Weirdest NBA Moves of Last Decade

Full disclosure: the idea from this article came from a segment of The Bill Simmons Podcast where Simmons and Zach Lowe talked about the most surprising trades they’ve seen.

Alright, now that insurance policies are out of the way, I really wanted to go back and find those team changes where you see a player in that jersey and think wait that’s not Photoshopped?

On the scale of weirdness, I rated basically on how shocked I was to see one legend playing for another team on a scale of 1-10.

One is essentially me thinking Huh I forgot about that.

Ten is Wait what the hell? That’s not real.

No. 5 D’Angelo Russell to the Golden State Warriors (2019) Weirdness Scale: 2

Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

Just a few years ago, D’Angelo Russell blossomed with the Brooklyn Nets when he averaged 21 points, 7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game in 81 games! First, the fact he played 81 games that season is insane and to produce at that high of a level.

Russell basically turned the Nets into a respectful team like Bill Murray training his company for the graduation ceremony in Stripes.

Still, the Nets did a sign-and-trade with the Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies, which felt like the Warriors were performing an Evel Knevel stunt with Klay Thompson out. They had no idea if it was going to work but just took a massive risk anyway.

Every time I see Russell in a Warriors uniform, this weird part of my brain goes We were trying to erase that!

No. 4 Domantas Sabonis and Tyrese Haliburton Swap Teams (2020) Weirdness: 4

Speaking of Evel Knevel stunts, the Sacramento Kings are if Evel Knevel failed all of his stunts but as an NBA franchise, so it should come as no surprise it moved Tyrese Haliburton, their best player by far for Domantas Sabonis, Indiana’s only great player.

Regarding Sabonis, he’s still a very solid player by averaging 19 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists per game, BUT it felt like power forward wasn’t a position they needed filled.

But Haliburton should’ve been a King for life! This move was so dumb I STILL can’t wrap my head around why the Kings thought this was a good idea.

To give context on how good Halliburton is, I highly encourage you to read this Twitter thread from Kirk Goldsberry.

Either way, this is the most recent trade on this list so Sabonis and Haliburton didn’t get much time to solidify themselves as franchise legends, BUT I feel sorry for Sabonis (or anyone in a Kings jersey for that matter) and Haliburton because they could’ve been those two franchise cornerstones.

No. 3 Jeremy Lin to the Lakers (2014) Weirdness: 5

If you’re my generation of NBA fan, Linsanity taking over New York in 2012 was this comet flying across the sky. You got it for a glimpse and then it vanished before you knew it.

That’s Jeremy Lin’s career. I swear after Linsanity ended, my mind just assumed he retired without officially retiring. Then, I completely forgot that Jeremy Lin and Kobe freaking Bryant were on the same team together.

Yes, the Lakers traded for Lin, a first round pick and a second-round pick from the Houston Rockets. The return? The draft rights to Sergei Lishchuk who never played a single minute in the NBA.

Suddenly, Mitch Kupchak looks like a much better Lakers GM than Rob Pelinka.

It still blows my mind that Kobe and Lin played on the same team and the fact Lin called off Kobe in an isolation situation is absolutely hilarious.

No. 2 Dwyane Wade to the Cleveland Cavaliers (2017) Weirdness: 8

Photo By Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

This was an absolute crime against humanity. Dwyane Wade should’ve been a Miami Heat player for life, in the same breath as Kobe, Dirk and Tim Duncan as legends to play with one team their entire careers.

Instead, we got two strange years of seeing D-Wade in both Chicago and Cleveland. On the weirdness scale, his stint with the Cavs was much weirder than Chicago because signing with the Bulls made logical sense.

Chicago offered him $47 million over two years and the hometown factor must’ve played a huge part, so I can see why Wade would want to come back home.

But signing with the CAVS?!!! Wade and LeBron ran it back like an old high school band trying to go on tour in their 60s. The play was bad, the fit wasn’t right and the Cavs were so desperate to maximize whatever championship window with LeBron that they threw three million dollars at Wade to try to assemble their own 2012 Miami Heat team.

Every time I see Wade in a Cavs jersey, I get sick to my stomach and a chill down my spine.

No. 1 Tracy McGrady on the New York Knicks Weirdness: 10

Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images

This broke my weirdness scale and my brain. I don’t know how this trade gets completely swept under the rug. In 2010, the Knicks traded for a 30 year-old McGrady in a three-team deal with the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings.

Not only did McGrady go to New York with knees weaker than my grandfather’s but he actually dropped 26 points on the Oklahoma City Thunder in 32 minutes of action.

Seriously