In the spirit of Black Friday where everybody is digging for a steal of a deal, here are transactions in which one side got way more value than the other.
Most Lopsided Trades In Sports History Slideshow
13. Dirk Nowitzki to Mavericks
On draft day in 1998, the Bucks sent Nowitzki and Pat Garrity to the Mavericks for Michigan big man Robert (Tractor) Traylor. Nowitzki became one of the premier players of his era and led Dallas to an NBA title while Traylor never averaged more than six points in seven seasons.
12. Kobe Bryant to Lakers
The Lakers acquired Bryant's rights on the night of the 1996 draft after the Charlotte Hornets selected him 14th overall. Los Angeles sent Vlade Divac the other way. Divac spent two seasons in Charlotte, six with the Kings and an exit cameo back with the Lakers, never averaging more than 15 points.
11. Wilt Chamberlain to 76ers
In 1965, the Warriors dealt Chamberlain for a package consisting of Paul Neumann, Connie Dierking, Lee Shaffer and cash. Two years later, Chamberlain was MVP and the 76ers were NBA champs, beating the Warriors in the finals.
10. Frank Robinson to Orioles
The Reds traded Robinson to Baltimore before the 1966 season for Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun and Dick Simpson. Robinson won the Triple Crown and the A.L. MVP, and helped the Orioles win the World Series in 1966. Robinson led the Orioles to another title, beating the Reds in the World Series in 1970, at which point the three players that went the other way in trade were long gone from Cincinnati.
9. Scottie Pippen to Bulls
A draft-day deal in 1987 sent Pippen to Chicago and Olden Polynice to Seattle. Pippen helped Michael Jordan win six NBA titles. Polynice bounced around to five teams, averaging less than eight points a game.
8. Julius Erving to 76ers
In 1976, the Nets had to pay an entry fee to the NBA as a result of the ABA merger. Then they had to make an additional payment to the Knicks for sharing the same market. That forced them to send Dr. J to Philadelphia for $3 million. With Erving, the 76ers won an NBA title and went to four Finals.
7. Pedro Martinez
Martinez went 10-5 as a rookie for the Dodgers in 1993, then got sent to Montreal for Delino DeShields. Martinez won the first of his three Cy Young awards with the Expos in 1997. DeShields had three pedestrian seasons with Los Angeles.
6. Nolan Ryan
In 1971, the Mets gave up on the 24-year-old Ryan, sending him and spare parts to the Angels for Jim Fregosi, who lasted less than two seasons in New York. Ryan went on to throw seven no-hitters and set the MLB record for career strikeouts.
5. Cam Neely
In 1986 the Canucks traded Neely and a first-round pick to Boston for Barry Pederson. Neely helped the Bruins reach two Stanley Cup Finals and ended up the Hall of Fame. The Bruins used that pick to take Glen Wesley spent half of his 14-year career with Boston. Pederson scored 24 goals in his first season with the Canucks, but the wheels spun off quickly after that.
4. Kevin McHale, Robert Parish
In a deal involving some draft picks, the net effect was that the Celtics ended up with Parish and McHale while the Warriors got Joe Barry Carroll and Rickey Brown. Parish and McHale formed the Big Three with Larry Bird, winning three NBA titles. Carroll became known as Joe Barely Cares, a nickname courtesy of New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey.
3. John Elway
The Colts drafted Elway first overall in 1983. He had no interest in playing for them, which didn't help the Colts in terms of leverage. They sent Elway to Denver for quarterback Mark Hermann, tackle Chris Hinton and a first-round pick (guard Ron Solt). Hinton made seven Pro Bowls, but of course, Elway took the Broncos to five Super Bowls, winning two.
2. Herschel Walker to Vikings
This was a rare case where the team that got the superstar ended up on the short end. But Walker played less than three years in Minnesota and never had a 1,000-yard season. The Cowboys got a boatload of draft picks -- one turned out to be Emmitt Smith -- and parlayed them into the core of a team that won three Super Bowls in four seasons.
1. Babe Ruth to Yankees
Just about everybody knows the story. In 1920, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Ruth for $100,000, plus a $300,000 loan, and that was the origin of The Curse of the Bambino.
