The Best GM in Every Other NBA Team's History

Every trade that drops before the trade deadline will by hyper-analyzed, but remember, for every lopsided transaction there are two necessary facets: the executive who took advantage of a situation and the one who let that happen.

Until now, only the former has been given credit while the latter bore nothing but shame and scorn for their franchise. But we dare to say, “Nay!!! We will blame no more!!! Rather, we will give credit to the bonehea…erp…brilliant minds that allowed for these transactions to happen.”

And to be fair, not every decision which brings good fortune to one franchise necessarily costs another. Although there are some transactions in here where the so-honored would probably like a do-over, others are “win-win.”

For the purpose of this article, general manager (GM ) will be used broadly for anyone with an executive title who makes personnel decisions. The responsible parties are based on who was deemed to be in charge of those, according to Basketball-Refernece.com.

In determining which deals should be selected, I found the most significant player in franchise history obtained for a bargain price. The details are on the player’s page on Basketball-Reference. Alternatively, I looked at players chosen high in the draft who were passed over for what were deemed busts.

I did not include free-agent signings, as this article is not about “bad moves” so much as how one team’s decisions benefitted another.

Atlanta Hawks: Clair Bee

In the 1954 draft, Baltimore Bullets GM and coach, Clair Bee had the first pick, and used it on Frank Selvy. Now, if you’re asking yourself, “Who is Frank Selvy?” then two things are probably true: 1. You have not memorized Basketball-Reference.com and 2. You are like 99.9 percent of the people not related to him.

And that is why Bee is on our list. The next person chosen, was Bob Pettit, by the St. Louis Hawks. Selvy actually went on to have a 10-year career as a role player and even made one All-Star Game with the Lakers in 1961-62.

Pettit, though, is one of the greatest players ever. He won two MVPs (1956, 1959), made 11 All-Star Games and 10 All-NBA first teams. He won two scoring championships and one NBA championship. To this day, he remains the Hawks’ all-time leader in win shares and rebounds and is second in points.

He is the greatest Hawk ever, and he wouldn’t be if it weren’t for Bee.

As an aside, Bee also wrote a series of books, the Chip Hilton Sports Series, and I voraciously read every one them of as a kid.

Boston Celtics: Al Attles

What happens when the best team in the NBA gets the No. 1 pick in the draft? Al Attles sweetens the pot. Here’s the story.

In 1979, the Washington Bullets signed Kevin Porter away from the Detroit Pistons. As compensation, the Pistons received a 1980 first-round pick. Then, the Pistons signed M.L. Carr of the Boston Celtics. In exchange for those services, they gave the Celtics both their pick and the Washington pick.

The following season, the Celtics had the best record in the NBA (61-21), but they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs. Fortunately for them, the Pistons were the worst team in the NBA and the Bullets weren’t all that good either. So the Celtics were sitting on the Nos. 1 and 13 picks.

Meanwhile, in the opposite corner of the country, Al Attles of the Golden State Warriors was willing to help the Celtics even more. Why just let them have two high-value draft selections when they can have two Hall of Famers?

In exchange for the two draft choices, the Warriors gave the Celtics Robert Parish and the No. 3 pick (who became Kevin McHale). And those two, added to Larry Bird, became the first “Big Three.” And they’re all in the Hall of Fame. And they won three championships together.

The Warriors spent their picks on Joe Barry Carroll and Rick Brown. Carroll wasn’t a “bust,” but he was “meh” as No. 1 overall picks go, averaging 17.7 points and 7.7 boards through a 10-year career. Brown played five unceremonious seasons before washing out.

It has been regarded as one of the worst trades in NBA history. But here, we regard it as one of the kindest.

Brooklyn Nets: Bryan Colangelo

It may be hard to believe now, but there was a time in NBA history when Jason Kidd and Stephon Marbury were considered equals. The Brooklyn Nets thank you, Bryan Colangelo, for believing that.

Technically, Kidd was acquired from the Phoenix Suns for a package of Marbury, Johnny Newman, and Soumaila Samake, but Marbury was the principal player in the deal.

Kidd and Marbury were the ultimate study in the contrast between style and substance. Marbury was the epitome of the volume scorer, while Kidd always did what it took to win.

Marbury’s individual stats looked fine on the surface. He averaged 21.3 points and 8.1 assists in his days with the Suns, but he racked them up playing 39.8 minutes with a 26.8 usage percentage. His true shooting percentage was below average at 51.9. His Player Efficiency Rating was just 19.8, and the Suns had just one playoff series in his three years with the franchise.

The Brooklyn Nets haven’t had a lot of glory years, but what they have had are largely because of Jason Kidd. During his 6-plus years in New Jersey (where they were located at the time), Kidd’s highest scoring season was just 18.7 points and he averaged just 14.6. But he added 9.1 assists, 7.2 rebounds and six All-Defensive Team nods.

He’s second in franchise history with 56.6 win shares and he led the Nets to their only two trips to the NBA Finals.

And all of that was possible, thanks to Bryan Colangelo. That’s what we call a net profit.

Charlotte Hornets: Geoff Petrie

The Charlotte Hornets have yet to monopolize on a major trade or draft gaffe. But one of their greatest players ever was literally gifted to them by Geoff Petrie of the Sacramento Kings.

What did Petrie dish? Gerald Wallace.

When the then-Bobcats had their expansion draft, Petrie did not protect him but left him out on the proverbial buffet table. To be fair, Wallace's career averages of 3.4 points, 2.1 boards and .5 assists didn’t exactly entice Petrie to secure his services.

But during his Charlotte career, Wallace averaged 16.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He is still the Hornets’ career-leader in win shares and value over replacement player (VORP).

Chicago Bulls: Stu Inman

If a move has been made in the history of the league which speaks to the generosity of the human heart, it was by the Portland Trail Blazers’ Stu Inman.

In the 1985 draft, he was in an unenviable position. He had a pretty good shooting guard by the name of Clyde Drexler, and by pretty good, I mean he’s now in the Hall of Fame.

So when it came time for Portland to take their pick, he chose Sam Bowie instead of the North Carolina Tar Heel, Michael Jordan. We need not go into Bowie’s career. He wasn’t Jordan.

Inman’s kindness to the Windy City will never be forgotten, as the Chicago Bulls snatched that up quicker than you can say, “G.O.A.T.”

Hindsight is 20/20, but in this case it’s probably more like a constant, searing pain jolting through your cornea.

It’s probably impossible to say how much Jordan meant to the Bulls as it went so far beyond just winning six championships or even having a statue built to his legacy. It’s that air of invincibility that persists to this day of the greatest team in NBA history.

While Bulls fans remain grateful for this gift, the Portland faithful are still stewin’ man.

Cleveland Cavaliers, Neil Olshey

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a great example of why a GM helping another team doesn’t necessitate hurting his own. In 2011, Neil Olshey of the Lost Angeles Clippers had a point guard, Baron Davis, with two years and $28 million left on his contract. Davis wasn’t meshing well with a team featuring a number of rising stars, including Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon and Eric Bledsoe.

Needing to find a taker, Olshey packaged an unprotected pick together with Davis to bring back Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. The primary purpose of the deal was to shed Davis’ salary and negative influence. With the freed-up cap space, the Clippers were able to land Chris Paul in a trade the ensuing offseason.

Things turned out even better for Cleveland, though, as that unprotected pick won the lottery, and the Cavs used that to select rising star Kyrie Irving. And Irving was the key young player which attracted LeBron James into coming home this summer.

It’s a pretty amazing trade because it had the ripple effect of both teams landing a marquee player, but neither of those superstars being directly acquired in the initial transaction. See how that works out for everyone?

Dallas Mavericks, Bob Weinhauer

There is absolutely no question that Dirk Nowitzki is the greatest player in Dallas Mavericks history, and he nearly never played for them. But the Mavericks rolled the dice and pulled off one of the great draft day trades in history, landing two presumptive Hall of Fame players at one time.

Nowitzki’s Wikipedia entry (citing Reisner Sauer’s 2004 biography, Dirk Nowitzki – German Wunderkind) relays the story:

"

In particular, Rick Pitino and Don Nelson, head coaches of the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks respectively, were highly interested in acquiring him. After a 45-minute private workout with Pitino, where Nowitzki showcased his versatile shooting, rebounding and passing skills, the Boston coach immediately compared him to Celtics legend Larry Bird; Pitino assured Nowitzki that he would draft him with the Celtics' first-round draft pick at #10.

However, Pitino's plan was foiled by Nelson, whose team had the sixth pick. Nelson worked out draft day deals with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns: the Mavericks wanted Nowitzki and Suns reserve point guard Steve Nash; the Bucks desired muscular forward Robert Traylor, who was projected to be drafted before Nowitzki; and the Suns had set their sights on forward Pat Garrity, who was projected as a low first round pick. In the draft, the Mavericks drafted Traylor with their sixth pick, and the Bucks selected Nowitzki with their ninth and Garrity with their nineteenth (sic) pick. The Mavericks then traded Traylor to the Bucks for Nowitzki and Garrity, and they in return traded the latter to Phoenix for Nash.

"

Now, the beauty of all this is that it would be impossible without Bucks' GM, Bob Weinhauer, and his desire for players nick-named after farm equipment.

But wait! There’s more.

The Mavericks also sent Martin Muursepp, Bubba Wells and an unprotected 1999 first-round pick to the Suns for Nash. That pick was used on Shawn Marion, who is also a Hall of Fame candidate.

Of course, if the Mavericks had protected that trade, Nash, Nowitzki and Marion would have been teammates. But three potential Hall of Famers were all linked in one trade before anyone had ever heard of them. How’s that for a nifty oddity?

Denver Nuggets, Slick Leonard

I grew up in the 1980s and I loved to watch Alex English, who I think is the most underrated player of the decade. He scored 21,133 points in that 10-year span, 2,642 more than anyone. To put that in perspective, Kobe Bryant scored 21,550 points in the aughts (and played about 769 more minutes).

English was drafted by the Bucks but barely played in his two years with them. The Indiana Pacers signed him as a free agent, where he played another obscure season-plus before Slick Leonard dealt him and a 1980 first-round pick (Carl Nicks) to the Denver Nuggets for the aging George McGinnis.

During 11 seasons with the Nuggets, English averaged 26.1 points, shooting 50.9 percent from the field. We don’t have shot charts from that era because such things weren’t tracked, but English was the monster of the mid-range jumper. The bulk of his shots came from there, which makes his efficiency all the more impressive.

He is the Nuggets’ all-time leader in games, minutes, points, points per game, assists and VORP. Of the 51 categories tracked on the “Career Leaders” page on Basketball-Reference.com, English is top-five in 26 of them and top-10 in 29 of them.

English is the greatest Nugget in history, and they bought him for almost nothing, courtesy of Slick Leonard.

Detroit Pistons, Don Delaney

The Detroit Pistons’ golden era was the “Bad Boys” years of the late 1980s and early '90s. While the offense was led by the likes of the great Isiah Thomas and Joe Dumars, the defense was anchored by the “baddest” of them all: Bill Laimbeer.

There was no player who was dirtier, nastier or meaner if you weren’t a Pistons fan. From his NBA.com bio page:

"

Bill Laimbeer was one of the most notorious players ever to throw an elbow, thrust a hip, or feign being fouled. Certainly, no player was ever showered with more boos or unflattering nicknames. Laimbeer was called "the prince of darkness," "a street thug," "an ax murderer" and "His Heinous."

In 14 bruising NBA seasons Laimbeer made up for his minuscule vertical leap, slow feet, and sluggishness by becoming a master of posturing, muscling, and anticipating -- plus fomenting trouble, pretending to be fouled, and drawing his opponents' ire. Laimbeer always seemed to be nursing a brawl-induced shiner or broken nose. He was punched by some of the league's best players, including Robert Parish, including Bob Lanier, including Larry Bird and including Charles Barkley. "We don't like him that good," Bird once told Sports Illustrated.

"

On the other hand, there was no one more vilified or underappreciated if you were a Detroit fan. He had skills. He averaged 13.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in 13 years with the team. But most importantly, he was arguably the pulse of the Pistons during their two-year championship run.

And the Pistons got him from Don Delaney and the Cleveland Cavaliers for the moderate asking price of Phil Hubbard, Paul Mokeski, a 1982 first-round pick (John Bagley) and 1982 second-round pick (David Magley).

Not too bad, hey?

Golden State Warriors, David Kahn

Right now, Stephen Curry is so hot, you can’t find a hotter curry in India. But if it weren’t for David Kahn of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Warriors wouldn’t have their MVP frontrunner.

The bizarrely humorous antics of Kahn are worth a Hollywood movie with Mr. Bean filling the role of Kahn (I suggest the titles Draft Daze or Comic Kahn). Kahn was famously in search of a point guard in the 2009 draft, and chose three of them: Jonny Flynn (No. 5), Ricky Rubio (No. 6) and Ty Lawson (No. 19).

He then promptly traded Lawson, who unarguably has accomplished the most of those three, and that’s not even the punchline. The really, hilariously, obnoxiously funny part is that the next player taken after Flynn and Rubio was Curry. Rubio isn't terrible, but he isn't Curry either. 

It was almost as though Kahn wanted to either gift the Warriors with his ineptitude, or had some deep-seeded scorn for Timberwolves fans that would be assured of surviving his own tenure with the team, which somehow lasted until May 3, 2013.

Of course, if you’re a Warriors fan, it worked out well enough that you should have a David Kahn Bobblehead that you tap thrice every time Curry drains another three.

Houston Rockets, Sam Presti

When Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets, it was greeted with mixed reviews. The Rockets gave up a fistful of assets (Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two protected first-round picks (Steven Adams, Mitch McGary ), and a future 2nd round draft pick.

This 5-on-5 at ESPN.com gives the array of the opinions at the time, but the most intriguing observation comes from Tom Haberstroh, responding to the question, “How do you think contenders view this trade?”

"

Put it this way: One member of a rival front office reached out with the message, "Holy s---. Did Harden really go????? Unbelievable." Judging from the player tweets right after the trade, that shock is shared by most everyone. The big winner in all of this? Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak. That is, if he can re-sign Dwight Howard.

"

And that’s the two-fold irony of the whole thing. First, the Rockets had been desperately trying to land Howard, and this was seen at the time as giving up on that.

All those assets they’d accrued to get Howard were traded for Harden. But in the end it was getting Harden that secured Howard. The allure of playing with the rising star was a key to Howard ultimately signing with Houston.

The second aspect of this ironic twist is that Harden has actually turned out to be the most valuable player in that pairing, if not the entire league. 

Indiana Pacers, Gordon "Scotty" Stirling

Historically, the Indiana Pacers have been a team which has drafted and developed its greatest players. Reggie Miller, Dale Davis and Rik Smits are the three franchise leaders in win shares. The next player up is Vern Fleming.

Fleming was also drafted by the Pacers, but the pick came to them via a trade from Gordon "Scotty" Stirling and the New York Knicks. He was acquired in exchange for Billy Knight shortly before the start of the 1983 season. Knight was at the tail end of a decent career, but was worth little at that point. He played just two more years, averaging 9.4 points.

Fleming would go on to score 9,535 points and dish for another 4,038 buckets as a Pacer.

Weirdly, this relatively mundane blunder is the only transaction the Knicks are on the bad end of in this list.

Los Angeles Clippers, David Stern

Three years ago, the Los Angeles Clippers were the single-most moribund franchise in major North American sports.

In fact, they still have the worst winning percentage of any franchise in NBA history in spite of their recent winning ways. That’s because their ineptitude had a 40-year legacy.

It seemed impossible to change that until Dell Demps and the New Orleans Hornets gifted the Clippers Chris Paul. But even that required a little assistance from the Almighty.

No, not that Almighty, I mean David Stern. Prior to Paul coming to Los Angeles, he nearly came to Los Angeles, but to the Lakers.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com:

"

The proposed trade would have sent Paul to the Lakers, Pau Gasol to the Rockets and furnished New Orleans with three top-flight NBA players in Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Lamar Odom as well as playoff-tested guard Goran Dragic and a 2012 first-round pick that Houston had acquired from the Knicks. The general reaction among rival executives was that Hornets general manager Dell Demps did as well as he could under the circumstances after Paul told the Hornets on Monday he would not sign a contract extension this season and instead planned to become a free agent July 1, 2012.

"

Stern vetoed the trade with three words that were so often repeated that a Google search of them brings up his Wikipedia page as the No. 1 result: “For basketball reasons.”

So that provided the chance for the Clippers to land Paul for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and a first-round pick (Austin Rivers, who ironically is now on the Clippers anyway). The only player who was dealt to the Hornets who still plays for them is Gordon, and he’s hardly worth Paul.

The twist is that the Hornets were bad enough to win the lottery and get Anthony Davis, who might end up being the greatest of everyone involved in this whole fiasco, Paul included.

But the upshot for the Clippers is that they had some sort of weird reality shift with the Lakers, and since then the Clippers have been the most successful LA team.

Los Angeles Lakers, Dave Twardzik

The Lakers have had some truly great players in their history, and many believe that Kobe Bryant is the greatest of them all. But without Dave Twardzik, GM of the Charlotte Hornets, that may not have happened.

The Hornets swapped Bryant for Vlade Divac shortly after the draft. And as all things related to Kobe seem to do, this has become polarizing over the years with a lot of misunderstandings.

One side claims that the Hornets didn’t want him and just traded him away. This angle was perpetuated by the Mamba himself not too long ago. The other side states that Bryant refused to play for anyone but the Lakers, and the Hornets were basically forced into making the deal.

Bryant’s agent at the time was Arn Tellem (the inspiration for the HBO show Arli$$), and by his own admission to Franz Lidz of Sports Illustrated, he’s the one who essentially forced the trade:

"

One of Tellem's most masterful manipulations was his circumvention of the '96 NBA draft to maneuver the 18-year-old Bryant to the Lakers. "Basically, I kept teams from picking Kobe by not giving their coaches access to him," says Tellem, who learned the backstage moves of NBA front offices during six years as general counsel for the L.A. Clippers, from 1983 to '89. "I knew teams would be reluctant to take a chance on a high schooler without first talking to him and working him out."

"

And that isn’t just revisionist history. Stephen A. Smith, writing for the Philadelphia Inquirer, quotes Jerry Reynolds, who was then the personnel director of the Sacramento Kings, the day after the trade went down:

"

We got an ultimatum from Kobe, too. Not just Charlotte. We were at No. 14, and we were strongly considering taking Kobe, but he was gone.

It's depressing that any player and his representation, who have their choice of entering or electing not to enter the draft, turn around and don't follow the rules of the draft. But in the end, you've got to look at the player, not the agent. After all, the agents work for the players. It isn't the other way around.

"

So, there was no realistic way that Bryant was going to play for the Hornets. That said, the Hornets never picked Bryant with the hopes he would play for him. They selected him with the understanding they would trade him for Divac. According to Smith, the hold-up was Divac needing to approve the trade.

So the truth of the matter is that the Hornets weren’t spurned by Kobe, nor did he refuse to play for them.

However, his agent did manipulate him to him the Lakers by keeping him from showcasing his talents, and Twardzik was the one who let that happen.

Memphis Grizzlies, Pete Babcock

Before June 27, 2001, the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies were awful, having failed to breach 23 wins in their first six seasons of existence. Pete Babcock and the Hawks changed all that with a deal that the Grizzlies are still benefitting from today.

The Hawks sent the Grizzlies their first-round pick in return for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jamaal Tinsley, and the Griz used that pick on Pau Gasol.

Gasol would go on to become the Grizzlies’ leader in just about everything, and still is in points and blocks, as well as second in rebounds and win shares. He also led the Griz to their first playoff appearance. That alone makes him a steal.

But in addition to that, when it was apparent the Grizzlies had gone as far as they were going with him, they dealt him to the Lakers for a group of assets which would go a long way towards forming the nucleus of the contending team they have now.

In sum: Essentially every positive thing that ever happened to the Grizzlies traces back to this trade. Thank you, Mr. Babcock!

Miami Heat, Joe Dumars

Now that LeBron James has left the Miami Heat in much the same way he came in—seeking greener pastures—Dwyane Wade can reclaim his rightful place as their undisputed greatest player of all time.

The Heat leaderboard is more of an homage to Wade than anything else. His name appears at the top of virtually every cumulative stat there is. The few where he’s not first he’s top-five. He leads in points, steals, assists, games, minutes, field goals, free throws, offensive win shares, defensive wins shares, win shares and VORP.

He is a Finals MVP and one of the two most important players on all three championship teams.

And all of that would not be possible if not for Joe Dumars.

The 2003 draft is widely considered one of the deepest in history, with four of the first five players likely bound for the Hall of Fame: James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Wade. The second player chosen, though, was Darko Milicic, who has turned out to be one of the biggest busts in history.

Had the Pistons taken Anthony instead, Wade probably goes to Denver, and all kinds of NBA history is reshaped. Dumars couldn’t do much more for the Heat than he did.

Milwaukee Bucks, Bill Davidson

One of the great players that doesn’t get much discussion today is Sidney Moncrief, whose defense was so stout he won the first Defensive Player of the Year Award and then the second. He wasn’t just a stopper either. At his peak he averaged 21.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

If you’re not familiar with him, think Jimmy Butler. Another Bulls’ shooting guard, Michael Jordan, once said of Moncrief, “When you play against Moncrief, you’re in for a night of all-around basketball. He’ll hound you everywhere you go, both ends of the court. You just expect it.”

Thanks to a draft-day trade with the Detroit Pistons, Moncrief spent all but the last year of his career with the Bucks. Detroit GM Bill Davidson literally paid the Bucks to rip him off. The Bucks had the No. 4 pick and took Greg Kelser. The Pistons drafted next and took Moncrief. Then they offered the Bucks cash to swap picks.

Kesler played 86 unremarkable game for the Pistons before being dealt for Vinnie Johnson (who was actually a significant role player during the Bad Boys championship run, so it wasn’t all bad).

But Moncrief is one of the greatest players in Bucks history and perimeter defenders in NBA lore.

Minnesota Timberwolves, Chris Wallace

Most of the decisions Chris Wallace has made with the Memphis Grizzlies have been on point, and that’s a big part of the reason they’re in contention for an NBA title. His one major miscalculation was a deal he made with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

In an eight-player swap, the Grizzlies gave up Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal, Jason Collins and the rights to Kevin Love in exchange for Marko Jaric, Antoine Walker, Greg Buckner and the rights to O.J. Mayo. A quick survey of those names reads like, blah blah blah, KEVIN LOVE, blah blah blah blah.

Not everyone on that list is bad. A few have even had good to solid careers as role players. But Kevin Love is the only bona fide superstar. He is the second greatest player in Timberwolves’ history, behind only Kevin Garnett.

And when he was ready to bolt, Minnesota parlayed him into a guy who may very well become the next franchise player: Andrew Wiggins.

In fact, when all is said and done, the second Love trade might end up being even bigger for the ‘Wolves than the first. But neither would have been possible without Wallace.

New Orleans Pelicans, Billy Knight

We’ve already seen how transactions involving Chris Paul have shaped the futures of the Cavaliers and the Clippers (and by extension, the Lakers), but we have one more team that he had a tremendous impact on.  And there is still another that helped him get there.

New Orleans' then-Hornets had the fourth pick in the 2005 draft. The Hawks, with Billy Knight[1] at the helm were actually in need of a point guard. But with Deron Williams and Paul still available, Knight opted for small forward Marvin Williams instead. 

That was a massive blunder on Knight’s part. Shaun Powell, writing for NBA.com, even argues that it’s only now the Hawks are getting over that gaffe and lays out the 10-year struggle which followed.

One man’s blunder is another man’s plunder, though, and New Orleans was more than happy to take advantage of it. Paul remains the all-time greatest player in New Orleans' history (although Anthony Davis is looking to take that mantle in short order).

Paul is among the leaders in virtually everything, and the Pelicans wouldn’t have had him if it weren’t for their Knight in tarnished armor.

[1] If you’re reading the entire slide show, yes, this is the same Billy Knight traded for Fleming in the Pacers slide.

New York Knicks, Jerry Sachs

It may be hard to believe, but yes, even the New York Knicks once got the good end of a deal. Granted, it’s been 40 years and it happened before James Dolan was old enough to vote, but it has happened.

On Nov. 10, 1971, the Baltimore Bullets’ Jerry Sachs gave the Knicks a pearl, Earl Monroe, for Mike Riordan, Dave Stallworth and cash. I hope it was a lot of cash, because neither of the other guys panned out to be much.

Monroe, however, is in the Hall of Fame, was half of arguably the greatest backcourt in NBA history (the other being Walt Frazier), and a major contributor to the Knicks’ second NBA championship.

According to Frazier, via Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, Monroe is the one who made work:

"

So when he came to the Knicks, actually, the credit goes to Earl. Because I didn't have to change my game -- he had to change. He told everybody it was my team. He had to become a team player. He was no longer the focus of the offense. He had to play defense. To his credit, he did. That was the character of Earl Monroe.

"

Statistically speaking, Monroe isn't high up on the Knicks ladder, but that’s because he was the one who sacrificed his numbers to make the team great.

Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Pritchard

It’s not every day the team who loses the lottery wins it, or that the team who wins it loses it.  But that's what happened to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Seattle SuperSonics the year before the latter moved to Oklahoma City.

The Trail Blazers had the “good fortune” of winning the lottery in 2009. Greg Oden was going to go No. 1, regardless of who got the top pick. Chad Ford of ESPN had him ranked first saying:

"

He's been atop our Top 100 since last July and has never moved. He's the best player in the draft when you factor in position, defensive presence, ability to become an offensive force. Kevin Durant was a hot option, too. But the Blazers are on the path to an NBA title with Oden, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. Look for them to trade Zach Randolph soon to continue the rebuilding.

"

It was equally obvious that Kevin Durant was going second. Ford called him “the easiest pick in the draft.”

So Portland got Oden, and Seattle got Durant, more because of draft order than any brilliant insights on either GM’s part. But while Durant has since won four scoring championships and one MVP, Oden had constant problems with microfractures in his knees and is no longer in the league.

Kevin Pritchard, who chose Oden, no longer has his job, and Sam Presti, who chose Durant, does.

Pritchard unwittingly fell on his sword by winning the lottery, and that’s about the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for the Thunder. 

Orlando Magic: Mitch Kupchak, Rob Thorn, Masai Ujiri

The Orlando Magic are a special case on this list. First, they either drafted or signed virtually every significant player in their history. The few exceptions, such as Anfernee Hardaway, were the results of trades which were quite reasonable.

Ergo, I’m basing this one on speculation and projecting that the stink bomb of a Dwight Howard trade, which many thought Orlando lost at the time, becomes the best transaction involving other GMs in Magic history.

The Magic are beneficiaries of the collaborative efforts of Mitch Kupchak of the Lakers, Rob Thorn of the 76ers and Masai Ujiri of the Nuggets.

To keep things clean, I’ll just focus on who Orlando gave up and acquired. It traded away Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson, Chris Duhon and Earl Clark. Jettisoning Richardson’s and Duhon’s cumbersome contracts worked in its favor.

Via direct trade or draft picks, the Magic received:

• Arron Afflalo
• Al Harrington
• Maurice Harkless
• Christian Eyenga
• Josh McRoberts
• Nikola Vucevic
• Romero Osby
• Dario Saric

Add to that what will likely be the Lakers' 2017 first-round pick and the Sixers' second-round picks in 2017 and 2018.

Of those, Harkless and Vucevic are still with the Magic. Amazingly, no other player involved in the trade is still active on the team he was sent to (although an inactive Richardson is still collecting a paycheck from the Sixers).

The Magic have other team members whose origins trace back to the Howard trade too. They traded Afflalo back to Denver last summer, getting Evan Fournier and Devyn Marble in return. And the rights to Saric were bundled together with a protected 2017 first-round pick and a 2015 second-round pick for Elfrid Payton.

All together, that's a good chunk of the nucleus for the future. And the pending draft picks are still on the way. Considering all that, the Magic seem to have gotten the best end of the deal. 

Philadelphia 76ers, Ray Patterson

On Sep. 15, 1982, the Philadelphia 76ers completed a trade for Moses Malone after a bizarre series of events. Mark Perner of the Philadelphia Daily News recounts it in its entirety. I’ve abridged it here, but the details are obtained entirely from him, and I highly recommend the story.  

After getting ousted in the Finals by the Lakers, the Sixers felt they needed a center to stop Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. So they set their eyes on Moses Malone, who was under contract—sort of.

Malone’s contract had a no-trade clause which said he would only play for then-owner Gavin Maloof unless he approved of a change. But the Rockets were about to be sold, so the Sixers argued that the change in ownership enacted the provision, making Malone a free agent.

They then used that premise to sign Malone to a ridiculous offer sheet which included such incentives as:

"

* $20,000 in each of the first three regular seasons in which the club he signs with does not rank in the top six among teams in attendance for road games.

* Five percent of the club's gross receipts after $4 million and up to $6 million, and 10 precent after $6 million.

* The team agrees to provide endorsements or personal appearances for Malone that will bring him at least $100,000 per season.

* $100,000 in each season in which the team does not generate $3 million in home gate receipts.

"

Larry O’Brien (for whom the Finals trophy is now named) was not pleased with the Sixers flaunting the rules, so he had a review of it set up.

"

After an 8-hour hearing on Sept. 13 with all parties, NBA arbitrator Kingman Brewster ruled that the clause that provided Malone with a bonus tied to product endorsements was improper. He also decided that the Rockets had a right of first refusal on the Sixers' offer, even though they were in the process of changing owners. Brewster also took under advisement four other incentive clauses in the offer and said he would move on them a week later.

"

But before that happened, the Rockets started thinking about how cool Cleveland’s pick sounded. They had their hearts set on Ralph Sampson, who would be available the following summer. The Cavs were expected to be the worst team in the league, and the Sixers owned the pick.

So Ray Patterson, the Rockets' GM, gave in, matched the ridiculous offer and then traded Malone to the Sixers for Caldwell Jones and the Cavs’ pick. As it turned out, the Rockets ended up being the worst team in the league and drafted Sampson No. 1. They used the Cavs' pick on Rodney McCray, who had a solid career as a role player.

Malone won the MVP the following season. The “Fo’, fo’ Fo’” Sixers won the title and are regarded as one of the greatest teams in league history. And it’s all thanks to Ray Patterson caving in and matching one of the weirdest contracts ever written.

Phoenix Suns, Jim Lynam

Back in 1992, the Philadelphia 76ers and Charles Barkley were having a strained relationship, to say the least. His recent interview with Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated revealed just how much:

"

Deitsch: Was there any other team than Phoenix (Suns) that was close to getting you?

Barkley: I got traded to the Lakers one day [in 1992] and they retracted the deal.

Deitsch: No way.

Barkley: Yeah. The Sixers backed out. It was going crazy for two weeks so I knew it would come down to Portland, [the] Lakers or Phoenix. So I get a call from my agent one morning and he said, “Philly has traded you to the Lakers.” So I went to lunch and started drinking. I’m f---ing so excited that I am going to the Lakers. Three hours later I get a f---ing phone call from my agent saying that the Sixers backed out of the deal. I said, “Oh, s--t, I’m feeling pretty good right now.” So I went out and played that night.

Deitsch: How did you play?

Barkley: I played pretty well. I wasn’t blasted, just a couple of drinks at lunch. I mean, I was excited to get the hell out of Philly.

"

It’s understandable why Jim Lynam and the Sixers would want to trade Barkley. There was a history of problems with him, which included allegedly spitting on a little girl. Supposedly, Barkley meant to spit on a man who had been harassing him, but he missed and hit the girl. That’s really not much better.

The two parties had a relationship beyond repairing, and it was obviously a mutual feeling. So the Sixers were shopping him around. 

An article by Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer at the time quotes the Kings GM, Jerry Reynolds: 

"

You look at Charles Barkley. He's one of the five best players in the world. You know he's crazy, but that's part of the package, and most of the players in the league are pains in the ass. So why not have one who is a legitimate winner?

If you're going to trade him, I think everybody in the league ought to be interested, except for four or five teams. But the problem is getting value. What's the right value for Charles Barkley? It's got to be a lot.

"

But all GM Jim Lynam got back was Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang and Tim Perry, and all three were gone within two seasons. Considering Barkley won the MVP that year and brought the Suns to the Finals, it was a pretty generous deal.  

As far as I can find, only two players won the MVP the year after being dealt: Barkley, traded by the Sixers, and Moses Malone, traded to the Sixers.

Portland Trail Blazers, Carl Scheer

Few would argue with the statement that Clyde Drexler is the greatest player in Portland Trail Blazers history. He’s the all-time leader in points, rebounds, steals and win shares. He’s second all-time in assists and seventh in blocks.

But did you know he could have been a Nugget? While he was still just a future draft pick, he (along with a second-round pick (Steven Colter) was traded by Denver's Carl Scheer  for T.R. Dunn and another second-round pick (Howard Carter). Dunn was the primary piece and had a decent career as a defensive specialist.

But he was no Clyde Drexler.

To put the “Glide’s” greatness into perspective, consider this: This season, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant became the fourth and fifth members of the 20,000 point, 6,000 rebound, 6,000 assist club this season. Drexler was the third.

The Trail Blazers robbed the Bulls for LaMarcus Aldridge (giving up just Tyrus Thomas) and the Nets for Damian Lillard (at the cost of Gerald Wallace). That may be the best "scam duo" in the NBA today, but Drexler's one of the greatest players ever. 

Sacramento Kings, Ben Kerner

The Sacramento Kings franchise has much more history of being fleeced than doing the fleecing, so we have to reach way back into their history books to find a case of them getting the better end of a transaction.

Their second greatest player (behind Oscar Robertson) is Hall of Famer Jack Twyman, but if it weren’t for the kindness of Ben Kerner, Twyman could have spent his career as a St. Louis Hawk.

Back in 1955, when they were the Rochester Royals, Kerner passed over Twyman in the draft.

Now, to be fair, every single team in the league could have also had Twyman and didn’t. After all, he was taken in the second round. However, it’s also worth bearing in mind that the league was only comprised of eight teams then.

Kerner stands out for two reasons. First, he was the only GM to pass on Twyman twice. And second, the two players he drafted, Dick Ricketts and Jack Stephens, combined for four years and 6.9 win shares. Twyman played 11 years, had 75.0 win shares and is enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

So, Kerner’s whif was the Kings’ gift. And that was pretty much the last nice thing another GM ever did for them.

San Antonio Spurs, Larry Bird

It’s kind of surprising considering the San Antonio Spurs have such a history of brilliant moves, but hardly any of them involve other teams’ mistakes. The Spurs draft well, grabbing up projects like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, but when you’re talking about picks after the lottery, that’s more about the Spurs being smart than other teams being stupid.

Or San Antonio will take players other teams have given up on, such as Boris Diaw, and restore them.

You can argue the team tanked (allegedly) to get Tim Duncan, but even that required luck in winning the lottery. 

Most of their roster is just the result of good decisions and/or fortune. But there is one player they traded for in a slightly lopsided deal: Kawhi Leonard. The Spurs got him for George Hill, who is a nice player, but Leonard is a Finals MVP who recently outplayed LeBron James, the best player in the world, on the game’s highest stage. 

Larry Bird has made mostly good decisions as the Pacers GM, but if he had held onto Leonard, the paring of him and Paul George might have been the difference in the Pacers getting past the Miami Heat instead of the Spurs.

So, that makes this move doubly responsible for the Spurs winning their fifth championship.

Toronto Raptors, Daryl Morey

The Toronto Raptors and Houston made a deal that is another example of how an agreement can work out well for both parties. In fact, the ramifications of the transaction land both teams on our list. 

Daryl Morey of the Rockets gifted the Raptors Kyle Lowry for a future first-round draft pick (Steven Adams) and Gary Forbes. At the time, the move was a part of the Rockets’ plan to land Dwight Howard. But when that failed, they combined that pick with other assets to land James Harden (see the Rockets slide).

But the Raptors were also blessed with the arrangement. Kyle Lowry is presently leading the charge during the Raptors' most successful season in franchise history. In his three seasons north of the border, Lowry has averaged 16.0 points, 7.0 assists and 4.7 rebounds.

This turned out to be one of the better win-win trades in recent history.

Utah Jazz, Bill Sharman

Before there was John Stockton or Karl Malone, the greatest player the Utah Jazz had was Adrian Dantley, who went to six All-Star Games in the seven years he played for the Jazz.

Dantley left a mark on the game many fans don’t know about. David Friedman at 20 Second Timeout quotes the book Hoops!, The Official National Basketball Players Association Guide to Playing Basketball by Giorgio Gandolfi and Gerald Secor Couzens. In it, Dantley says:

"

Many times you will encounter situations in a game when you have already picked up your dribble and your defensive man is standing right in front of you preventing you from getting off a shot or passing the ball. It is just for cases like this that you need to have some dead-ball moves in your repertoire. Naturally, you can use these moves away from the basket, but they are most effective when you make them not far from the hoop, either in or close to the lane.

To make the shot fake and jump shot move, start with a one-count stop. Bring the ball up toward your head to give the defensive man the impression that you are going to take a jump shot. He will lunge toward you at this moment. As he moves in, crouch down with your legs to gather your strength and then go up for the jump shot just as your defensive man moves into you. Go up strong and bump him a little with your shoulder or forearm to keep him from blocking your shot. Often your man will foul you and you can get a three-point play out of the move.

"

Now, think of how many players duplicate that trick in the modern era. And think of how many times you hear about how that didn’t happen in the 80s. Dantley perfected it. In fact, he once made 28 free throws in a game.

Dantley was hidden behind other scorers while with the Lakers, but GM Bill Sharman needed rebounding, so he traded for Spencer Haywood, who was on the bottom end of his career. 

As a Laker, Dantley had to compete for shots with Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes and Norm Nixon, so he averaged just 18.3 points.

In Utah, he became the primary scorer and broke out, averaging 29.6 points with a 63.2 true shooting percentage, 6.2 rebounds and 3.7 rebounds.

He is still the NBA’s all-time leader in career true shooting percentage (61.7) for players who averaged at least 20 points.

Thus, the Jazz became the only team to ever successfully squeeze the Sharman. 

Washington Wizards, Ray Patterson

The Washington Wizards’ greatest benefactor is Ray Patterson of the Houston Rockets. He traded Elvin Hayes to the Baltimore Bullets for Jack Marin, a career role player in the middle of his career.

The team became the Capital Bullets and then the Washington Bullets while Hayes was playing for them.

Whichever kind of bullet it was, it was on target.

During his nine-year run with the franchise, Hayes averaged 19.2 points, and 8.2 rebounds. Along with Wes Unseld, he formed one of the great big man tandems in history. During his first eight years with the team, the Bullets made the postseason every time. They made the Finals in 1975, ’78 and ’79.

They won it all in ’78, the only banner in their history.

He is the franchise leader in points and blocks, and he’s second in rebounds, win shares and VORP. He and Unseld are essentially first and second in almost every aggregated stat. He was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. 

Hayes might not have been the easiest teammate to get along with, though. This detailed post by Kyle Weidie for Truth About It.net of ESPN’s True Hoops network suggests he might have been downright ornery.

But popular with his teammates or not, he was essential in bringing the Wizards their only championship. And thanks to Patterson, he only cost them the last half of Marin’s mostly uneventful career.

All stats for this article were obtained from Basketball-Reference.com.