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The NBA has seen quite a few blockbuster trade deals in its long and illustrious history. In most trades, one of the NBA teams involved ends up as the clear immediate winners.
Sometimes, however, some deals might prove to be a masterstroke even years later. With the recent NBA trade sagas involving the likes of James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo coming to a conclusion one way or another, we look at some of the deals that never happened.
Quite a few potentially huge trade deals have fallen through, for either open reasons or mysterious circumstances. These are situations when both (or more) of the teams involved appear willing to live up to their end of the bargain, but the deal still ended up falling through.
In this article, we look at the 5 potentially huge NBA trade deals that fell through in extreme circumstances.
5 NBA trade deals that fell through due to extreme circumstances
#5 Chris Paul to LA Lakers (2011)
In a three-team deal that was set to have huge long-term implications for the NBA, the LA Lakers looked set to land Chris Paul back in December 2011. The New Orleans Pelicans were set to receive Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola and Goran Dragic, with Pau Gasol leaving for the Houston Rockets.
However, the then NBA commissioner David Stern decided to veto the deal for “basketball reasons.” What made matters worse was the fact that the Lakers’ city rivals LA Clippers eventually landed Chris Paul for a far less lucrative package, adding further salt to their wounds.
#4 Charles Barkley to LA Lakers (1992)
In another popular trade saga, Charles Barkley was set to leave the Philadelphia 76ers for the LA Lakers back in 1992. In February 2015, Barkley told Sports Illustrated in an interview that the deal was agreed, with Ron Anderson joining Barkley at the LA Lakers.
“So I get a call from my agent one morning and he said, ‘Philly has traded you to the Lakers. So I went to lunch and started drinking. I’m f***ing so excited that I am going to the Lakers. Three hours later I get a phone call from my agent saying that the Sixers backed out of the deal. I said, Oh, sh*t, I’m feeling pretty good right now.”
The Philadelphia 76ers were to receive James Worthy and Elden Campbell, and backed out at the last minute.
Also check out: Who is Charles Barkley's Wife, Maureen Blumhardt?
#3 Hakeem Olajuwon to Miami HEAT (1992)
In what was another crazy NBA trade saga, Hakeem Olajuwon was linked to a trade to the Miami Heat majorly due to the antics of his agent Leonardo Armato. The agent claimed that his superstar client was “disgruntled and unhappy” and went on to threaten legal action against the Houston Rockets.
The Houston Rockets wanted the likes of Glen Rice, Steve Smith and Rony Seikaly for their star man. However, the Miami Heat were reluctant to let go of what was their core, and backed out at the last moment.
The breakdown of the deal worked well for the Houston Rockets, as they went on to win back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995.
#2 Dennis Rodman to Phoenix Suns (1993)
In what is a pretty bizarre reason for a trade deal to fall through, Dennis Rodman almost joined the Phoenix Suns from the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons were set to receive multiple players, with small-forward Richard Dumas involved, along with at least two other players.
But as the NBA trade deal was about to be finalized, the Detroit Pistons discovered Dumas was a participant in an after-care program and was previously a substance-abuser. That made them back out, although Rodman was eventually traded to the San Antonio Spurs, a month later in October 1993.
#1 Kobe Bryant to Chicago Bulls (2007)
In what could have altered one of the biggest legacies of the NBA, Kobe Bryant was about to move to the Chicago Bulls. Bryant had outlined the Bulls as his priority destination. The LA Lakers agreed to let him go, but were about to raid the Bulls’ core in exchange for their best ever player.
The deal involved the likes of Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and Joaquim Noah joining the Lakers. However, Kobe Bryant was the only player at the time who had a no-trade clause in his contract, and decided to veto any deal that involved Luol Deng.
This led to the breakdown, although Kobe and the Lakers went on to win two NBA championships in the next three years.
Guess the Lakers players!
