Where Epic Dwight Howard Trade Ranks Among Biggest Deals of the Past 20 Years
Dwight Howard is on his way to the Los Angeles Lakers after all, capping off one of the most anticipated offseason moves in recent memory.
The Lakers get one more superstar to complete a lineup with more than its fair share, and the Orlando Magic will have a long-awaited opportunity to rebuild without the headache of satisfying the ever-demanding celebrity center.
Regardless of the many moving pieces that made this deal happen, it brings an unfortunate situation to a close and changes the course of history for all involved—and the Lakers' history most of all.
But of course this isn't the only deal of its kind.
Teams' fortunes have been changed on more than a few occasions in this league. Here are the most important such deals of the last two decades.
5. Pau Gasol to Los Angeles Lakers, 2008
1 of 5The Memphis Grizzlies ended up coming out of this trade better than expected given the development of Pau Gasol's brother Marc, who was included in an otherwise lopsided deal.
But the real story here was the extent to which Pau saved a franchise that was quickly declining and looking nothing like the contender that won three titles under Shaquille O'Neal's watch. The newer iteration of the Los Angeles Lakers wasn't quite as dominant, but it was good enough to win Kobe Bryant two more rings.
The skilled seven-footer has served as a jack-of-all-trades for the Lakers, scoring, passing, rebounding and playing solid defense.
There's no question the franchise's recent history would have looked far different without this deal going down.
4. Carmelo Anthony to New York Knicks, 2011
2 of 5Carmelo Anthony hasn't delivered a championship to the New York Knicks just yet, but he's given the franchise its best opportunity in over a decade.
After establishing himself as one of the league's very best scorers with the Denver Nuggets, Anthony wanted an opportunity to shine under the spotlight of NYC. He's gotten that, along with the heightened scrutiny that comes with it.
The Knicks gave up a ton of young talent in the process, though.
If Anthony doesn't deliver the goods, Knicks fans will be left to wonder what might have been had the organization taken a more patient approach and built around its base of homegrown up-and-comers like Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari.
3. Kobe Bryant to Los Angeles Lakers, 1996
3 of 5This trade would be ranked atop the list were it not for the fact that Kobe Bryant never actually suited up for the Charlotte Hornets. Ranking this trade alongside more conventional exchanges sort of feels like cheating, but it was just too momentous to exclude.
He was traded soon after he was drafted for the Los Angeles Lakers' Vlade Divac, and the rest is history. Five championships later, Bryant has become one of the game's all-time most recognizable legends.
It's hard to even imagine what the Los Angeles Lakers would have been like all these years had this deal never materialized, and it's even harder to imagine them reigniting a dynasty.
And what would become of the Hornets?
They might still be in Charlotte.
2. Dwight Howard to Los Angeles Lakers, 2012
4 of 5It's still too soon to know just how much acquiring Dwight Howard will impact the Los Angeles Lakers' future.
He's had a far more accomplished career than Andrew Bynum to this point, but it's hard to argue that he'll be substantially better going forward. Either way, this move was epic for a variety of reasons, including the fact that it meant three All-Stars changing zip codes.
Howard will instantly upgrade a defense that needed help, and he'll cause all sorts of headaches for a Western Conference without many centers who measure up.
Most importantly, though, it will reinvigorate an interest in the Lakers that had begun to wane with the star power that emerged in Miami. Many organizations have tried, but Los Angeles succeeded in its quest to rival the Heat with a roster every bit as star-studded.
1. Kevin Garnett to Boston Celtics, 2007
5 of 5The Boston Celtics offered up a pretty good haul for Kevin Garnett's surfaces, but oh, how it was worth it.
In exchange for Al Jefferson and some change, Boston positioned itself to contend for at least a five-year stretch, win a title and come pretty close to winning another one. Yes, the acquisition of Ray Allen had something to do with all that too.
But there's no question that Garnett's dynamic personality on versatile skills were the single most important factor in Boston's ascendance.
He transformed a team that he struggled to remain relevant since the 1980s into an Eastern Conference powerhouse. He also gave the team an identity that reinvigorated Boston's fan base and made the Celtics a story worth following.
It's painfully tempting to wonder what KG's career would have looked like if this deal had gone down a few years earlier.
