Wilt Moves West

Wilt Chamberlain for Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark, Darrall Imhoff, and cash considerations ($150,000)

There weren’t many NBA storylines in 1968 that could capture national attention, but Wilt the Stilt packing his bags for sunny California was one of them.

Fresh off his fourth MVP and first championship, Chamberlain had just done the impossible, proving the Boston Celtics could be beaten. But in the City of Brotherly Love, his relationship with ownership had fractured.

Broken promises. Contract disputes. A desire for a bigger stage.

Until the dam broke.

The first true player-driven blockbuster had arrived, and the City of Stars just got another attraction.

Kareem Follows Suit

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, and Junior Bridgeman

The next seismic shift followed a familiar pattern.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the new towering titan reinventing the game, was ready for a change in scenery.

The Bucks had lost Oscar Robertson to retirement, and Kareem, a newly converted Muslim, felt increasingly out of place in Milwaukee. He gave the front office two options: his childhood home of New York or the booming, eclectic metropolis of 1970s Los Angeles.

Once again, the West Coast won the sweepstakes, laying the foundation for five championships and one hell of a show.

Charles to the Valley

Charles Barkley for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang

Magic fans, we understand if you’re put off or entirely disgusted by the idea of trading Cole Anthony.

The UNC product has been a consistent bright spot, in addition to a perfect personality fit in Orlando since he arrived. But with the Magic last in the NBA in points, an offensive spark could go a long way.

Clarkson has proven time and time again that he’s an electric plug and play scorer that needs no time to get warm and few opportunities to make an impact.

You don’t want to mess with chemistry when you don’t have to, but you’ve got to wonder what a Jordan Clarkson led Magic bench looks like.

Shaq moves to Miami 

Shaquille O'Neal for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a future first-round pick

Finally, in 2004, Los Angeles was forced to give up a generational talent.

After falling short of an unprecedented four-peat, the already fractured relationship between Kobe and Shaq became untenable. One had to go, and with Kobe being the younger of the two, Shaq was the one packing his bags.

He traded in his beach house for… a new beach house.

Miami paired Superman with the Flash, and two years later, a title parade rolled through Dade County. Meanwhile, the Lakers floundered in mediocrity, until the Grizzlies were overtaken by the spirit of giving in 2008.

Guys giving up megastars: 0. Guys getting megastars: 4.

KG to Titletown

Kevin Garnett for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Theo Ratliff, a 2009 first-round pick, and a 2009 first-round pick (via Minnesota from the Clippers)

Up next was The Big Ticket himself.

After years of carrying Minnesota through endless winters, Kevin Garnett had finally had enough. Repeated front-office failures had worn him down, and at last, he asked to be set free.

A deal to Boston, coinciding with Ray Allen’s arrival from Seattle, formed the NBA’s first non-organic Big Three.

With Pierce, Garnett, and Allen, the Celtics made two Finals appearances, won one, and added another banner to a ceiling that will soon run out of room.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the sun remained hidden behind the clouds.

The Formation of Lob City

Chris Paul for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and a 2012 first-round pick

For once, LA’s other team was the one benefiting from a departing superstar.

After David Stern famously vetoed a trade that would have paired CP3 with Kobe, the Clippers swooped in with a slightly less rewarding offer, but one good enough to get a deal done.

Chris Paul joined Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, marking the birth of Lob City, a scintillating, high-flying spectacle that captured the league’s imagination.

The first marquee trade that was also an iconic what-if.

Brooklyn Bets the House

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Keith Bogans, Kris Joseph, and three first-round picks (2014, 2016, 2018)

Remember that KG to Boston business? Well, Father Time had caught up with the Big Three, and the days of title chasing in Beantown were fading fast.

Realizing the reality of the situation, Danny Ainge shopped his two remaining aging stars, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, until he found a team with enough at stake to make a massive bet.

The Brooklyn Nets had just moved to a new city, aligned themselves with Jay-Z, added Joe Johnson to a backcourt with Deron Williams, and developed an All-Star center in Brook Lopez. They saw a grand slam in sight, and swung for the fences.

Unfortunately, they struck out, and Boston built and empire from the wreckage. 

AD to the Lakers

Anthony Davis for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, three first-round picks (2019, 2021, 2024), and a pick swap (2023)

Unfortunately, the law of averages tends to hold true.

After The King made his long-whispered pilgrimage to the holy land of basketball and stardom, the Lakers found his co-star across the Mississippi.

The Pelicans’ core had crumbled, injuries and front-office failures had left only their young star standing on an otherwise depleted roster.

LA had the treasure trove of young assets needed to get the deal done, and so they did, sending Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart to NOLA for The Brow.

A couple seasons later, the duo validated the investment, in Orlando.

A Big 3 In BKLYN

James Harden for Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, four first-round picks (2022, 2024, 2026, 2027), and four first-round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, 2027)

As the sun began to set on that golden empire by the Bay, Kevin Durant left its shores for the bustling borough of Brooklyn, joining forces with Kyrie Irving in the process.

The newly assembled East Coast duo already had fans buzzing. Then, with the Rockets slipping into a rebuild and James Harden suddenly available, Brooklyn turned fan fiction into reality, reuniting The Beard with KD and forging one of the most explosive offensive trios the league had ever seen.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Injuries, egos, and bad timing kept them from ever reaching their potential, and before they knew it, the experiment was over, while the Rockets quietly reaped the benefits of a failed gamble.

Guys giving up a megastar: 1

Luka to Hollywood

Luka Doncic, Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick

And here we are, the biggest, most opulent, and gaudiest trade the NBA has ever seen actually come to fruition.

The first time a 25-year-old franchise cornerstone, with proven playoff success beyond his years, was dealt without forcing his way out.

The first time a still-productive superstar was sent in return.

And somehow, the fourth time the Lakers ended up with a potential franchise pillar.

A lot still needs to be written before we can recount anything as history, but this is the beginning of one hell of a chapter in an already storied saga.