10 Most Impactful Trades In NBA History

#3 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Milwaukee Bucks to Los Angeles Lakers)

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (R)

After the end of Wilt Chamberlain's career, the Lakers needed to reload their team to get back to the top of the league.

At around the same time, Abdul-Jabbar had expressed his feeling that Milwaukee did not fit his cultural needs and requested a trade to either Los Angeles or New York.

Hence, a trade for Abdul-Jabbar that involved sending Junior Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith and Brian Winters had been arranged in 1975.

The deal was huge. Abdul-Jabbar spent the rest of his fifteen-year career in Los Angeles. He won five titles whilst in L.A. and three MVP awards along the way. He also became the highest scorer in the history of the NBA finishing with 38,387.

The Bucks had to rebuild after the trade and did a very good job at it. They landed players such as Bob Lanier, Sydney Moncrief and Marques Johnson who were all multiple time All-Stars.

This ensured that the Bucks would also be extremely competitive for the coming years but unfortunately could not replace a player with the same caliber as Abdul-Jabbar. They are still looking for their first title since the trade took place.