The Top 10 Trades In Sports

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As sports fans one of the things that we hate is seeing our favorite players be traded to another team. Throughout sports history we have big names being traded and we are either happy or just flat-out mad once it happened. It happens in all leagues and if you’re a fan of a certain team that makes a trade you’re upset but the team that gets the trade is happy. As a sports fan, which trade made you happy or upset? Here are 10 of the most famous trades in all of sports which one surprised you the most?

Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees 1919

This might be the most infamous trade in all of sports. In 1919 the Boston Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the rival New York Yankees for $100,000. It was to finance a Broadway play No, No, Nanette. Ruth went down as one of the best baseball players in the history of the MLB. When he retired, he had 714 home runs, which started the Curse of the Bambino. The curse was lifted in 2004 as the Red Sox beat the Yankees in the ALCS and went on to win the World Series.

Wilt Chamberlain to the Philadelphia 76ers 1965

This was the first of a two-league-changing trade involving Wilt. At the time of the trade, he was 28 and averaging 30 points for the San Francisco Warriors. In return, the Warriors got Lee Shaffer, Paul Neumann, and Connie Dierking from the 76ers. It was not the best haul as the 76ers beat the Warriors in the 1967 Finals. In some ways, Chamberlin single-handedly changed the game in 1967.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Los Angeles Lakers 1975

At the time of the trade, he was known as Lew Alcindor. Kareem was one of the best NBA players at the time. He wanted out of Milwaukee and that is when the Lakers got him. This was one of the biggest trades for LA as Kareem helped win five championships and held the NBA’s all-time scoring record until it was broken decades later by another Laker, Lebron James.

Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings

This trade was labeled “The Trade” and everyone knew what everyone was referring to with those two words. Gretzky is known as the greatest hockey player ever. He owns most NHL records and the only one that could be broken is the goals record. Alexander Ovechkin is just 18 away from breaking it. He was traded from the Edmonton Oilers where he helped build a dynasty. The trade brought more eyes to hockey in the United States. He would take the Kings to a Stanley Cup but would fall.

Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings 1989

This was the largest trade in NFL history which led to a dynasty for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys sent Walker to the Minnesota Vikings which also included the San Diego Chargers, 18 players, and draft picks. The picks were key for the Dallas who were amid a 1-15 season and used them to draft Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, and Russell Maryland. The Vikings, with Walker, were eliminated in the divisional round in 1989 and did not make the postseason the following two seasons making it one of the most lopsided trades in history.

Ricky Williams to the New Orleans Saints 1999

The New Orleans Saints traded every pick they had in the 1999 NFL Draft. Head coach Mike Ditka was so high on him that Williams was a franchise player. Along with all the picks in 1999 the Saints also traded two of three picks in the 2000 NFL Draft. The picks went to the Washington Redskins and the Saints moved up to take Williams. This did not work out as the following year Ditka was fired and Williams found success with the Miami Dolphins.

Marshall Faulk to the St. Louis Rams 1999

The Ricky Williams trade was not the only big trade involving a running back in 1999. This is one of the rarest trades that worked out for both teams. Faulk led the league with 2,227 yards from scrimmage during the 1998 season as he was seeking a new contract. The Colts had a future hall-of-fame quarterback in Peyton Manning. Instead of resigning with the Colts, he was traded to the Rams. Faulk was part of the “Greatest Show on Turf” which won a Super Bowl. Indianapolis made the playoffs 11 of the next 12 seasons and won a Super Bowl.

Alex Rodriguez to the New York Yankees 2004

The first of the big contracts that happened in the MLB before the ones we have today. In 2000 the Texas Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez to a 10-year $252-million-dollar contract. The contract became a financial burden. Rodriguez was a 2003 AL MVP. But after that season he was traded to the New York Yankees for Alfonso Soriano and prospect Joaquin Arias and they agreed to pay the rest of Rodriguez’s salary.

Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat 2004

Why is it that most of the big trades in the NBA involve the Los Angeles Lakers? O’Neal is one of the most dominating centers to ever play the game. He and Kobe Bryant won three championships with the Lakers but had trouble getting along. The main problem is that Bryant is a hard worker and O’Neal did not have the same work ethic. The Lakers sent O’Neal to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brain Grant, and a future first-round pick who became Jordan Farmar. Miami won a championship two years later and Los Angeles recovered and they won a couple of more championships.

Mookie Betts to the Dodgers 2020

Betts is one of the most exciting players that played for the Boston Red Sox. He was coming into the final year of his contract and it was weird that they wanted to cut payroll. Along with Betts they also sent David Price to the Dodgers and in return, the Red Sox got Alex Verdugo, Connor Wong, and Jeter Downs. The Dodgers won this trade as they won a World Series with Betts and the Red Sox have not won one since 2018.

There have been many more trades that have gone on in the history of sports. The latest is the trade that involved the Los Angeles Lakers trading for Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis and players. Very few trades have worked out for both teams but on occasion they do. Let’s see what major trade goes down next and hopefully, it will not upset too many sports fans.