Sports' biggest trades

Yesterday 25 years ago, August 9, 1988, the NHL was shaken to its core with the news of Wayne Gretzky's trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings. Someone who was considered un-tradeable and at the time the best player in the world, Gretzky, who had won four Stanley Cups in five years never won another Cup despite breaking the NHL's all-time goals and points record as a King.

Obviously, that's one of the biggest trades in sports history, but I decided to think (which isn't always necessarily good) about what other transactions were just as influential. (No particular order. I'll let you decide that.)

1. Babe to the Yankees (1920)

Hot dogs and beer. The way it should be done.

Let's get this one out of the way. We know what happened. Some guy that liked sequins and tap shoes more than baseball decided to sell Georgey to the Yankees for money....to save a play. Imagine if that happened today?






2. Dr. J to the Sixers (1976)

How can you trade away a fro/facial hair combo like that?

The ABA was merging with the NBA and the Nets just couldn't afford to keep Julius Erving. Nets owner Roy Boe Jr. sold him to the 76ers, upsetting Nets season ticket holders so much that they sued the team. The Nets, being the Nets, gave them their money back. Can I do that with the Mets? Erving took the Sixers to the Finals four times, winning once in 1983.







3. Frank Robinson to the Orioles (1965)

Because 30 is old anyway. Sheesh.

Cincinnati Reds GM Bill DeWitt stated that Frank Robinson was an "old" 30 years old and traded him away to the Orioles for pitchers Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun and outfielder Dick Simpson. Ever heard of those guys? Yeah, me either. His first year with the O's, Robinson just went out and won the triple crown, MVP and World Series. Ho-hum, just an old man being old. Sike.



4. Scottie Pippen to the Bulls (1987)

I would've loved to see Scottie with Shawn Kemp.

For all you bandwagoners and wannabees that are just here for LeBron and brightly colored shoes, the Seattle Supersonics were once an NBA franchise and in 1987, they drafted Scottie Pippen with the fifth overall pick of the draft. The Bulls, who had the eighth pick, selected Olden Polynice came out with Robin to Michael Jordan's Batman as they dealt the center and a 1989 second round pick to Seattle for Pippen. I don't know about you, but one of my most prized possessions growing up was an Olden Polynice Sonics jersey.






5. John Elway to the Broncos (1983)

It's okay, the Colts would've gotten Peyton anyway. Maybe.

The Colts, then in Baltimore really didn't have much of a say in this matter. Elway stated he did not want to play for Baltimore and decided to focus more on baseball. He was at the time, playing in the Yankees' minor league system. So the Colts dealt him to Denver and got Chris Hinton in return. He did make seven Pro Bowls, but I doubt you'll find someone who knows Chris Hinton and not John Elway.








6. Pedro Martinez to the Expos (1993)

The Dodgers should just call him their daddy.

Do you know who the Dodgers got in return for Pedro? Delino DeShields. Easily one of the worst trades in baseball history. Martinez embarked on one of the most dominant pitching runs we will ever see in Montreal and then in Boston.








7. Cam Neely to the Bruins (1986)

I wouldn't mess with him. 

Neely was one of those forwards where he was like a freight train. A true power forward in the NHL. Well, for some reason, the Canucks traded him to Boston for Barry Pederson. Pederson scored 24 goals his first year in Vancouver, then disappeared. Neely's a Hall of Famer.







8. Herschel Walker to the Vikings (1989)

He ran in Minnesota like he fought in the octagon.

Walker was one of the elite running backs in the league with the Dallas Cowboys. Head coach Jimmy Johnson didn't think that was enough for him, I suppose. It turned out okay for the Taliban...I mean Cowboys. The Vikings called, offering five players and eight draft picks (three consecutive first round picks). Walker was only decent. The Cowboys became the team of the 90's with those picks that turned into Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson.



9. Kobe Bryant to the Lakers (1996)

Imagine that?

Kobe was a primadonna in this whole thing, saying he'd play only for the Lakers. The Charlotte Hornets took him at #13. Charotte wanted Vlade Divac, the Lakers center at the time, and he felt threatened by the move. He threatened to retire, it was a whole big mess, but what Kobe wants, Kobe gets. The deal went through and the rest is history.





10. Nolan Ryan to the Angels (1970)

It's okay, the Mets finally got a no-hitter.

The Mets are stupid. I admit it. I'll love them forever, but they're dumb. This is one of their dumb moves, though at the time it didn't seem too dumb. Jim Fregosi received MVP votes every year from 1963-1970, so sending Ryan and three other players seemed like a fair deal. Seven no-no's later and a Fregosi collapse and I'm bitter about something that happened 21 years before I was born.