In every American professional sports league, there is a trade deadline that exists. Most teams utilize this, whether they trade away future talent to give them an edge to win now or for a team to rebuild for the future. However, this most recent NBA trade deadline was one for the ages. With Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, De’Aaron Fox, among many others, being delt, this deadline was one that will have major implications for the future and will be talked about for some time. In this week’s roundtable, our group of writers will look at which trade was the “craziest” of all time in all professional leagues.
Alex Klancko
Campus Correspondent
He/Him
Herschel Walker to the Vikings
There are a lot of crazy trades that could’ve made the list: Ricky Williams for an entire draft or the Celtics trading away the aging core of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry and D.J. White for a haul of role players and first rounders. But there is one singular trade that blows everything out of the water, and that is the trade that brought Herschel Walker to the Vikings. On Oct. 12, 1989, The Dallas Cowboys, coming off a 1-15 record, sent Walker to the Vikings for 12 players and draft picks. The players in the trade never amounted to anything for Dallas, as coach Jimmie Johnson opted to cut the four players to gain two first-round, two second-round and a third-round pick. Those picks were used to get hall of fame running back Emmit Smith, Pro Bowler and three-time champion Russell Maryland, second team all-pro selection and three-time champion Kevin Smith, three-time first team all-pro and three-time champion Darren Woodson. Not to mention, three-time Super Bowl champion Clayton Holmes joined the squad. Overall, the trade was extremely lopsided for the Cowboys, as those picks helped create the core to launch a dynasty in the 1990s.
Ryan Lombardi
Campus Correspondent
He/Him
ryan.lombardi@uconn.edu
Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers
27-year-old Miguel Cabrera already looked like a superstar in his first five years with the Florida Marlins, with four All-Star Game appearances and receiving MVP votes every single year. But his best years were yet to come, just not in Florida. In 2007 the Detroit Tigers sent six players to the Marlins in exchange for Cabrera and LHP Dontrelle Willis. The package included what were at the time top prospects in Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller, neither of which reached their potential. The other four players never panned out much either. In Detroit, Cabrera won two MVP awards, reached 3000 hits, and captured the triple crown in 2012, the first since 1967. The Marlins traded away more than a superstar; they gave away one of the greatest hitters in MLB history in exchange for practically nothing.
Connor Sargeant
Sports Editor
He/Him/His
Celtics trade Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and others to Nets in blockbuster deal
If you looked up “fleece job” in the dictionary, this trade between the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets would come up. The Celtics traded their aging core of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, among others, to the Nets for some role players, draft picks and pick swaps. However, Danny Ainge and the Boston front office flipped these role players for even more picks, setting Boston up nicely for the future. In fact, the Nets are, arguably, solely responsible for the Celtics’ current success. These picks turned into Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and even Kyrie Irving, though Irving isn’t on the team anymore. On the other hand, the Nets have struggled to win, never making it past the second round of the Eastern Conference with this squad. Considering that Boston just raised banner No. 18 a season ago and make a strong case to go back-to-back this year, this 2013 deal changed the landscape of modern basketball, and is officially the craziest trade of all time.