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Ah, the trade! “I’ll trade you two of these for one of those!” I got involved with the business early in my life, and even though it was just for marbles, I still remember the euphoria of pulling off what I thought was a good deal...

Fumbling the Deal: The 10 Worst Trades in Sports History!

by Gray Ghost (Senior Writer)

28

2,482 reads

Rankings/List

August 25, 2008


Ah, the trade!

 

“I’ll trade you two of these for one of those!” I got involved with the business early in my life, and even though it was just for marbles, I still remember the euphoria of pulling off what I thought was a good deal.

 

Later my passion for making the trade extended to ball cards. That was as close to the real sports deal as I’ve ever come. Eventually, I found out that they actually do this with athletes – not just cards – real people!

 

The ebb and flow of success and defeat in team sports is impacted by the art of the trade.

 

There are trades and then there are trades.

 

The temptation that lures the brightest (and dumbest) of franchise architects is the hope of turning a trade into the trade.

 

Some coaches are known for their love of trading. George "the future is now" Allen made 131 trades as an NFL coach, a whopping 81 during the seven years he was coach of the Redskins.

 

Others are known more for their one moment in time, such as Mike Ditka who gave up 8 draft choices for the right to pick Ricky Williams. If you think that number is way too high, you should’ve seen Williams.

 

Moving on……

 

Every franchise has worked notorious trades that its fans have never gotten over. The bitter taste is still there after all these years, isn’t it? You might as well admit it.

 

The trade has derailed many a season, altered many a front office, and left many a coach wondering "What if?".

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28 comments Last one added 4 months ago — Leave a Comment

  1. Lauren Green 10 months ago

    Great article, Ghost! Definitely my pick of the day. I especially enjoyed the mention of Leonidas the Brute, who is often forgotten in the vast history of athletics.

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  2. Ralph isaac 10 months ago

    Kobe should of been higher than Garnett because He was the tail end of his carreer. You also forgot to mention that at the time, Nets "GM" John Nash wanted to draft KObe but KObe said if the nets took him, he'd go play in Europe. The nets also blinked First and draft KErry Kittles instead of Kobe.....

    -Also I'd take Garnett out altogether, he was traded for a 20ppg 10 rebound machine, Look no further than that same Wolves GM who traded the rights to RAY ALLEN for Stephon Marbury, He also traded Brandon Roy for Randy Foye.....

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  3. Gray Ghost 10 months ago

    Ralph, thanks for your insight. Good points.

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  4. Jeffrey Mann 10 months ago

    Great List.
    Honorable mention has to go to Dan Duquette's two strokes of genius: Heathcliff Slocumb to Seattle for Jason Varitek and Derrick Lowe and Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Junior for Pedro Martinez.
    Also, Randy Moss for a 4th round draft pick.

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  5. Thomas 10 months ago

    I love that u included Joe Jackson on this list. It was definately the WORST baseball trade ever. Anyways, i agree that all these trades have been the worst. just think what would've happened if all these players stayed put.

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    • Gray Ghost 10 months ago

      Thanks Thomas. Good point about what would have happened had the trades not been made. The haunting "what if" that we can only imagine.

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  6. GeorgiaDawg 10 months ago

    Great article Ghost. I too would take Garnett out. I would put Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi in it's place. Ryan was one of the greatest MLB pitchers ever, while Fregosi was... well he was Fregosi. Pick of the day no doubt.

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    • Gray Ghost 10 months ago

      Excellent point about Nolan Ryan. The only is that he eventually was traded several times, and each trade could probably be considered a bad one. KG won a championship the year after he was traded, and his former team went 22-60. Sounds like a bad trade to me.

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    • GeorgiaDawg 10 months ago

      Celtic fans... gee whiz.

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  7. Cornelio Sanchez 10 months ago

    "KG won a championship the year after he was traded, and his former team went 22-60. Sounds like a bad trade to me." I have to agree with the other posters, this is an extremely limited analysis. MN wasn't going to win with KG, they'd won 30-something games the year before. So they trade him for some very good young talent, including a 20-10 beast and a promising PG. So while it's true that "his former team went 22-60," the point is that the trade was made for 3-4 years down the line, not 1 season. Boston, on the other hand, did indeed improve greatly, but they had already brought a star (Allen) on board before KG got there, and brought in two very good players (Posey and Brown) after he got there. So while it's true that "KG won a championship the year after he was traded," this doesn't come anywhere near telling the whole story.

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    • Gray Ghost 10 months ago

      Thanks for the comment Cornelio. I guess we will have to wait to se how it works out on the Timberwolves side of the deal to determine how it went. I tip my hat to Danny Ainge for what he brought together in Boston.

      The immediate impact went to Bostn. Time will tell about Minnesota.

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  8. Cornelio Sanchez 10 months ago

    You know, rereading this comment my tone is quite annoying, apologies for that, I have a tendency to take myself a bit too seriously sometimes. BTW love the Leonidas line. ;)

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  9. Barry Christian 10 months ago

    Great article! I could not agree more about Dominique Wilkins and Brett Farve. I too am a long suffering Falcons and Hawks fan. At least I have my Dawgs.

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    • Gray Ghost 10 months ago

      How 'bout them DAWGS! This could be a HUGE year for us, if we can get through a killer of a schedule!
      Thanks for the comment Barry.

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  10. Andrew Kneeland 10 months ago

    Great stuff! I think honor should be given to the Oakland A's, though. They traded Francisco Liriano, Boof Bonser, and the great Joe Nathan for A.J. Pierzyknski. Thank you!

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  11. Saraswathi Siriginia 10 months ago

    Wonderful article, great read

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  12. az by 10 months ago

    GG great article, but 10 worst trades, this might be a long comment.

    KOBE BRYANT, yes he has game; but no matter how much game one has. You cannot give yourself a nickname. Blackmamba my butt.

    KEVIN GARNETT Indeed a dominating defensive "I made you change your game" player. Have to give Ainge and Red's Ghost some credit. KG was one of several players need to do Boston's turnaround. I believe the wolves only got rid of KG because he was not in their future plans. But do like how McHale made the trade to Ainge, you think in reward for all the passes Ainge made to McHale years ago?

    STEVE YOUNG, not to mention the pressure on Young for who he had to follow. But Vinny had a pretty long career, some records, and a Ring. (notice a New England flavor here?)

    WAYNE GRETZKY, not my personal best hockey player. By moving to a major market, He did wonders to promote the game. As you state, he extended hockey to Georgia. Only wish the fans in LA appreciated him as much. So many of his goals never seen by LA fans. But good for me, great front row seats opened up after the second period.

    BABE RUTH This will forever haunt Boston, even after the 2 recent wins . You forgot the Stockings owner needed the cash for some theatrical creditors and a future show. Ruth was sold, not traded to the Yankees. The Stockings owner needed cash so bad, he did turn down Chicago's offer of Sholeess Jackson and $60,000. Perhaps it was best to just sell Ruth, than acquire Jackson and a subsequent scandal. And Ruth is probably where Ramirez/Boras got their disgruntled trade me or I'll play like crap tactics.

    As mention elsewhere, the HOF Moss for a 4th round draft pick; follow up with heavy incentive contract and no play minimal pay.

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    • az by 10 months ago

      quick note............using a very simplified method of calculation by using the inflation index, the 1920's $100,000 is worth approximately $1.1 million today. Do not feel this is parallel index as sports contracts have risen well beyond the inflation index. For perspective, consider the Red Sox had to pay $7 million for the the remaining 2 months of Ramirez contract to get rid of him in 2008. Gray you are absolutely right. When you consider Ruth's records and what it meant to the Yankees, no price was ever going to be enough.

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    • Gray Ghost 10 months ago

      AZ, GREAT comments! Very good points. I love the part about McHale repaying Ainge for all of the passes! Thanks for reading!

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  13. Taylor Gram 10 months ago

    This could also be titled Best trades if you think about the other end of the deal. Great Article, though I think that the Hershell Walker should be way higher than what it is. The Cowboys did not only draft Emmitt with the picks but other players were picked and aquired through trade that built the Cowboys of the '90's. This trade made the franchise what it is today, not above Ruth or Gretzky, but ATLEAST a 4 or 5. Again Great Read GG.

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  14. MICHAEL ROSEN 4 months ago

    HOW ABOUT CHRISTY MATHEWSON FOR AMOS RUSIE
    LEW ALCINDOR FOR B.WINTERS AND J.BRIDGEMAN
    BRETT FARVE FOR TONY SMITH
    ED McCAULEY FOR BILL RUSSELL

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  15. Gray Ghost 4 months ago

    Michael,

    Excellent examples! Of course, hindsight is better than foresight, but with some of these trades you can see it a mile off! Thanks for taking the time to drop by.

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