Who Were These Famous Athletes Traded For?
- by Tim Frederick
- – on
- in Sports
Blockbuster trades are few and far between (and becoming rarer than ever), but when they happen, they tend to send shockwaves throughout the sports world. This is especially true when it involves franchise players who have played all or the majority of their careers for one team. There is just something inherently bizarre, yet compelling, about seeing players don new jerseys and begin a new chapter in their careers.
A lot of these blockbuster trades end up looking quite lopsided in hindsight as well, which makes them great fodder for our entertainment. There's few things as amusing in life as seeing an old trade involving a future hall of famer on one side and some scrub on the other side; or maybe I just need to get out more, a distinct possibility.
For this quiz, we have included some of the most notable trades from North America's four leading professional sports leagues: the NHL, NBA, MLB, and NFL. Note that we haven't included many football trades, as NFL players are often traded for draft picks, which doesn't make for overly interesting trades (or quiz questions).
Now then, let's get this quiz rolling, beginning with some recent trades before we get into the older (and harder) stuff.
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Coming off another monster season in 2003, Alex Rodriguez was probably the best player in baseball not named Barry Bonds, coming off a 4-year run in which he put up an astonishing 35.9 WAR. He was also just 28 years old at the time, which makes the fact that the Rangers began shopping him that offseason all the more shocking. However, they were in dire straits financially and believed that moving A-Rod and his massive contract was the easiest way out of it (though they ended up eating over 1/3 of it anyway). Regardless, the trade looked bad at the time and looks even worse now, as A-Rod was traded for this player and a prospect; who is it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Here's a little softball question for a warmup. Shea Weber and the remains of his monolithic contract were dealt to Montreal at the start of the 2016/2017 season for another defenseman with a hefty contract of his own. For the Canadiens, the move was widely panned. They freed up more than a million dollars in annual cap space, but traded a younger, more dynamic defenseman for Weber, who was also under contract for an additional four years (until he's 40!). Who was traded to Nashville for Shea Weber?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
A franchise player in Colorado, Troy Tulowitzki was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays just before the 2015 trade deadline. Tulo would help the Jays to consecutive playoff appearances, though his offensive numbers declined dramatically upon leaving Denver (.885 OPS as a Rockie compared to a .729 OPS as a Blue Jay). This trade could look very bad for the Blue Jays very soon, as one of the pitchers dealt along with Jose Reyes as part of the package for Tulo is having a breakout season in Colorado's rotation. Who is it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
The Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant rift in Los Angeles reached its end on July 14, 2004 when Shaq was dealt to the Miami Heat for three players and two draft picks. Shaq had an immediate impact in Miami, helping the Heat win the NBA championship in 2006, while the Lakers endured a few years of decline without their star center before returning to prominence for several years and winning two more titles. While two of the players the Lakers acquired for Shaq (Caron Butler and Brian Grant) never had much impact on the team, the third player sent to L.A did. Who was it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
New Orleans made the surprising decision to part ways with Baron Davis during the 2004/2005 season, just one year after Davis had a career year and had the makings of a superstar in the prime of his career. The trade was particularly shocking given the return, which amounted to just two journeyman players, one of which (Dale Davis) was waived just a week after the trade, while the other player stuck with the team for a little over a year before bolting for Atlanta in free agency. Who was it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
After saying he would never play for Montreal again four days earlier, Patrick Roy was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche along with Mike Keane on December 6, 1995, for a package of three young players that included Andrei Kovalenko and Martin Rucinsky. The deal was made possible due to the fact that Colorado had recently relocated from Quebec City, where Montreal would've been unlikely to trade Roy. The Avs would win 2 Cups with Roy in net over the following seven years, while Montreal has failed to make a Cup Finals since. A partial reason for that futility was the inability of this young goalie, the third player acquired by Montreal in the deal, to become a star like Roy. Who was he?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
A trade that remains one of the most improbable in sports history, Wayne Gretzky, the best player in the NHL, was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in the prime of his career in 1988. Shockingly, his former team would win the Cup in 1990, though it would be their last. Gretzky would win the Hart Trophy in his first year with the Kings and take them to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993, but couldn't put them over the top. The centerpiece of the deal for the Oilers (besides the cash their owner desperately needed) was this 50-goal scorer, who played just one full season in Edmonton before requesting a trade. Who is it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Ken Griffey Jr. was an icon in Seattle, playing on the same team as his father before his retirement and then proceeding to step out of his father's shadow and become one of baseball's all-time greats. However, by the time the 1999 season had finished, Junior had seen enough of Seattle, demanding a trade to one of four teams (his 10-and-5 rights allowed him to nix a deal to any other team). Seattle chose to deal him to Cincinnati for what was generally considered a weak package containing Jake Meyer, Antonio Perez, Brett Tomko, and this slick outfielder.
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
"The Bringer of Rain" Josh Donaldson was surprisingly shipped off to the Toronto Blue Jays by Billy Beane before the 2015 season, despite having several years of arbitration eligibility remaining. Nonetheless, for the cash-strapped Athletics, even Donaldson's arb raises were likely to be very costly for the team in the near future, which chose to take its chances with Toronto's younger, cheaper 3B instead, as well as three prospects. However, that former Jays 3B has not lived up to the hype, being moved by the A's after just one season. Who is he?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Charlotte drafted Kobe Bryant out of high school in 1996, but Bryant was adamant that he wouldn't play for any team but the Lakers. That left the Hornets with little choice but to trade him, despite having little chance of receiving fair value for the talented young star (though of course, young players don't always pan out). The deal almost didn't go through in its final form, as the player traded to Charlotte for Bryant initially contemplated retirement rather than go there, despite being just 28 at the time. Who was it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Fred McGriff was part of several prominent trades during his career, none bigger than this one. The blockbuster deal involved Toronto and San Diego exchanging two players each in December 1990, with McGriff and Tony Fernandez heading to San Diego. McGriff would be shipped off to Atlanta in 1993 and win a World Series with the Braves in 1995. However, he was beaten to the World Series punch by the players he was traded for in 1990, who won back-to-back titles with the Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993. Who were they?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
After a breakout year in 1995/1996, Jason Kidd struggled under new Dallas head coach Jim Cleamons the following year, with his stats down across the board, including his points per game declining by nearly six. That prompted a big trade between the Mavericks and Suns at the end of 1996, which saw Kidd and two others head to Phoenix. The Mavs didn't fare poorly in the deal by any means, acquiring Sam Cassell, Michael Finley, and a 2nd-round pick, as well as this veteran. Who was it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
One of the greatest quarterbacks in history was dealt to the Green Bay Packers for a lone draft pick in 1992. Brett Favre, who battled drinking problems during his brief stint with Atlanta, had quickly worn out his welcome after being taken 33rd overall by the Falcons in the previous year's draft. Getting a first-round pick for him was a decent return at the time, considering his horrid, though extremely small body of work in 1991, when he went 0-4 with 2 interceptions. Who did Atlanta take with that first-round draft pick they got for Favre?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Eric Lindros flatly refused to play in Quebec City following his selection by the team as the first overall pick in the 1991 draft, going so far as to sit out his first season as a member of the team. That prompted Quebec to trade him to Philadelphia for a franchise-altering package of talent the following offseason. Among the players traded to Quebec as part of the deal were Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci, Steve Duchesne, and 2 first-round picks. However, it was this player that cemented the deal as a huge success for the Nordiques, who would become the Colorado Avalanche a few years later and win two Stanley Cups by 2001. Who was it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Pedro Martinez was involved in a couple of major trades, each of which made his former teams look bad for what they got in return for him. It was the Dodgers' turn first, giving him up to the Expos for Delino DeShields in 1993, despite Pedro coming off a huge year in the Dodgers' bullpen. The Expos would then butcher a Pedro trade of their own, sending the reigning NL Cy Young winner to the Red Sox in 1997 for a pair of pitchers in Tony Armas Jr. and this prospect, who would later endure a horrid run with the Yankees marred by injuries.
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Allen Iverson became a superstar during his time with the 76ers, but the team and fans were growing weary of his antics by 2006, which included him and Chris Webber being benched after showing up late for Philadelphia's final home game of the 2005/2006 season. Iverson was benched again early the next season, which prompted him to demand a trade. With little in the way of leverage, the Sixers made a hasty trade with the Nuggets that netted them an underwhelming package that included two draft picks, Joe Smith, and this player, who was leading the league in assists at the time of the trade.
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Vince Carter was one of the Toronto Raptors' first major stars, cementing his status with a rousing victory in the 2000 Slam Dunk competition. However, the Raptors were struggling in the standings in 2004, prompting Carter to demand a trade. Sadly for Raptors fans, the team reportedly turned down a deal for Carter that would've landed them both Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. What they ended up getting for him from the Nets was Eric Williams, Aaron Williams, two draft picks, and this aging veteran; who was it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Ozzie Smith became an icon in St. Louis for his mesmerizing defense at shortstop, but there was a time when he was actually seen as the inferior player in a trade of shortstops. Originally a Padre, Smith wasn't much of a hitter in his early years. After raising the ire of Padres ownership in 1981 by asking for a raise, Smith was traded for a fellow malcontent shortstop in St. Louis, one which came with a much better pedigree with the bat. However, that player was never the same in San Diego and the Cardinals stole a trade everyone thought they had lost. Who was that player?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
In a trade that goes down as one of the worst in Red Sox history, Boston traded Jeff Bagwell for a relief pitcher in 1990, just one year after drafting him and with him in the midst of a monster season at AA. Bagwell would establish himself as a star in the Majors immediately, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors in 1991. The Red Sox meanwhile got bounced in the ALCS that fall and the relief pitcher left for free agency that offseason. Who was Bagwell traded for?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Doug Gilmour was the key piece in a 10-player trade between Calgary and Toronto in 1992 that was one of the biggest in NHL history. Going to the Leafs along with Gilmour were Ric Nattress, Kent Manderville, Jamie Macoun, and Rick Wamsley. The Flames got back five players of their own, including Craig Berube, Alexander Godynyuk, Michel Petit, and Jeff Reese. However, the key player in the deal for the Flames was this former 50-goal scorer, who would score just 11 goals in 59 games with the Flames before heading to Montreal. Who was it?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
John Smoltz became a part of the Braves' stellar rotation of the 1990's thanks to a 1987 trade to Atlanta from Detroit. The Tigers can hardly be faulted for giving up on Smoltz, who was in the midst of a terrible season in the minors and didn't have much of a pedigree (22nd-round draft pick). The Tigers also got back a veteran innings eater who went out of his mind down the stretch that year (9-0, 1.53 ERA) to push the Tigers into the playoffs. However, his career was nearly over, while Smoltz's 200-win career was just getting started. Who was Smoltz traded for?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Nolan Ryan had the makings of a dominant pitcher in his early years with the Mets, but he also battled serious control issues. That prompted the Mets to give up on him after the 1971 season, trading him along with three other young players to California for a former all-star shortstop. While Ryan continued to battle his control for many years, he nonetheless established himself as one of the great pitchers in the game immediately after become an Angel, leading the league in both walks and strikeouts in six of the next seven years. Who was Ryan traded for?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
In one of the largest trades in North American professional sports history, Herschel Walker was traded to the Minnesota Vikings along with four mid-range draft picks. Coming back to the Dallas Stars in the deal was a huge collection of players and high-end draft picks which would lay the foundation for the Cowboys' dynasty of the 1990's, when it won three Super Bowls in a four-year span. As for the Vikings, who thought Walker could be the final piece of their own dynasty, they haven't played in the Super Bowl final in 40 years. What package of players and picks did the Vikings give up for Walker?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
To say the Colts wanted Eric Dickerson in 1987 would be an extreme understatement. They spearheaded a three-team trade involving the Bills and Rams, that had them first sending Cornelius Bennett to Buffalo for three draft picks and Greg Bell. They then shipped Bell and those picks off to Los Angeles (this was before the Rams moved to St. Louis and back again) with another three picks of their own, plus another player. After all of that exhausting wheeling and dealing was done, Eric Dickerson was theirs. The question is, who was that other player they sent to the Rams along with Bell and the six picks?
Who Was This Athlete Traded For?
Dante Bichette hadn't shown much in several seasons with Milwaukee, being about a replacement-level player, so one can hardly fault the Brew Crew for trading him to Colorado in 1992. However, Bichette would become a monster in Denver, blasting 40 home runs in 1995 and putting up an OPS better than .850 in all seven of his seasons there. Of course, that notorious high altitude environment certainly gets some of the credit, but regardless, Bichette raised his game to a new level and made the Brewers look bad for trading him for this player, who played just one season with Milwaukee, the last of his career.