Worst trade in American professional sports history?

[craigehlo]

Yea, the ship sailed on Drummond a while ago. Pistons are looking to trade Reggie Jackson now that they are having buyer's remorse and keep Drummond.

 

[riverman]

Yankees trading Babe Ruth to Boston sucked....my least favorite was Andre Miller for Raymond Felton personally but I really hate Felton,, so there's that. I think the Pau Gasol trade was about as lopsided at the time as it gets but they did develop his baby brother eventually

 

[Minstrel]

Wasn't the report that Drummond was offered earlier in the season though? I'm guessing they would have jumped at that offer if it was available yesterday.

I assumed that "earlier this season" still meant like January--my understanding is that it wasn't til December that Van Gundy started to lose faith in a Reggie Jackson/Andre Drummond pairing. It's equally baffling that the Kings would turn it down then and then, at most two months later and perhaps less, be so desperate to move him that they take this deal. And why would Detroit lose interest in the deal--I don't recall anything particular happening with Cousins in the last couple of months.

Supposedly, New Orleans wasn't even answering the phone on a lot of teams. It's like they mostly zeroed in on the Pelicans. Which would strengthen the "Ranadive targeted Hield" theory.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

He may have been more afraid that he wouldn't walk. If the Blazers couldn't afford to pay Plumlee, how were they going to pay Boogie at around $30M per year?

Send out $35M per year.

 

[e_blazer]

Send out $35M per year.

Well, sure. It's pretty simple if you just look at the math, but finding lopsided deals for 2-3 players with contracts adding up to those kinds of dollars may not be quite as simple as you imply. There's also the question of how do you get enough other decent players to fill out the roster when your top three guys are eating up $80 million out of an estimated luxury tax threshold of $122 million. Paul Allen might not object to going into luxury tax territory for a shot at a title, but the repeat offender implications of the tax are pretty brutal and no team is going to want to stay in that area very long. Finally, there are the questions of whether Boogie's going to be the missing piece that really makes the Blazers a title contender and whether his well known attitude issues make him the guy you want to take that gamble on.

 

[Minstrel]

Finally, there are the questions of whether Boogie's going to be the missing piece that really makes the Blazers a title contender and whether his well known attitude issues make him the guy you want to take that gamble on.

All the other issues are going to be there regardless and there's an argument to be made that Cousins is about the only guy you have a chance to take that gamble on. Less risky superstars are unlikely to be moved and certainly not for what the Pelicans just paid for Cousins.

 

[e_blazer]

All the other issues are going to be there regardless and there's an argument to be made that Cousins is about the only guy you have a chance to take that gamble on. Less risky superstars are unlikely to be moved and certainly not for what the Pelicans just paid for Cousins.

Given what the Pelicans were able to get him for, I'd say that most of the league's GMs were treating him like toxic waste. But we can debate this forever (and probably will until the next big trade dream comes along). It's all moot at this point.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

Well, sure. It's pretty simple if you just look at the math, but finding lopsided deals for 2-3 players with contracts adding up to those kinds of dollars may not be quite as simple as you imply. There's also the question of how do you get enough other decent players to fill out the roster when your top three guys are eating up $90 million out of an estimated luxury tax threshold of $122 million. Paul Allen might not object to going into luxury tax territory for a shot at a title, but the repeat offender implications of the tax are pretty brutal and no team is going to want to stay in that area very long. Finally, there are the questions of whether Boogie's going to be the missing piece that really makes the Blazers a title contender and whether his well known attitude issues make him the guy you want to take that gamble on.

very good points, but...
Crabbe + Biebs + Davis + 1st = $37M
for Boogie + expiring
works in principle (though may not work in practice)

#notthatbigofagambleeither

 

[e_blazer]

very good points, but...
Crabbe + Biebs + Davis + 1st = $37M
for Boogie + expiring
works in principle (though may not work in practice)

#notthatbigofagambleeither

True, but who's to say that Sac would be willing to take on those contracts? Would you?

 

[riverman]

Sac has to blow it up...they weren't in the conversation with Boogie...best they both part ways. Lottery, lottery, lottery....this is where they'll be stuck for even longer now

 

[Rhal]

vivek is in love with Buddy and thinks he is going to be a superstar, noone else thinks this way but it seems to be the reasoning behind the trade.

 

[craigehlo]

Sac was looking to clear cap. That's a reason many teams like us weren't really in the running. They took back expiring deals for the most part.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

True, but who's to say that Sac would be willing to take on those contracts? Would you?

I am part of the vast universe who doesn't know what Sac would do. As for myself, I'd seriously consider it. FAs don't want to come to Portland? They sure shouldn't want to go to Sacramento. So, having good players locked into contracts is actually a good thing.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

all the radio guys out here have been talking about the celtics needing a rebounder and a scorer. umm hello. boogie is both.

bunch of idiots on the radio here too, i keep hearing he is a free agent at the end of this year (wrong), that boston would have to pay him "219 million" (wrong), and that the celtics would have had to gut the team to get him (wrong).

 

[3RA1N1AC]

it really does seem that the kings are in love with buddy. its the only way this trade makes sense.

 

[e_blazer]

I am part of the vast universe who doesn't know what Sac would do. As for myself, I'd seriously consider it. FAs don't want to come to Portland? They sure shouldn't want to go to Sacramento. So, having good players locked into contracts is actually a good thing.

It certainly appears from this trade that Sac is looking to do a total rebuild. They took expiring contract (Evans), a nice young player (Hield ), filler (Galloway), a top-4 protected first round pick and a second round pick. I'm sure that they wouldn't have balked at taking Ed Davis's contract, but Crabbe and Leonard are on new and pretty expensive deals. That probably have given them pause if they're rebuilding. Also, Boogie isn't making enough this year to take that big of package in trade so the Kings would have had to throw in other players on ending contracts and they don't have enough of those to make it work.

 

[Schilly]

The thing that is predictable every time a trade goes down, that involves a player fans regard as desirable, is the reaction that somehow our GM failed by not making a better offer. I know in the world of Video games it seems so simple, but in reality it isn't. Example even if we had offered Crabbe, why would Sacramento who is blowing it up to start over want to take on Crabbe's contract? Sure maybe on paper Crabbe is a better player right now than Hield is but the $$$ is a big part of the equation. In this case 28 other teams didn't make a better offer either. Cousins, while a phenomenal talent, is a colossal chemistry, not just risk, but issue.

 

[Minstrel]

The thing that is predictable every time a trade goes down, that involves a player fans regard as desirable, is the reaction that somehow our GM failed by not making a better offer. I know in the world of Video games it seems so simple, but in reality it isn't. Example even if we had offered Crabbe, why would Sacramento who is blowing it up to start over want to take on Crabbe's contract? Sure maybe on paper Crabbe is a better player right now than Hield is but the $$$ is a big part of the equation.

I agree. As I was saying in another thread, Portland actually couldn't have matched or slightly improved on the Pelicans' offer. They could have completely blown it away, of course, by offering Lillard or McCollum, but that's a completely different thing and I don't necessarily blame Olshey for not trading one of the Blazers' legitimate stars for the risk that Cousins entails (both the chemistry and eventual flight risk).

 

[Wizard Mentor]

One tweeter pointed out that George Karl was right about everything. If they had traded Boogie back then, they'd be much better right now.

 

[Chris Craig]

Trading away a 26 year old best center in the NBA and the most dominant low post presence since Shaq and Omri Caspi for Hield, protected 1st, a 2nd, Galloway (PO in 2017), and Tyreke Evans expiring.

The kings sent Caspi too, wow Divac is the worst GM I have ever seen.

 

[Chris Craig]

it really does seem that the kings are in love with buddy. its the only way this trade makes sense.

So are they gonna build their team around Hield now?

 

[Jon]

Uh, no. The worst trade ever was divac for bryant.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

ZBO for Steve Francis + Channing Frye Worse tbh

 

[Natebishop3]

Uh, no. The worst trade ever was divac for bryant.

Psh.... not even close. Divac was a very good center.

Scottie Pippen for Olden Polynice?

 

[Minstrel]

A declining Garnett and Pierce for a generation's worth of premium first-round picks was probably the worst.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

eddy curry trade to the knicks was pretty bad

 

[Orion Bailey]

He was on record all year saying he was going to resign since he was eligible for the extra $30 million in Sac. This isn't a LA situation, this is a guy that wants the cheddar.

ANd LMAO was on record as wanting to be the best Blazer ever...

 

[Minstrel]

You know, in reading about this trade and recent Kings' history, it's been pointed out that the Kings themselves have another competitor for worst trade ever: they traded Nik Stauskas, option to swap picks in 2016, option to swap picks in 2017 and a completely unprotected pick in 2019 to the 76ers in return for the 76ers taking some bad contracts off their hands. They did that to open up space to sign Rajon Rondo (a one-year rental who had already seen his value collapse), Kosta Koufas and Marco Belinelli.

So if the Kings collapse this season, the 76ers will get their pick and the Kings will get the 76ers' pick which might not even end up that remarkable if they win some more games considering the Knicks and Hornets are declining. And the 76ers will get the Kings pick in 2019 even if it's #1. All so that the Kings could sign three meh players for a non-existent contention push.

Also, the Kings had Isiah Thomas and didn't bother to re-sign him because they thought he was too small.

I'm not going to give them enough credit to assume that they made a rational, smart decision here on Cousins.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

You know, in reading about this trade and recent Kings' history, it's been pointed out that the Kings themselves have another competitor for worst trade ever: they traded Nik Stauskas, option to swap picks in 2016, option to swap picks in 2017 and a completely unprotected pick in 2019 to the 76ers in return for the 76ers taking some bad contracts off their hands. They did that to open up space to sign Rajon Rondo (a one-year rental who had already seen his value collapse), Kosta Koufas and Marco Belinelli.

So if the Kings collapse this season, the 76ers will get their pick and the Kings will get the 76ers' pick which might not even end up that remarkable if they win some more games considering the Knicks and Hornets are declining. And the 76ers will get the Kings pick in 2019 even if it's #1. All so that the Kings could sign three meh players for a non-existent contention push.

Also, the Kings had Isiah Thomas and didn't bother to re-sign him because they thought he was too small.

I'm not going to give them enough credit to assume that they made a rational, smart decision here on Cousins.

that trade was so nonsensical at the time, and obviously even more so now. nik rocks.

 

[3RA1N1AC]

stauskas is actually the same age as hield, and having a similar season.