The NBA has seen various shock trades in the competition's history, with some being baffling, some eye-raising, and some destined for glory. Of those streamlined for greatness, there are more than a few that have turned out to be successful.

Various stars have plied their trades with multiple teams, winning Championships, MVP awards and more - but the majority of those have only been permissible via trades, through the clever work of owners and general managers. Here, GIVEMESPORT takes a look at the 15 best trades in NBA history.

15 Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers (2019)

Davis had spent seven years at the New Orleans Pelicans prior to his move to the West Coast, having averaged 28.1 points-per-game in the 2017/18 campaign - seeing himself as one of the leading stars in the NBA at the time.

However, shortly before the 2019 draft, the Pelicans agreed a deal to swap Davis for some major names. The power forward was just 26 at the time, coming into his prime, and having made six consecutive All-Star appearances for the 'Pelis', he was sent to the Crypto.com Arena to join up with LeBron James.

His time in LA was an instant hit; he won the NBA Championship in 2020, ending a decade-long run without the title for the franchise, racking up a further four All-Star appearances in that time.

In the other direction of the three-team trade was Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart to the Louisiana-based outfit, including four more picks - whilst the Washington Wizards received Isaac Bonga, Jemerrio Jones, Moritz Wagner and the Lakers' 2022 second-round pick.

14 Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers (2014)

Love is another star who joined LeBron to bring home success. The power forward was one of the best in his position at the time, and with James returning to Ohio, Love served as the final piece of the Cleveland Cavaliers team that would since make four consecutive Finals appearances - facing off against the Golden State Warriors each time.

Although they only won the 2016 title, losing the other three, Love played a huge role alongside LeBron - recording a career-best steals ratio of 0.9-per-game in the 2016/17 campaign, as well as mustering 19 points-per-game that season, helping the Cavs to their Golden Era.

In the other direction went Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and Thaddeus Young - with Wiggins especially expected to make a splash in Minnesota - whilst the Philadelphia 76ers received Alexey Shved, Luc Mbah a Moute, the Miami Heat's 2015 first-round pick, which Cleveland had held.

13 Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors (2018)

With Kawhi Leonard unsettled in San Antonio and free agency looming, the Raptors took a calculated gamble in July 2018, sending franchise favourite DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a protected 2019 first-round pick to the Spurs for Leonard and Danny Green.

It lasted just one season, but what a season it was. Leonard's bouncing Game 7 buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers remains one of the most iconic shots in playoff history, and he went on to lead Toronto past the Golden State Warriors for the franchise's first-ever Championship, collecting Finals MVP along the way - before leaving for the Los Angeles Clippers that summer.

12 Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers (2025)

This was a deal that sent shockwaves across the world, and on social media. Luka Doncic, for six years acting as the Dallas Mavericks' MVP, ranked as an All-Star from 2020 through to 2024, registering an outrageous 33.9 points-per-game in the 2023/24 campaign before embarking on an equally impressive 2024/25 campaign with the Mavericks, hitting his highest steals-per-game ratio before the shock move to California.

On February 2, 2025, he was traded alongside Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris in exchange for Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick in 2029. The Lakers also traded Jalen Hood-Schifino and a 2025 second-round pick to the Utah Jazz, who also acquired a 2025 second-round pick from the Mavs.

Regarded as the most unexpected trade in NBA history, the only reason it isn't further up the list is that Doncic hasn't had time to prove himself in Los Angeles just yet.

A piece of history was made as it was the first time that two All-NBA players were traded for each other in the mid-season, as well as Doncic not being told of the trade until it was complete. Time will tell if it turns out to be the right move.

11 Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers (2008)

On February 1, 2008, the Lakers landed Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, two first-round picks and the draft rights to his younger brother, Marc.

The Spaniard proved the perfect foil for Kobe Bryant, helping the Lakers to three consecutive Finals appearances and back-to-back Championships in 2009 and 2010, while earning five All-Star selections in purple and gold. Memphis eventually got their own reward, though - Marc went on to be named the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year, the first in Grizzlies history, turning a lopsided deal into one that worked out for both sides.

10 Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics (2007)

Garnett's move from the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics as a 31-year-old was quite a shock.

Being traded for Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, cash and a 2009 first-round pick, it represented the first 7-for-1 deal for a single player in league history.

Garnett was, at the time, the longest-serving player for one team, having spent 12 years with the Timberwolves — and it was a move that paid off handsomely.

His first season in Massachusetts saw him win the NBA Championship in a 26-game series, with two 4–3 wins in the first round and the Conference Semifinals respectively, before a 4-2 win over the Detroit Pistons was followed up by a 4-2 win over the Lakers in the Finals to see Garnett win his first and only title. It was a move that paid off handsomely for Doc Rivers' side.

9 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Oklahoma City Thunder (2019)

At the time, the headline was the Los Angeles Clippers landing Paul George to pair with Leonard. Instead, the trade handed the Thunder a generational talent - alongside Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks and two pick swaps.

Fresh from his rookie season in LA, Gilgeous-Alexander developed into one of the league's most lethal scorers. In 2025, he claimed the scoring title, MVP and Finals MVP as Oklahoma City beat the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 to win their first Championship since relocating from Seattle - before following it up with a second straight MVP award in 2025/26.

8 Scottie Pippen to the Chicago Bulls (1987)

Pippen was drafted as the fifth overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics, but with the Chicago Bulls eyeing Pippen before the draft, they manufactured a trade with the Washington state-based outfit that sent him to the Eastern Conference in exchange for eighth pick Olden Polynice and future draft options.

He was integral to their 1990s dynasty, playing a key role in all of their 1991, 1992 and 1993 Championship wins in their first three-peat of the decade, featuring in all but one of their regular season games in that time, recording a career-best field goal percentage in 1991, and seven assists-per-game in the 1992 campaign.

That was then followed up by another three-peat in 1996, 1997 and 1998, ending a two-year run by the Houston Rockets, with Pippen shining alongside the likes of Dennis Rodman and Michael Jordan, among others, to bring home six Championships in eight years to Illinois.

Considered as one of the best small forwards of all-time, Pippen became not only a star on the court, but a cultural icon in popularising the sport to what it is today.

7 Dirk Nowitzki to the Dallas Mavericks (1998)

In another draft-day deal, the Milwaukee Bucks selected a little-known 20-year-old German ninth overall in 1998, before immediately sending Dirk Nowitzki and 19th pick Pat Garrity to the Dallas Mavericks for sixth pick Robert 'Tractor' Traylor.

It proved one of the most one-sided trades the league has seen. Nowitzki spent all 21 of his seasons in Dallas — an NBA record with a single franchise — becoming the first European to win MVP in 2007, before leading the Mavs past the Miami Heat to their first Championship in 2011 as Finals MVP. He retired with 14 All-Star appearances and 31,560 points, sixth on the all-time list at the time.

6 Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers (1996)

In a similar move to Pippen, Kobe Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th overall pick in the 1996 draft - though with the Lakers also having their eye on him prior, they swapped him for a move to California.

Aged just 17, Bryant became only the sixth player in the competition's history to head directly into the draft from high school, bypassing the college phase that most players go through - and having worked away in LA prior to the draft against former Lakers stars Larry Drew and Michael Cooper, it seemed as though he was destined for them.

Kobe was traded for starting center, Vlade Divac, which essentially freed up funds for the Lakers to sign Shaquille O'Neal - and that turned out to be a stroke of genius.

It took just four seasons, and two with Bryant as a genuine starting player, for the Lakers to taste success under his magic, winning the three-peat from 2000 to 2002 with Bryant being a centrepiece of their team, averaging at least 22.5 points-per-game in each of those seasons - whilst a further two Championships in 2009 and 2010 once O'Neal had left to make Bryan the cornerstone of the franchise.