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10 Biggest NBA Trade Rumors of All Time

nba trade rumors

What are the biggest NBA trade rumors of all time? Some of these rumors eventuated, and some were so close to happening before falling apart at the last hurdle. 

Biggest NBA Trade Rumors

There have been many big NBA trade rumors over the years, and some have ended up being more significant than others. Here are some of the biggest NBA trade rumors of all time:

10. James Harden (Brooklyn Nets)

James Harden has often been the topic of NBA trade rumors. Drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2009, he moved to Houston in 2012 where he spent eight seasons.

NBA trade rumors started heating up in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat and Philadelphia 76ers all interested. Ultimately the Brooklyn Nets won out though and he was moved on in a four-team trade that included Cleveland, Philadelphia and Houston.

It didn’t work out in Brooklyn despite having Kevin Durant and Kyrie Iring as teammates. In February 2022 the Nets traded Harden and Paul Millsap to Philadelphia, receiving Ben Simmons, Andrew Drummond, Seth Curry and two first-round selections in return.

9. Wilt Chamberlain (Los Angeles Lakers)

Wilt Chamberlain is best known for his 100-point game he scored in 1962 while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors. It was the same year the Warriors relocated to San Francisco.

In 1965, trade rumors started circulating that Chamberlain was interested in a move back to Philadelphia, with the team now known as the 76ers after the Syracuse Nationals relocated a few years earlier.

Following a falling out with coach Alex Hannum and financial troubles, Chamberlain was traded to the Lakers in 1968, only one year removed from winning an NBA championship. He went on to win a second ring with Los Angeles in 1972.

8. Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)

In his prime Carmelo Anthony was one of the best players in the league. There were those that criticised him for not involving his teammates enough, for shooting too much and not passing the ball.

Anthony was a scoring machine though, so it was inevitable that the biggest NBA trade rumors involved him. The Denver Nuggets’ struggles on the court in the 2010-11 season only fuelled those rumors.

In the final year of his contract with Denver there was no signed extension and it was reported that he was interested in testing free agency. Rumors had it that he was interested in a move to New York City where he was born.

Despite strong interest from the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets, a 26-year old Anthony was traded to the New York Knicks where he linked up with superstars Amar’e Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups, and enjoying some of the most productive years of his career.

7. Dwight Howard (Brooklyn Nets)

Dwight Howard was always going to be the dominant center that was expected of him when he was drafted first overall in 2004 by the Orlando Magic.

After eight years with the Magic and an NBA Finals appearance, serious trade rumors were circulating that he would be traded to the New Jersey Nets in 2011.

Acquiring Howard, one of the best players in the league, would have been huge for a team that was about to move from New Jersey to Brooklyn.

What was thought to be an imminent deal to the Nets failed to materialise, with negotiations reportedly breaking down because the Magic weren’t happy with what they’d receive in return.

Instead, Howard was traded to the Lakers in 2012 in a four-team trade that also involved Philadelphia and Denver.

6. Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics)

In 2004 the Phoenix Suns were serious about trading for one of the best power forwards of all time, Kevin Garnett. NBA trade rumors started to surface following Minnesota Timberwolves’ poor performances.

The Suns floated ideas of a package that would include Shawn Marion and multiple draft picks. His total contract value and a no-trade clause were stumbling blocks.

In the summer of 2007 trade rumors then started to surface that the Lakers were interested in acquiring Garnett in return for a package that included Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and draft picks.

Ultimately, Garnett moved to the Boston Celtics who took on his 5-year, $100 million contract. He formed the “Big Three” with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen and they went on to win an NBA championship in 2008. 

5. Chris Paul (Los Angeles Lakers)

Chris Paul was one of the best players in the league in 2011 while at the New Orleans Hornets. Coming off the back of finishing second in MVP voting, behind Derrick Rose, NBA trade rumors began to circulate after Paul was reportedly unhappy with the direction of the franchise.

The trade rumors materialized, and the Hornets agreed to a trade with the Lakers which would have seen Paul forming a supertramp with Kobe Bryant, and Lamar Odom plus Pau Gasol arriving in New Orleans.

Sensationally, the trade was vetoed by then-NBA commissioner David Stern for “basketball reasons”, acting as owner of the Hornets due to the league owning the franchise at the time. Paul would still move to Los Angeles in 2011, however it was with the Clippers franchise.

4. Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors)

Kawhi Leonard was drafted in 2011 by the Indiana Pacers and was immediately traded to the San Antonio Spurs, with George Hill going the other way.

In 2017 NBA trade rumors started, with Leonard reportedly unhappy over his injury rehabilitation in San Antonio. The Spurs were hesitant of any trade, not wanting to lose one of the best two-way players in the league.

The Celtics, 76ers, Lakers, and Clippers were all interested. It was the Toronto Raptors who would get their man in 2018, in a trade that sent DeMar Derozan, Jakob Poeltl and a first round pick the other way.

Toronto pulled off one of the best NBA trades of all time, with Leonard playing a key role in their playoff run and first NBA championship in history in 2019.

3. Shaquille O’Neal (Los Angeles Lakers)

Shaq was one of the most dominant players in NBA history. During his prime he stood at 7-foot-1 and weighed in at over 300 pounds. His unbelievable strength and athleticism for someone his size made him the center of NBA trade rumors.

In 1996 rumors were heating up that Shaq would leave Orlando, unhappy with the contract extension they offered him. The Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers and Detroit Pistons all made serious offers.

The Lakers made a pitch to Shaq, promising to build a championship team around him and offering him a $121 million, 7-year contract. O’Neal was convinced, moving to Los Angeles and winning three NBA championships in a row alongside Kobe Bryant.

2. LeBron James (Miami Heat)

LeBron James was one of the most hotly anticipated rookies ever. After being selected as the unanimous first pick in the 2003 draft, he spent seven years in Cleveland.

Cleveland offered LeBron a 6-year, $120 million contract and the NBA trade rumors ramped up for players the Cavaliers would try to acquire to convince LeBron to stay. Both Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O’Neal were serious options.

Instead, LeBron entered free agency and the televised special “The Decision” was held on July 8, 2010, where one of the best NBA players of all time, LeBron James, announced that he would join the Miami Heat and form the “Big Three” alongside Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.

With none of Cleveland’s trade rumors eventuating  they went into an immediate state of decline. LeBron went on to win two NBA championships in his four years in Miami, before returning to the Cavaliers in 2014.

1. Kobe Bryant (Chicago Bulls)

Most of the biggest NBA trade rumors seem to involve the Los Angeles Lakers. The biggest of them all was the rumor that Kobe Bryant would be traded to the Chicago Bulls which started off in 2004.

Bryant was initially a free agent at the time, and there was a rift that had developed between himself and fellow Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal.

Rumors were fuelled by the fact that Kobe Bryant was a big fan of Michael Jordan and the Bulls growing up, and it would seemingly be a good fit for Kobe with the young core of Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and new head coach Scott Skiles.

Kobe decided to re-sign with the Lakers but that didn’t stop the rumors. In 2007 trade rumors resurfaced that Kobe would be joining Chicago, as the Lakers were rebuilding, and the Bulls were looking for a superstar to push their Eastern Conference title bid.

A package including Gordon, Deng and Joakim Noah may have been enough to convince the Lakers to trade one of the best shooting guards of all time but nothing eventuated, and Kobe spent his entire 20-year career in Los Angeles.

Matt Ieriko

Matt Ieriko is a freelance writer who’s evolved his lifelong passion for sport into the creation of WolfgangSport.com in 2020 – an American sports blog covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and more. As an Australian, he’s always been fascinated with the cultural differences and global significance of sports in America.

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