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Although the NBA takes a break during the offseason, blockbuster trades are something to look out for. Offseason trades have the potential to alter the championship landscape. And while some deals have resulted in titles, others have ended up disappointing. Here are the 10 biggest blockbuster offseason trades that never led to an NBA title for all parties involved.
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10. Magic acquire services of Vince Carter
Magic receive: Vince Carter and Ryan Anderson
Nets receive: Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, and Tony Battie
After a trip to the 2009 NBA Finals, the Orlando Magic wanted to make some upgrades to their roster, hoping to get over the championship hump. During the summer, they made a move for former NBA Slam Dunk Contest Champion Vince Carter. He was supposedly another offensive contributor next to Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard. But unfortunately, the Magic failed to get past the Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. On the other hand, the Nets were stuck as a cellar dweller.
9. Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas swap
Celtics receive: Kyrie Irving
Cavs receive: Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, two draft picks
Despite winning a title with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, Kyrie Irving had a falling out with the team, which he regretted later on. Nonetheless, in the 2017 offseason, the Cavs traded Irving to Eastern Conference rival Boston Celtics, for an injured Isaiah Thomas. Irving ended up falling to injury and missing the team's playoff run. For the Cavs, the team went all the way to the 2018 NBA Finals but were dominated once again by the Kevin Durant-led Golden State Warriors.
8. Warriors cut ties with Jordan Poole for Chris Paul
Warriors receive: Chris Paul
Wizards receive: Jordan Poole, Patrick Baldwin Jr., Ryan Rollins, and two first round picks
It was quite surprising for the Warriors, who were fresh from winning the 2022 NBA title, to make the headlines for the wrong reasons. Draymond Green reportedly punched Jordan Poole during a team practice. The scuffle forced the Warriors to choose between the two. In the end, the franchise stuck with Green and traded Pool along with role players and draft picks for CP3. After that, the Warriors failed to make the playoffs with Chris Paul, while the Wizards are still stuck in rebuilding mode.
7. Bulls acquire DeMar DeRozan from the Spurs
Bulls receive: DeMar DeRozan
Spurs receive: Al-Farooq Aminu, Thaddeus Young, a first round draft pick, and a second round draft pick
The early 2020s saw the Chicago Bulls make an attempt to propel themselves back to relevancy. One of their biggest moves was landing All-Star guard DeMar DeRozan to form a formidable team-up of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic.
Their supporting cast was also led by Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso. But despite promising expectations, Chicago ended up with mediocre results without any deep playoff run. Their trade partner, the San Antonio Spurs, also struggled to maintain their usual competitiveness.
6. Timberwolves land Jimmy Butler for Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen
Timberwolves receive: Jimmy Butler and 16th pick (Justin Patton)
Bulls receive: Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, 7th pick (Lauri Markkanen)
For several seasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves were stuck in basketball purgatory. As a result, when Tom Thibodeau took the coaching reins, it was only natural that the team traded for one of his most trusted wards in the Windy City, Jimmy Butler. The trade saw the Minnesota Timberwolves exchange future All-Stars to land Butler. It didn't work out for both parties, with their playoff campaigns resulting in early exits.
5. Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul swap places
Rockets receive: Russell Westbrook
Thunder receive: Chris Paul, two first round picks, and two pick swaps
With Chris Paul's falling out with James Harden in Houston, CP3 requested a trade. Shortly after, a blockbuster trade saw the Thunder acquire Paul in exchange for 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook. The move reunited MVPs Westbrook and Harden.
However, the Rockets' new duo never enjoyed any playoff success with the Rockets eliminated in the second round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs inside the bubble. CP3, on the other hand, starred for the Thunder but wasn't good enough to lead them past the first round.
4. Clippers welcome Chris Paul to Lob City
Clippers receive: Chris Paul, two second round picks
Hornets receive: Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon, Al-Farooq Aminu, and first round pick (Austin Rivers)
With Paul aiming to contend for titles, he was traded to Los Angeles to team up with dunkers Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. But while the Clippers enjoyed plenty of highlights during the Lob City era, the team-up never resulted in any playoff success. And for the New Orleans Hornets, the only significant occasion for the franchise since the trade was a name change to the Pelicans.
3. Dwight Howard wants out of Orlando and ends up in Purple and Gold
Lakers receive: Dwight Howard, Chris Duhon, and Earl Clark
Nuggets receive: Andre Iguodala
Sixers receive: Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson
Magic receive: Nikola Vucevic, Al Harrington, Arron Afflalo, three first round picks
Dwight Howard caused a stir after forcing his way out of Orlando. The three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a four-team trade. But despite all four teams getting at least one All-Star, this blockbuster trade never resulted in a championship for any party involved.
2. Lakers land Russell Westbrook in 5-team trades
Lakers receive: Russell Westbrook, three second-round picks
Wizards receive: Kyle Kuzma, Spencer Dinwiddie, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell, Aaron Holiday, Isaiah Todd, Cash
Nets receive: two second-round picks, Nikola Milutinov
Spurs receive: Chandler Hutchinson, second-round pick
Pacers receive: Isaiah Jackson
Considered to be one of the largest trades in NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers were looking for a third star to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis after a failed title defense. As a result, they orchestrated a five-team trade to land 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook.
While it was an enormous exchange between five squads, none of the teams came out as clear winners. To make matters worse, the Lakers were the biggest losers. Not only did they surrender their championship pieces, but Westbrook was a poor fit alongside James and AD.
1. Damian Lillard moves out of the Trail Blazers' den
Bucks receive: Damian Lillard
Blazers receive: Jrue Holiday, DeAndre Ayton, Toumani Camara, a first-round pick, two first-round pick swaps
Suns receive: Grayson Allen, Keon Johnson, Nassir Little, Jusuf Nurkic
The Trail Blazers failed to surround Damian Lillard with sufficient talent to mount a championship run. As a result, it made sense as to why fans clamored for Lillard to take his talents elsewhere. The Blazers decided to ship the All-Star guard to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of a three-team trade.
Unfortunately, none of the teams turned out be successful after the deal. Lillard's Bucks tenure ended with a torn Achilles. On the other hand, Holiday was eventually traded to Boston, where he won a championship while Ayton joined the Lakers. Furthermore, the Suns basically blew up their Finals core to accommodate a disappointing super team.
