabbar to Los Angeles in one of the early examples of a small-market team honoring a trade request from their top player.

Abdul-Jabbar won five more championships and three more MVPs with the Lakers. He finished his career as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, a record he held until LeBron James surpassed him in 2024. 

The Bucks suffered many years of futility before eventually winning the franchise's second title in 2021, exactly 50 years after the one won with Abdul-Jabbar.

Oilers trade Wayne Gretzky to Los Angeles Kings  

Hockey's biggest blockbuster trade is credited with leading to West Coast expansion success in the NHL. 

It sounds unthinkable today, but Wayne Gretzky says he learned about the Oilers' desire to trade him two hours after winning his fourth Stanley Cup in 1988. But no matter the timeline, Gretzky was in fact traded months later on Aug. 9.  

The sport's most iconic player was moved from a franchise in the midst of a dynasty to one in desperate need of star power.

Unlike Ruth and Abdul-Jabbar, Gretzky never won another championship after the trade. In fact, while Gretzky failed in his only trip to the Stanley Cup Finals with Los Angeles, the Oilers added one more title two seasons later. Of course, that's not to say the deal didn't work out extremely well for the Kings and the NHL as a whole.