Six years ago, the Lakers jostled the NBA by recovering Anthony Davis after an endless soap opera. A paid choice since Davis will help Lakers recover a 17th NBA champion banner from 2020. Six years later, Davis serves as a currency to bring Luka Doncic. A “trade” for the future since Donic is only 25 years old, and that he arrives to take over the torch of LeBron James, who has just celebrated his 40th anniversary.
Back to the biggest “trades” in the history of the franchise, in chronological order.
Wilt Chamberlain in 1968
When the Sixers pivot arrives in Los Angeles, he is the best player in the world, quite simply, and already the man of all records. Wilt Chamberlain has just won the last three MVP titles of the season, the NBA title in 1967 and displays 36 points and 24.6 career rebounds!
To bring him to California, the Lakers exchange him against Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark and Darrall Imhoff. The first played a single season and then missed the next to do its military service, the second has just compiled 19.9 points on average and the last, 9.3 points per game. None marked the spirits and the Lakers therefore succeed in a superb blow.
“The Stilt” teams up with two legends, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, who have just bowed in the finals against the Celtics. In five seasons, the Lakers competed four times the finals, with the 1972 title and the best regular season in history at the time (69 successes) as a summit.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975
Same context as for Wilt Chamberlain. Before the start of the 1974-1975 season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar discreetly asked for a transfer to its leaders. After all, the Pivot des Bucks won the title in 1971, played the finals in 1974, he was triple MVP of the season and double best scorer in the league. He too is the best player in the world at the time with 30.4 points, 15.3 rebounds and 3.4 against average since the start of his career.
An agreement was reached during the season and in the summer of 1975, it is official: with Walt Wesley, they landed against Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Dave Meyers and Junior Bridgeman. The last two cities are future rookies and Brian Winters has only one season in the legs. Only Smith is a real confirmed player. Wilt Chamberlain has retired since 1973, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar therefore takes over from the 100 points.
The end of the story, we know it: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will dominate the late 1970s individually before finding the finals and titles with the arrival of Magic Johnson in 1980.
Pau Gasol in 2008
After the departure of Shaquille O'Neal in 2004, the Lakers are slowly rising. The first season was without playoffs and the following two saw Kobe Bryant and his band were eliminated in the first round of the Postseason against the Suns. Nevertheless, at the start of the 2007-2008 season, the team has clearly progressed and it is well installed in the Top 8 of the West with 28 victories and 16 defeats on February 1, 2008. That evening, they succeeded in a huge Suddenly by bringing Pau Gasol de Memphis against Kwame Brown, Javaris Critéon, Aaron McKie, the rights of his brother Marc Gasol and two first rounds of Draft!
The transfer makes great noise because the competition believes that the Lakers are clearly advantaged in this exchange. Finally, over the years and the explosion of Marc Gasol, Memphis was not stolen. Simply, the effect of this transfer was longer for the grizzly ones. For Lakers, it's immediate: they go to the finals in 2008 then win the titles of 2009 and 2010. Pau Gasol quickly winning as a perfect lieutenant of Kobe Bryant, MVP 2008 and future double MVP of the finals, and a precious Reinforcement in the triangle game of Phil Jackson.
Steve Nash in 2012
On paper, it was a fantastic new affair for the “City of Angels”. The Canadian playmaker is still one of the best passenger in the League and he arrived in July 2012 against four Draft towers and an envelope of three million dollars! No player is exchanged for a double MVP. How to do more economical?
But the Steve Nash experience in Los Angeles will never work. The former conductor of Phoenix is weighed down by worries on the back and the Lakers never find the right collective carburetor. Kobe Bryant is forced to do miracles, but his body breaks at the end of the season with his rupture of the Achilles tendon. In two seasons in Los Angeles, Steve Nash, he will have played only 65 matches …
Dwight Howard in 2012
A month after Steve Nash, the Lakers hit a second time with an exchange with 12 players and four teams. Result of the accounts for them: Dwight Howard is a laker when Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga go to Orlando and Andrew bynum to Philadelphia.
Dwight Howard is then in line with Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal (signed as free agent in 1996): he is the best pivot in the world and he arrives in Los Angeles to become a legend of the game .
Despite the presence of the superb smugglers that are Steve Nash and Pau Gasol, the Lakers machine does not work and the marriage between Dwight Howard, considered too soft, and the Kobe Bryant “Player” does not work. A failed transfer sporting for Los Angeles, Dwight Howard leaves the following summer in Houston.
Anthony Davis in 2019
Three days after the coronation of the Raptors in the NBA final in 2019, the Lakers prick their show by announcing the arrival of Anthony Davis. The soap opera had rotted the end of the season of the two franchises concerned and Lebron James finally holds a faithful lieutenant. In the case, it had still sent her to recover “The Unibrow” by separating three young people – Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart – and also dropping three rounds of Draft.
On arrival, it is a success since the Lakers will be champions NBA the following season, in the Bulle of Orlando. But the fragility of Davis will cost the following seasons so expensive, and here it is exchanged to the Mavericks.
Lucky blows and poker blows
As we have seen, the “Trade blockbusters” are almost a tradition in Los Angeles. But there are three more discreet and sometimes lucky transfers that have changed the history of the franchise. Here are the main lines.
Magic Johnson and James Worthy at the Draft
To find out how the Lakers were able to draft Magic Johnson in 1979, you have to go back three years. In 1976, Gail Goodrich wants to leave the Lakers To go to New Orleans. It is free but at the time, when a free agent arrives, it is necessary to offer compensation to the team that loses it. Thus jazz (which is in New Orleans at that time) obtained in addition to Goodrich, the second round of 1977 and the first of 1978 from the Lakers.
Los Angeles received the first Tours de Draft in 1977, 1978 and 1979, as well as the second in 1980. With this first round in 1979, which will become the first choice of the Draft, the Lakers can choose Magic Johnson. It is one of the biggest “transfers” in NBA history that took place in July 1976 without anyone being able to suspect it …
Same luck in February 1980. Lakers sent Don Ford and a first choice of Draft to Cleveland against a first choice and Butch Lee. Cleveland is then one of the worst League teams and this Draft choice turns into a first choice for the 1982 draft. Lakers, which are reigning champions, therefore select James Worthy and can form a trio of madness with Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy.
Kobe Bryant in 1996
The story has been known and repeated for years, the arrival of Kobe Bryant is a stroke of genius from Jerry West. The former legend of Lakers wants to associate this very talented young high school student with his summer recruit in the summer of 1996: Shaquille O'Neal. He therefore sends Vlade Divac to Hornets in exchange for Kobe Bryant, 13th choice of the legendary Draft 1996.
The two players will train one of the best duets in the history of the NBA and win three tracks in a row between 2000 and 2002 and thus compete in four finals in five years between 2000 and 2004, before Shaq's departure to Miami after the Defeat in the finals against the pistons.
