Most Perplexing Trades in Recent Sports Memory
Why in the world did the Edmonton Oilers trade top left winger Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson?
The lopsided NHL trade was perplexing, and it wasn't even the only confusing hockey move of the week when it went down in late June.
Professional sports general managers are smart people. Moves that fans might see as perplexing, of course, come backed by knowledge, strategy, experience and know-how. Sometimes, it's hard to see the reasoning from the outside looking in.
The following trades were like that—confusing from an outsider's perspective. Some judged them to be lopsided, too risky or odd in terms of talent.
Housekeeping: "Recent" means in the past year, and "perplexing" does not necessarily mean "wrong" (but it could).
Regardless of the ultimate outcome, these trades left more than a few fans scratching their heads when they went down.
Honorable Mention: Derrick Rose to the Knicks
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The trade: In June, the Chicago Bulls traded 2011 NBA MVP Derrick Rose, guard Justin Holiday and a 2017 second-round pick to the New York Knicks for center Robin Lopez, and guards Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon.
Why it was perplexing: Plot twist! It wasn't (hence the honorable mention). Although, many folks disagreed. Let's call this one perplexing in that it had a lot of moving parts and inspired many differing opinions.
From the Knicks' perspective, it seemed like a smart risk. If a long-injury-plagued Rose can stay healthy, he could be a productive addition to a roster already including Carmelo Anthony and young sensation Kristaps Porzingis. Either way, he's headed for free agency after 2016-17.
On the Bulls' end, it was largely understood that either Rose or Jimmy Butler was likely going to be traded, according to ESPN.com's Nick Friedell. And, as ESPN's Zach Lowe tweeted, "Given depth of PG position, Rose's health/play, expiring deal, etc, not much of a market for him. Bulls did well to get Rolo and Grant."
And yet, Rodger Sherman of SB Nation tweeted, "Robin Lopez + Jerian Grant simultaneously seems too much for a player as broken as Derrick Rose & too little for a player as talented as him."
And around it goes.
Erik Gudbranson to the Canucks
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The trade: In May, the Florida Panthers traded defenseman Erik Gudbranson and a 2016 fifth-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for center Jared McCann and two 2016 picks (a second-rounder and a fourth-rounder).
Why it was perplexing: According to Matt Larkin of the Hockey News, the Canucks were in need of defense, which they got in Gudbranson. Yet they also parted with a talented former first-round pick in McCann along with a second-rounder.
Travis Yost of TSN wrote, "Truthfully, it's difficult to see what Vancouver sees in this deal. If the prize is Gudbranson, well, the prize is something like a third-pairing defender. And the premium they paid—a legitimate prospect and multiple picks—is, in a word, inexplicable."
Canucks general manager Jim Benning defended the move—citing Gudbranson's size (6'5", 216 lbs) and ability to join the top four immediately—but even said, "I think we gave up a lot, too, in the deal. I come from a scouting background, so to trade second-round picks away, it kills me," per Luke Fox of Sportsnet.
Hector Olivera to the Braves
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The trade: The Atlanta Braves sent prospect Jose Peraza, and pitchers Alex Wood, Jim Johnson, Luis Avilan and Bronson Arroyo to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team trade ahead of the 2015 MLB trade deadline. In return, they received infielder Hector Olivera, reliever Paco Rodriguez, prospect Zach Bird and a 2016 competitive balance draft pick, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Why it was perplexing: The Braves gave up an impressive prospect in Wood to acquire a then-30-year-old MLB rookie in Olivera. A few writers suggested the return was not worth the talent given up.
For instance, David O'Brien of AJC.com wrote, "Don't trade good young starting pitchers with multiple years of contractual control remaining, particularly not left-handed ones as good as Wood."
And Grant Brisbee of SB Nation pointed out at the time, "All the uncertainty of a prospect, with all the concerns of an older player coming off a serious injury. That is a very, very underwhelming return for two young players who had tremendous trade value."
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Serge Ibaka to the Magic
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The trade: In June, the Orlando Magic traded guard Victor Oladipo, forward Ersan Ilyasova and the draft rights to No. 11 draft Domantas Sabonis to the Oklahoma City Thunder for forward Serge Ibaka.
Why it was perplexing: It's not that Ibaka is not a quality player—it's just that the Magic gave up quite a bit to get him. Indeed, many fans on social media pointed out the apparent lopsided nature of the trade.
And, though the Magic did add a needed rim protector, Ibaka is going to become a free agent after the 2016-17 season.
James Herbert of CBS Sports wrote, "This trade makes it clear that [Orlando general manager Rob] Hennigan wants to get Orlando back in the playoffs as soon as possible. Ibaka is a terrific player who will help that happen, but this is quite a price to pay."
It's worth noting, opinions on this trade have varied (as these things in sports often do).
Zach Lowe of ESPN wrote, "At the very least, I'm curious—especially about whether Ibaka, still just 26, might prove that his disturbing signs of early decline are more the product of demoralizing third- and fourth-wheel status in Oklahoma City."
Rams Trade Up to No. 1
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The trade: In April, the Los Angeles Rams gave up their No. 15 pick, two second-round picks and a third-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft, as well as a first-rounder and third-rounder in 2017. In return, they received three 2016 picks from the Tennessee Titans—No. 1 overall, along with a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder, per Conor Orr of NFL.com.
Why it was perplexing: To be fair, it is clear why the Rams made this move (to draft a franchise quarterback). The confusion lies in the level of risk they took on to do it.
The Rams' move from No. 15 was the biggest jump up to No. 1 in NFL draft history, and it wasn't cheap. The general Twitter consensus was the Titans got the better end of the deal, by a long shot.
Orr wrote, "The acquisition has to be seen as a coup for new Titans general manager Jon Robinson. ... The Rams, on the other hand, are taking a gigantic risk."
The Rams took QB Jared Goff with the pick, and as Will Brinson of CBS Sports wrote, "This can be said like 500 times, but it all comes down to Goff. If he's good out of the gates, the Rams make the playoffs and he contends for Offensive Rookie of the Year, people will praise this move by Los Angeles."
Ty Lawson to the Rockets
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The trade: In July 2015, the Houston Rockets sent Joey Dorsey, Nick Johnson, Kostas Papanikolaou, Pablo Prigioni and a first-round pick to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Ty Lawson and a 2017 second-round pick.
Why it was perplexing: Lawson is a talented point guard, but he has been arrested multiple times for DUI, and off-court issues are always something to consider in personnel moves.
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said, "When you're trying to be the best team out of 30, you've got to risk all over the place. Through our conversations with him, we feel confident that he's getting the help he needs," per Kristie Rieken of the Associated Press (via NBA.com).
Lawson was a first-round pick in 2009. He averaged 15.2 points and 9.6 assists for the Nuggets in 2014-15.
Prior to the trade, Matt Moore of CBS Sports wrote, "There's a lot of question marks with Lawson. His aggressiveness, his size, his off-court issues. But look at those numbers at the top again. He's in elite offensive company as a scorer and distributor."
This move was not perplexing because of the talent but rather because of the risk.
Eagles Trade Up to No. 2
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The trade: In April, the Philadelphia Eagles traded their No. 8 pick in the 2016 NFL draft, a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick, their 2017 first-round pick and a 2018 second-round pick (got all that?) to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the No. 2 pick in 2016 and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2017, per Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.
Why it was perplexing: The Eagles gave up an absolute haul of picks to trade up and ultimately draft quarterback Carson Wentz.
Even Browns vice president of football operations Sashi Brown admitted, "I was a little surprised we got as much as we did," per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
In addition, the Eagles had already signed two QBs in March—Sam Bradford to a two-year, $36 million deal, and Chase Daniel for three years and $21 million. Bradford even demanded a trade after learning of the Eagles' move up to No. 2 (though that didn't last long).
Rosenthal made some sense of it, explaining in April, "Now both Bradford and Daniel will be expected to keep the seat warm until the 'quarterback of the future'—presumably Wentz—is ready. Bradford is essentially in Philadelphia on a one-year deal. He could wind up being traded next offseason, with Daniel in place as the Eagles' long-term backup."
P.K. Subban to the Predators
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The trade: In June, the Montreal Canadiens traded defenseman P.K. Subban to the Nashville Predators for defenseman Shea Weber.
Why it was perplexing: Subban and Weber are both All-Star defensemen, yet there was a bit of a social media explosion as a result of this trade.
Some Habs fans expressed displeasure for reasons varying from their love of Subban—whom the team drafted in 2007—to their concern over Weber's age.
Mike Cole of NESN explained, "Subban and Weber are considered two of the best defensemen in the NHL, but they certainly are at different points in their careers. Subban is just 27, while Weber will be 31 when the 2016-17 season begins in October."
Bleacher Report's Joe Pantorno referenced Subban's famously outgoing demeanor when writing about the trade. He said Subban's "fiery personality has gotten him into trouble at times."
And yet Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin told Dave Stubbs of NHL.com, "I have no issues with personality. Everybody's different, everybody brings different things to the table. But at some point I had to make a hard decision where I thought I could make the team better."
Shelby Miller to the Diamondbacks
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The trade: In December, the Arizona Diamondbacks traded outfielder Ender Inciarte, shortstop Dansby Swanson and pitcher Aaron Blair to the Atlanta Braves for pitchers Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier.
Why it was perplexing: Miller was the target of this deal for Arizona. In 2015, the 25-year-old right-hander threw over 200 innings and compiled a 3.02 ERA. But, as Mike Axisa of CBS Sports pointed out, "But holy cow, the D-Backs gave up a ton to get him."
Inciarte hit .303/.338/.408 in 2015, Swanson was taken No. 1 overall in the 2015 amateur draft, and Blair is a "very good" prospect in his own right, per Axisa. Besides Miller, Arizona got Speier, a Single-A prospect.
Dave Cameron of FanGraphs wrote, "Miller is a quality pitcher, but the upgrade in the rotation only makes the team marginally better when you account for the downgrade in the outfield, leaving the organization in a position of surrendering two of their best assets for little actual gain."
Taylor Hall to the Devils
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The trade: In June, the Edmonton Oilers traded left winger Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson.
Why it was perplexing: The Devils were considered huge winners in this deal. Hall is one of the league's top left wingers, scoring 65 points in 2015-16. Larsson, while a respectable defenseman, isn't at that level, notching just 18 points.
Pat Iversen of SB Nation explained, "As a former No. 4 overall pick, Larsson's career so far in New Jersey has been...underwhelming? At best, he's a second-pairing guy. You don't trade a franchise player (a former No. 1 overall pick in 2010) in Taylor Hall for a second-pairing guy. Not straight up."
The general sentiment of Oilers fans on social media was that the team gave up too much—that it was a disproportional trade based on the performance history of each player.
In addition, Hall has endured six seasons of mediocrity in Edmonton, and now he won't be a part of the Oilers' future.
Hall said, "I certainly do feel a bit slighted by the whole thing," per Robert Tychkowski of the Edmonton Sun.
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