Ranking NBA's 25 best trades of 21st century: Pau, SGA, Luka among title-winning and franchise-changing deals

We are a quarter of the way into the 21st century, which offers a nice milestone moment to look back on 25 years of NBA basketball since 2000. The century started with the Lakers' dynastic run led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, but is currently in the longest stretch of parity the league's ever seen, with seven consecutive different champions. As part of our look back at the last 25 years, we've explored a number of topics, which you can check out below: 

• Ranking top 25 players of last 25 years
• Quarter-century awards: MVP and more
• All quarter-century teams by position
• Top 25 "what ifs" from the last 25 years
• 25 most iconic shots from the last 25 years

To continue our look back at the last quarter-century of hoops, we wanted to look at the 25 best trades that helped change franchise trajectories and shaped champions. These are not necessarily the "biggest" trades, but the ones that had the biggest impacts on one (or both) of the teams involved. A key note is that this list does not include sign-and-trades, those will be covered as part of our upcoming look at free agent acquisitions, so you won't see LeBron James and Chris Bosh to the Heat or Andre Iguodala to the Warriors. 

In putting together this list, I valued both immediate impact in helping a team win a title, as well as a player's long-term impact on a franchise -- especially if you were a foundational piece in changing a team's culture. Winning is above all, but becoming a franchise icon matters to me as well. Not every organization is in a position to chase championships after lean years, and in those situations, a player who leads to sustained success as a postseason contender is incredibly important. I also factored in the value of the trade. There are some win-win deals in here, but if you fleeced the other team, you get a bonus in my eyes. 

25. The Knicks bring Carmelo Anthony to New York (February 2011)

The Knicks sent an awful lot to the Nuggets to bring in Anthony, including a pick swap that became Jamal Murray, but for a franchise that had been starved for a legit star, it was all worth it for the Knicks. The Anthony era didn't yield the postseason success they hoped for, but those first three years brought hope back to Madison Square Garden and made the Knicks relevant again. Anthony was the best player New York had since Patrick Ewing, and while this current iteration of the Knicks led by Jalen Brunson has eclipsed his tenure, it's hard to overstate how brutal the decade prior to Anthony's arrival was for New York basketball. 

24. Warriors trade D'Angelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins and a first (February 2020)

After Wiggins didn't live up to his potential in Minnesota, the Wolves wanted to move his max extension (which they gave to him famously after making him promise to play hard) and attached a 2021 first-round pick to him and sent him to the Warriors for D'Angelo Russell (and Jacob Evans and Omari Spellman). Russell was friends with Karl-Anthony Towns and they hoped that pairing could bring the best out of each other. Instead they watched as Wiggins morphed into the perfect wing complement to the Splash Brothers in Golden State. In 2022, Wiggins had a strong argument as the second-best player for the Warriors in their title run (behind only Stephen Curry), and while he never quite hit those highs again in Golden State, he'll forever be appreciated for helping them win a post-Kevin Durant title.

23. Suns trade for Chris Paul (November 2020)

Trading for Chris Paul has not yielded championships, but there has been no surer way to raise your team's floor and create a playoff contender over the last decade-plus. After doing so for the Clippers, Rockets and Thunder, Paul got sent to the Suns and paired with Devin Booker to help lead Phoenix to the Finals (the first and only trip of his career). While his stay in the desert was relatively short, he helped lead the Suns to their best season in decades. You could make an argument that Paul should be on this list four times, but this is the first of two Paul trades to make the cut. 

22. Grizzlies flip Quentin Richardson for Zach Randolph (July 2009)

The Grit N' Grind era doesn't exist without Z-Bo, and Memphis brought him in after three straight seasons with 24 or fewer wins. After acquiring Randolph, the Grizzlies won 40-plus games in their next eight seasons, making the playoffs seven times, before going back to 22 wins in their first year after Z-Bo left. He became a Memphis legend, making two All-Star teams and, alongside Marc Gasol, made for one of the NBA's most underrated frontcourt tandems in recent history.  

21. Mavs and Hawks swap Trae Young and Luka Dončić on Draft night (June 2018)

The most famous draft night trade of the last 25 years linked Young and Dončić forever. While the two players never showed animosity towards each other, the fan bases of the two teams spent the better part of seven years at war with each other over this trade. Young helped get the Hawks to their second conference finals appearance of this century (getting to that round before Dončić), but Dončić would one-up him by taking the Mavs to the Finals in 2024. Getting Dončić changed the fate of the Mavs' franchise and for as good as Young has been, Hawks fans will forever be haunted by the image of Dončić on stage in a Hawks hat next to Adam Silver. Surely, after pulling off an incredible draft night deal to land a franchise cornerstone, the Mavs made sure to keep him around as long as they could... right? 

20. Brad Stevens' title-building run (February 2022 to August 2023)

Brad Stevens went on an unbelievable run of trades to build the Celtics' 2024 title team around Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. I honestly couldn't pick just one, so I'm going to cheat a bit here. 

First, Stevens landed Derrick White for a 2022 protected first-round pick, a 2028 pick swap, Romeo Langford and Josh Richardson. White has since become the Celtics' third-best player. He managed to trade a fan favorite player in Marcus Smart in a deal so shockingly good that fans didn't even have time to get mad about it. The Grizzlies and Wizards allowed the Celtics to not only get Kristaps Porziņģis but also two first-round picks out of this deal. It made very little sense in the moment and somehow manages to look even worse now. 

For as good as Porziņģis was when he was able to play in Boston, his injury history persisted and he did miss large chunks of the postseason in both of his years there. However, that trade wasn't great just because it netted them Porziņģis, but because it became the opening for them to add Jrue Holiday later that summer. Without trading Smart, the Celtics don't need a defensive-minded guard, and without getting those two firsts back, they don't have the same asset ammunition to get Holiday once he comes available after the Bucks shockingly dealt him to the Blazers for Damian Lillard. 

19. Pacers swap Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton (February 2022)

This trade has been fun to track ever since it went down. Sabonis helped the Kings to their best season in two decades in his first full year in Sacramento, but they've unfortunately fallen back into bad KANGZ habits since. Haliburton, meanwhile, has become a bonafide star in Indiana, leading the Pacers to the conference finals in 2024 and the NBA Finals this past season. There was, briefly, an argument this could be a win-win deal, but with the Kings trading De'Aaron Fox this past deadline and the Pacers making the Finals with Haliburton emerging as an All-NBA guard, it's pretty clear Indiana won this deal. 

18. The Cavs trade Mo Williams and Jamario Moon for the eventual No. 1 overall pick (February 2011)

An all-time example of asset mismanagement from L.A., the Clippers traded their unprotected first-round pick to the Cavaliers at the deadline to unload Baron Davis' contract and bring in Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. A few months later, that pick became the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft, allowing the Cavs to take Kyrie Irving. While I've avoided putting most "they traded for a pick that became X player" situations on this list, this one was so egregious because it happened at the deadline of that draft year for a team that knew it was going to be solidly in the lottery. 

Now, the Clippers were 8th in the lottery odds (2.8% chance), so this was still a shocking bit of lotto luck, but it remains a truly stunning deal that helped make pick protections commonplace as teams wanted to avoid this same fate. The reason this isn't even higher is there's the obvious lottery luck involved here to make that pick become Kyrie Irving, but even so getting an unprotected first for those two players is tremendous work from a Cavs team desperate to add assets after LeBron left the previous summer.

17. Thunder swap Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso (June 2024)

A lot of the trades on this list look much better thanks to the benefit of hindsight (like the deal above), but this was a trade that everyone (including most Bulls fans) knew was a lopsided deal the moment it went down. Sure enough, Caruso became a critical piece on their championship-winning team this past season, and while Giddey played well to close the year in Chicago (once the Bulls season was effectively over), he still is in restricted free agency limbo. 

Giddey was the weak point on defense that opponents attacked in the 2024 playoffs, and the Thunder managed to swap him out for an elite guard defender without having to give up any of their future assets from their well-stocked chest of draft picks. It's never a good sign when a trade breaks and everyone goes, "well we can't judge this until we know the full details and what picks are going back," and then there isn't even a single pick changing hands. 

16. Cavaliers trade for Kevin Love (August 2014)

We'll stick with the Cavs for our next pick, as after failing to put a title-caliber supporting cast around LeBron James in his first stint, the Cavaliers weren't going to make the same mistake twice. With Kyrie Irving already on the roster when James signed back in Cleveland, they shipped two recent No. 1 overall picks to Minnesota in Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett to bring in Love as the versatile frontcourt scorer to create their version of a Big Three. While it took some time for Love to fit in and not fit out, he became one of James' most trusted teammates and helped the Cavs win their only title to date.

15. Lakers shock the league by landing Luka Dončić (February 2025)

If this was a list of the most surprising trades, the Mavericks' shocker from seven months ago would be No. 1. If we do this exercise again in 10 years, it could very well be near the top, but for now it lands here in the middle because time will tell exactly how successful the Lakers are with Dončić. Even with this trade being all about projection for the future, it was still an absolute coup for the Lakers to flip Anthony Davis and one first-round pick to Dallas for Dončić -- who signed an extension this summer to stay in L.A. long-term. Dončić is comfortably one of the five best players in the NBA today, and for a team that was facing down an existential crisis about what the post-LeBron James era would look like, Nico Harrison and the Mavericks threw them not just a life raft, but a mega-yacht to sail into the future on. 

14. Mavs bring Jason Kidd back to Dallas (February 2008)

The Dirk Nowitzki-led Mavs were a perennial contender, but after one of the most shocking upsets in league history in the 2007 playoffs, when the 67-win Mavs lost to the eighth-seeded "We Believe" Warriors, it was clear changes were needed to get Dallas to the next level. At the deadline of the 2007-08 season, the Mavs turned to an old friend, bringing Jason Kidd back to Dallas -- where he was drafted in 1994. Kidd provided the steady hand needed in the backcourt to run the offense through Nowitzki and provided a shooting lift that turned him into an All-Star one more time at 36 years old in the Mavs' championship season in 2010-11. 

13. Bucks trade for Jrue Holiday (November 2020)

The Bucks were coming off of their latest early playoff exit and needed to prove to Giannis Antetokounmpo they could build a legit contender around him before he considered leaving in free agency. Their all-in move was sending a boatload of picks to New Orleans to land Holiday, who ended up being the missing piece in a backcourt that helped the Bucks win their first title in 2021. Milwaukee is still paying off that trade, but they'd do it 10 times out of 10 to get that championship. What will always be a fascinating "what if" is whether things would've played out the same, worse or better for the Bucks if they'd also pulled off the Bogdan Bogdanović trade that got scuttled for tampering. 

Honorable mention here for the deadline acquisition of PJ Tucker from the Rockets. 

12. Denver lands Mr. Nugget, Aaron Gordon (March 2021)

At the time, the Nuggets were seen as taking on a bit of a risk in trading for Gordon. He was miscast as a leading man in Orlando, but rarely are those players willing to embrace a tertiary role on a new team. Gordon did just that and became one of the three most important players in Denver (behind Nikola Jokić and alongside Jamal Murray). He has become a perfect frontcourt counterpart to Jokić on both ends of the floor and unlocked a level in the Nuggets that allowed them to win a title, becoming one of the great examples of how embracing a role can help a player reach new heights. 

11. Nets trade Stephon Marbury for Jason Kidd (July 2001)

The two years prior to Jason Kidd's arrival, the New Jersey Nets went a combined 57-107 and were near the bottom of the East. In the first two years with Kidd as the point guard, the Nets went to the NBA Finals twice, losing to the Lakers both times. In the 2001-02 season, Kidd was the only veteran with more than five years of experience in the Nets starting lineup, as he transformed that young team into a contender. The ever-talented Marbury spent just two-and-a-half seasons in Phoenix before being traded again to New York. 

10. Rockets trade for James Harden (October 2012)

While this didn't lead to a Rockets title, the Harden trade completely changed the trajectory of their franchise -- and the Thunder's. After making it to the Finals and falling to the Heat, the Thunder shipped out their sixth man with a cap crunch looming on the horizon as they got set to pay their young stars. OKC never made it back to the Finals with just Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, while the Rockets became one of the top rivals to the Warriors' eventual dynasty in the West. Harden became an MVP, one of the best players in Rockets franchise history and changed the game, for better or worse, with his full embrace of Moreyball -- hunting 3s and free throws relentlessly. 

9. Pistons trade for Rasheed Wallace (February 2004)

Few midseason trades have ever had a greater immediate impact, as Rasheed Wallace proved to be the missing piece for the Pistons in their championship season. Wallace was traded from Portland to Atlanta, played one game for the Hawks and then got shipped to Detroit in a deal that proved to be worth a title for the Pistons. The Wallace boys, Rasheed and Ben, became a dominant frontcourt duo, and when paired with Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, they were able to bring Detroit their first title in more than a decade. 

8. Lakers trade for Anthony Davis (July 2019)

The Lakers' pursuit of Anthony Davis took a bit longer than they hoped, but eventually they parted ways with all of the young players and picks necessary to bring the star big man to L.A. to pair with LeBron James. While injuries were an unfortunate lead storyline for much of Davis' tenure in L.A., he helped deliver the Lakers a championship in his first season and dominated that run through the 2020 Bubble. He also became their answer to the question of "what's next after the LeBron era?" as they turned him into their next franchise cornerstone in Luka Dončić. 

7. Heat trade for disgruntled Shaquille O'Neal (July 2004)

While some trades on this list feature only one clear winner, this is an example of a win-win deal. The Lakers sent Shaq to Miami, where he helped a young Dwyane Wade win his first championship in 2006. In return, L.A. got Lamar Odom, who became a key piece of their title teams in 2009 and 2010 -- albeit not until they got a little more help for Kobe Bryant. The Heat did get the best of this deal as Shaq helped Wade take the leap into full superstardom and provided the blueprint for winning a championship. For Shaq personally, it helped him win the early battles in his beef with Bryant by capturing the first championship for either player without the other. While he wasn't quite at the level of his absolute peak, those first two years in Miami he was still the league's most dominant big man and finished second in MVP voting in 2006. 

6. Clippers, not Lakers, successfully get Chris Paul to L.A. (December 2011)

Easily the most controversial trade on this list, the Clippers turned their franchise fate around by acquiring Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets in 2011. Upon Paul's arrival, the Clippers became a perennial playoff team, which was no small feat for a franchise that was long the laughingstock of the league. What made this deal so controversial was that it came after the league, which had taken over ownership of the Hornets, vetoed a deal that would've paired Paul with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol on the Lakers. That still sticks in the craw of Lakers fans, wondering what could've been had they gotten that trio together. 

While the Clippers never won a title with Paul, his arrival ushered in a decade-plus of competence for the Clippers, something unheard of in their franchise history. It really is hard to overstate how terrible the Clippers were for most of their existence before Paul's arrival, and how ever since they've been an above average franchise. 

5. Raptors rent Kawhi Leonard for one year (July 2018)

Kawhi Leonard's season in Toronto is probably the greatest one-year tenure in NBA history. I value this trade for the boldness of it all. The Raptors ran a serious risk trading a beloved figure in DeMar DeRozan for Kawhi Leonard with no guarantees he would stay in Toronto past the 2018-19 season -- or even report to camp. He did in fact arrive on time in Toronto and more than held up his end of the bargain, leading the Raptors to their first and only championship. While he also lived up to his promise of not re-signing the next summer, Leonard's one season in Toronto changed that franchise forever. 

Honorable mention here goes to the February 2019 trade that brought Marc Gasol in from Memphis and rounded out their championship roster. 

4. Celtics swipe Kevin Garnett from the Wolves (July 2007)

The Celtics reshaped their franchise in the summer of 2007, first adding Ray Allen in a trade with the Sonics and then bringing in Kevin Garnett in a league-shaking move. That it was Celtics legend Kevin McHale that sent Garnett to the Celtics for a relatively modest return (Al Jefferson, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, Ryan Gomes and two firsts) made it a controversial trade, but it unquestionably changed the fate of the Celtics and the Eastern Conference. This trade not only set up the Celtics for their first championship since 1986, but Garnett would later become the centerpiece of another trade that built Boston's most recent title-winning roster. 

3. Celtics reload for future by trading Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets (July 2013)

Much like the Lakers with Anthony Davis, the Celtics got the best of both of their Kevin Garnett deals. After he helped them win a title in 2008 and turned them into a perennial contender, Boston sold high on its two aging stars, happily taking a king's ransom from Brooklyn in return to kickstart their next extended run of contention. The Garnett-Pierce trade haul eventually turned into Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, who helped bring Boston their first title in 2024 since Garnett and Pierce's win in 2008. While there's a little hindsight involved in this one, this always felt like a massive overpay for two past-their-prime stars from Brooklyn, and it only looked worse as the picks they sent out became the next superstars for the Celtics. 

Honorable mention here goes to the pre-draft trade in 2017 flipping the No. 1 pick (which came from the Nets) to Philly for No. 3 and a future first to take Tatum instead of Markelle Fultz. 

2. Lakers trade for Pau Gasol (February 2008)

A lot of the trades on this list led to one championship, but this is the only one that produced two. Without Pau Gasol, the Lakers don't win their two championships in 2009 and 2010 -- or make the Finals in 2008. He was a near-perfect frontcourt complement for Kobe Bryant and cemented himself as a top-75 player all-time with his play in Los Angeles. Without Gasol, Bryant may not have had the second half of his career he did, as those two championships solidified his spot as an all-time great (and stamped him as an unquestioned No. 1 for a title team). 

This trade did serve as a bit of a win-win in the long term, as the Lakers sent Pau's younger brother, Marc, back to Memphis, who went on to become one of the all-time great Grizzlies players. Still, the Lakers certainly got the best of this trade as the elder Gasol became a champion and Laker legend. 

1. Thunder get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in all-time haul from Clippers (July 2019)

The Thunder were in one of the all-time great positions of leverage in the summer of 2019, when Kawhi Leonard let the Clippers know that the way they could secure his signature in free agency was to trade for his friend Paul George. With Los Angeles effectively operating as though this was a trade for two stars, the Thunder squeezed them for all they could and came away with a haul that became a championship core. 

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the current MVP and a bonafide superstar, having led the Thunder to their first title this year. One of the first-round picks they got from L.A. ended up being Jalen Williams, who is SGA's co-star and the second-best player on OKC's title-winning bunch. They still have one more first rounder they will extract next year, as the Clippers aren't quite done paying for a star pairing that never fulfilled its potential. 

This deal lands the top spot because, like the Garnett-Pierce deal for Boston, it brought back what became OKC's top duo, but the Thunder managed that kind of haul without having to make the somewhat tough decision of trading two franchise icons. It's one of the greatest bits of identifying an opportunity and making the most of it in NBA history, and we're just starting to find out how much the Thunder might accomplish because of it.