NBA Draft: Ranking the 10 Craziest Draft-Day Trades of All Time

#1 Boston Celtics trade for Bill Russell

The Boston Celtics trade for the great Bill Russell

This was without a doubt the greatest draft-day trade in the history of the NBA.

Boston Celtics had the number third pick in the 1956 NBA Draft, but they had their eyes set on Bill Russell. St. Louis took Russell as the number two pick.

Red Auerbach showed once again why he is one of the all-time greats. He manufactured a deal that would send Ed McCauley and Cliff Hagan for Russell. Although McCauley ended up with a Hall of Fame career, he was no Bill Russell.

Bill Russell went on to become one of the best players to have ever played the game. He is was center around which the great Celtics dynasty that won 10 out of their 11 tiles between 1959 and 1969 was built.

Russell revolutionized the game of basketball and made the Boston Celtics one of the premier teams in sports history. He averaged 15.1 points, 22.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 44 percent from the field in his career. He won 11 championships, 5 MVP Awards and was a 12-time All-Star.

The Hawks moved to Atlanta in 1968 which never would have happened if Russell would have been there.