The Los Angeles Lakers have a long and illustrious standing in NBA history. They are one of two NBA franchises with 17 championships and have a long line of legendary players who have walked through their doors to deliver those championships. Much like every NBA team does, the Lakers are always seeking opportunities to make themselves better in pursuit of an NBA championship. Many times, the Lakers have had to gamble on trades that could swing the direction of the franchise for better or for worse. Although sometimes, these deals backfired, many times they didn’t and have resulted in success at the highest level.
Today, we are going to dive through Los Angeles Lakers history to uncover the greatest trade deals ever pulled off by their front office. Every deal listed below resulted in a player or player the Lakers acquired contributing to the winning of an NBA championship. Whether their impact was small or large, the acquisition of these players pushed them over the top on more than one occasion. These deals also delivered some of the greatest players in franchise history and even those who sit up on their franchise’s Mount Rushmore.
These are the greatest trade deals in Los Angeles Lakers’ history.
Honorable MentionRobert Horry
Credit: Fadeaway World
Lakers Receive: Robert Horry, Joe Kleine
Suns Receive: Cedric Ceballos, Rumeal Robinson
Before Robert Horry donned the purple and gold with the Lakers for seven seasons during the 90s and 2000s, he was already a two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets. This deal makes our list for a few reasons. One, The Lakers were able to rid themselves of Cedric Ceballos, who, although he would be a borderline All-Star in Phoenix, had his best days behind him as a player. He only played more than 42 games in a season one time after the Lakers dealt him to the Suns in 1997 and retired soon after in 2001.
The other positive part of the deal is the acquisition of Big Shot Bob Horry. The list of Horry’s clutch buckets and buzzer-beaters with the Lakers is the definition of clutch and could probably have its own article dedicated to just those shots. Horry would find himself as a key contributor to the Lakers’ three-peat as NBA champions from 2000 thru 2002 while making most of his contributions off the bench. Without the clutch shooting of Horry, perhaps that is not the way things unfold for the Lakers.
10. Happy Hairston
Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Lakers Receive: Happy Hairston
Pistons Receive: Bill Hewitt, 1970 Third-Round Draft Pick
Happy Hairston is probably one of the five most underrated players in Lakers history. When the team acquired him in 1969-70, They had no idea that the player they were getting was going to be such an integral part of their franchise moving forward. In the deal, the Lakers gave up Bill Hewitt, who had only played just over one season with the team to that point. Hewitt would go on to play two and a half seasons in Detroit and a season each in Chicago and with the Buffalo Braves. He averaged 5.7 PPG and 5.5 RPG for his career.
Hairston’s time with the Lakers would be a different story. After they acquired him in 1969-70, Hairston averaged 20.6 PPG and 12.5 RPG in 55 games for the Lakers despite being surrounded by talents such as Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor. The Lakers went to three NBA Finals with Hairston in the lineup, but none were more impressive than in 1972. Hairston was the starting power forward for a Lakers team that won an NBA-record 33 games in a row and would go on to win the NBA championship. In the regular season, Hairston averaged 13.1 PPG and 13.1 RPG, as well as 13.5 PPG and 13.1 RPG in the playoffs. It’s safe to say the trade paid off as one of the best in franchise history for the Lakers.
9. Lamar Odom
Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Lakers Receive: Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, 2006 First Round Draft Pick, 2007 Second Round Draft Pick
Heat Receive: Shaquille O’Neal
At first, I was a bit reluctant to add this deal to the list for obvious reasons. Getting rid of one of the greatest players in franchise history who would win an NBA championship just two years later is a hard deal to spin into a positive thing. In this case, the Lakers had the decision to make between Shaq and Kobe Bryant as to whose team it was going to be moving forward. When the Lakers sent O’Neal to Miami, the decision was clear, and Shaq took it personally. O’Neal would finish second in MVP voting in 2005 and win an NBA championship in 2006 with the Heat, giving Miami the win in the short term.
However, that deal also ended up benefiting the Lakers down the line. For his first four seasons in L.A., Odom was their starting power forward, averaging 15.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 4.4 APG. In 2009 and 2010, Odom made the move to the bench and became one of the best bench players in the NBA. As the Lakers won back-to-back championships, Odom averaged at least 10.0 PPG and 8.0 RPG each season. In 2011, he would be named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year averaging 14.4 PPG, 8.7 RPG, and 3.0 APG.
8. Gail Goodrich
Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Lakers Receive: Gail Goodrich
Suns Receive: Mel Counts
After the Phoenix Suns drafted Gail Goodrich from the Lakers in the 1968 NBA Expansion Draft, Goodrich became an All-Star averaging over 23.0 PPG for the Suns in his first season. From there, the Lakers were determined to get him back one day and did just that in 1970 after losing the NBA Finals to the New York Knicks. Goodrich would come back to become a four-time All-Star with the Lakers and form one of the greatest backcourts ever with Jerry West. During their 1972 championship run, Goodrich averaged 25.9 PPG and 4.5 APG during the regular season as well as 23.8 PPG and 3.3 APG in the playoffs.
Every trade is a two-way street and doesn’t really reveal its conclusion until the shoe drops with the other players involved. Well, the Lakers were the ones who benefited most from the Goodrich deal by a long shot. Counts would play just six more seasons in the NBA and average just 6.3 PPG and 4.6 RPG over that time. He even made a return to the Lakers in 1972-73 and 1973-74 but failed to make any significant impact.
7. Bob McAdoo
Credit: Fadeaway World
Lakers Receive: Bob McAdoo
Nets Receive: 1983 Second-Round Draft Pick
By the time Bob McAdoo landed with the Lakers in 1982, he had already achieved almost everything on a personal level. He was an MVP, a Rookie of the Year, and a scoring champion. Despite those great things individually, McAdoo had failed to ever lead a team past the second round of the NBA playoffs. That changed in 1981 when McAdoo was traded to the Lakers, who needed depth after injuries to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mitch Kupchak. In 1982, McAdoo would help the Lakers win an NBA championship averaging 16.7 PPG and 6.8 RPG in the playoffs. In 1985, he averaged 11.4 PPG and 4.5 RPG to help them win another title. The Lakers had won two championships with McAdoo in their lineup and didn’t give up much to get him.
McAdoo was really unhappy with the Nets in 1981 and had even refused to play until the team traded him later that season. The Nets let McAdoo go for a second-round pick in 1983 which was bounced around until it landed with the Spurs, who selected Kevin Williams. Playing just five NBA seasons, Williams would average 4.9 PPG and 1.2 APG for his career with the Spurs, Cavaliers, Clippers, Nets, and SuperSonics.
6. Anthony Davis
Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Lakers Receive: Anthony Davis
Pelicans Receive: Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, De’Andre Hunter, 2022 First-Round Draft Pick, 2023 First-Round Draft Pick, 2024 First-Round Draft Pick, Cash
Wizards Receive: Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones, Moritz Wagner, 2022 Second-Round Draft Pick
As the 2019 NBA season came to a close, it was a disappointing and stunning one for the Lakers. LeBron James had suffered the first major injury of his career, and the result was a postseason with no appearance from Los Angeles. The Lakers were ready to make a franchise-altering move, and that is exactly what they did in July 2019 by pulling the trigger on a massive trade for Anthony Davis. Despite his struggle with injury over the last two years, the move paid off immediately for the Lakers. Davis averaged 27.7 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 1.2 SPG, and 1.4 BPG to help the Lakers win an NBA championship in his first season with the team.
Many have made a big deal of that trade due to Davis’ injury woes that have caused him to miss extensive time since 2021. The Lakers didn’t give up a ton in that deal to warrant the backlash, however. Lonzo Ball has struggled to maintain his health, missing two full seasons of basketball in 2021 and 2022. Brandon Ingram has emerged as a star in New Orleans but has had similar issues with remaining on the court. Josh Hart is a solid role player and has been crucial in the 2023 Knicks’ playoff run. Still, if this package were offered again, the Lakers would do it in a heartbeat, considering that, when healthy, Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the game, period.
5. Pau Gasol
Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Lakers Receive: Pau Gasol, 2010 Second-Round Draft Pick
Grizzlies Receive: Kwame Brown, Marc Gasol, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, 2008 First-Round Draft Pick, 2010 First-Round Draft Pick
The next trade that helped shape the history of the Los Angeles Lakers is the one that landed then one of the newest members of the Hall of Fame, Pau Gasol. The Lakers found themselves desperate for a second star next to a peal but exhausted Kobe Bryant. They got their wish in 2008 when they acquired Pau Gasol at the trade deadline for some of their depth. The deal paid off instantly, with Gasol helping take the Lakers to three straight NBA Finals, which included back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and 2010. Gasol would go down as a Lakers legend earning three All-Star selections and three All-NBA Team selections during his time there on top of the championships.
The depth the Lakers gave up in the deal was well with the sacrifice. Kwame Brown was a failed experiment for two and a half seasons, and Javaris Crittenton would be out of the NBA in an instant in Washington. The only player they lost in the deal that may have been a hit to their lineup was Pau’s brother, Marc. The other Gasol would go on to become a Grizzlies legend just like his brother and win an NBA championship with the Raptors in 2019.
4. James Worthy
Credit: Fadeaway World
Lakers Receive: Butch Lee, 1982 First-Round Draft Pick
Cavaliers Receive: Don Ford, 1980 First-Round Draft Pick
The fourth-best deal in Lakers history has nothing to do with the actual names involved when the deal went down in 1980. At the time, it seemed as if the Lakers were making a non-noteworthy deal to get rid of Don Ford, who was in his fifth year with the team. They acquired Butch Lee in the deal who they would have for 11 games playing just 2.8 minutes. Lee would retire at the end of the 1980 season. The big prize in this trade would be the 1982 first-round draft choice that Cleveland gave the Lakers.
That selection would end up being the number one overall pick in 1982. There was no other selection to be made than James Worthy out of UNC. Soon, Worthy would become a perennial All-Star and 19.0 to 20.0 PPG scorer for the Lakers as the third option on the unbeatable Showtime Lakers. Worthy had his career-defining moment during the 1988 Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Worthy would lead the Lakers to victory in Game 7 with 36 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists to claim the Finals MVP award and his third NBA championship. Worthy’s rise to the top of the mountaintop with the Lakers as a three-time champion makes his trade top four easily.
3. Wilt Chamberlain
Credit: Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports
Lakers Receive: Wilt Chamberlain
76ers Receive: Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark, Darrall Imhoff
Anytime a team can make a move for a true NBA superstar, that team will do anything within reason to make that move happen. Fortunately for the Lakers, it did not take much to land Wilt Chamberlain from the 76ers in 1968. In one of the most lopsided deals in NBA history, the Lakers acquired one of the NBA’s most dominant players ever, who was already an MVP and NBA champion with every scoring record in the book to his name. All they gave up for Wilt’s services was future All-Star Archie Clark, Jerry Chambers, and Darrall Imhoff.
For the Lakers, the move brought together a power Big 3 of Wilt, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor, surrounded by elite players to complement their games. With the Lakers over five seasons, Wilt averaged 17.7 PPG, 19.2 RPG, and 4.3 APG. The Lakers went to three NBA Finals with Wilt in the lineup, including his best performance in 1972. In a dominant win in the Finals over the New York Knicks, Wilt would claim Finals MVP honors with 19.4 PPG and 23.2 RPG in the five-game series. For both the price and results, the Lakers’ deal for Wilt is almost unbeatable.
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Credit: MPS-USA TODAY Sports
Lakers Receive: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Walt Wesley
Bucks Receive: Elmore Smith, Dave Meyers, Junior Bridgeman, Brian Winters
During the early 1970s, it was hard to paint a picture of the NBA without the presence of a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. In just his second season with the Bucks, Kareem won the MVP award and led the Bucks to an NBA championship with Finals MVP honors. He added two scoring titles with seasons over 30.0 PPG as well as another berth in the NBA Finals and numerous individual accolades. However, Kareem grew tired of Milwaukee and wanted to make a change for himself and his future. That is where the Lakers stepped in.
In a deal as lopsided as one can be in NBA history, the Bucks shipped Kareem to the Lakers for four players. As great as the depth was for Milwaukee, it was nothing compared to the levels Kareem would take the Lakers. Kareem would win five championships with Los Angeles during the 1980s and claim one Finals MVP award, with three of his NBA-record six MVP awards coming with the Lakers as well. Kareem retired as one of the greatest players in NBA history, while the players acquired by the Bucks are mostly known as the guys traded for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
1. Kobe Bryant
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Lakers Receive: Kobe Bryant
Hornets Receive: Vlade Divac
Little did many people know that when the Hornets’ management and coaching staff pretty much rejected Kobe Bryant after the 1996 NBA Draft, they were handing the Lakers their greatest icon in franchise history. Kobe Bryant had a lot to prove as a top 15 pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, and the Hornets were willing to listen to offers for the high school phenom. When the Lakers offered up big man Vlade Divac, the Hornets had to bite. The deal did not work out well for Charlotte, as they had Divac for just two seasons of average play before he went to the Kings and became an All-Star on a championship-caliber team.
For the Lakers, the deal could not have ended up any better. After two seasons of expected adjustment straight out of high school, Kobe Bryant began to evolve into a basketball icon and face of an entire generation. He helped the Lakers three-peat as champions next to Shaq from 2000 thru 2002. He set the world on fire as an MVP, Olympic Gold Medalist, and two-time Finals MVP, leading the Lakers to back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. Most importantly, he became the perfect example of what their franchise stood for, which is excellence and effort. There are many deals that were made in Lakers history, but no trade meant more than the one that landed them Kobe Bryant.
Source: fadeawayworld
