On February 3, the NBA world was flipped upside down when the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks swapped superstars. The Lakers traded Anthony Davis for Luka Dončić. It isn’t the first time Los Angeles has traded for a star.
In honor of this trade, we have ranked the best trades in Lakers history. There are seven noteworthy trades that had taken place, and we rank them based on success and best fit for the team at the time.
Luka Dončić For Anthony Davis In 2025
In a move that sent shockwaves through the sports world, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka traded Anthony Davis for Luka Dončić. Los Angeles also gave up a young defender in Max Christie and their first-round pick in 2029.
As far as the return along with Dončić, the Lakers got Maxi Kliber and Markeef Morris.
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A lot of questions were made about the fit between LeBron James and Dončić and it’s a work in progress with them having only played two games together. But Dončić will be the primary ball handler and run the Lakers offense as time progresses.
This trade is not only for the present but especially the future, as Dončić is only 25 years old.
Wilt Chamberlain Trade In 1968
On July 9, 1968, the Lakers struck gold when they traded for a four-time MVP. Los Angeles traded for 7’1″ center Wilt Chamberlain. He would be paired with Jerry West and Elgin Baylor to form a formidable trio.
In the five seasons Chamberlain played for the Los Angeles Lakers (1968-73), Los Angeles would advance to the NBA Finals four times in five years. The lone championship would come in 1972 against the New York Knicks.
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In 1972 specifically, the Lakers would set the record for most wins in a season with 69 (later broken by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls who had 72 wins), and to this day, the ‘72 Lakers hold the record for the longest winning streak in NBA history. They won 33 games in a row.
Bob McAdoo Trade In 1981
In 1981, the Lakers were depleted with injuries to their front court. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Mitch Kupchak were out. Center Bob McAdoo had not played for the Nets the entire season due to a contract dispute and recovering from off-season foot surgery.
On December 24, 1981, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for a second-round pick in the 1983 NBA draft. That pick turned into Kevin Williams.
McAdoo would become a key piece coming off the bench for what would be known as the “Showtime Lakers” in the 1980s, led by Magic Johnson and Abdul-Jabbar. McAdoo would win two championships in a Lakers uniform: 1982 and 1985.
Pau Gasol Trade In 2008
On February 1, 2008, the Los Angeles Lakers made a move that would once again shift the balance of power in their favor and make them championship contenders.
Big man Pau Gasol was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to Los Angeles. In exchange, Memphis would receive Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, draft rights to Marc Gasol, and two first-round picks.
Gasol’s impact was felt immediately as they went 22-5 down the stretch of the regular season and easily made the NBA Finals ultimately losing to the Boston Celtics in six games.
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The very next season, the Lakers would finish with the best record in the Western Conference at 57-25 and would once again cruise to the NBA Finals and face the Orlando Magic, winning in five games.
Los Angeles would exact their revenge on the Celtics the following year and win the Finals in seven games.
Gasol’s jersey was retired by the Lakers in 2023, right next to his former teammate, the late great Kobe Bryant.
Anthony Davis Trade In 2019
In 2019, it was well known that then-New Orleans Pelicans power forward Anthony Davis was looking to get out of Louisiana and go elsewhere. The Los Angeles Lakers had the best record in the Western Conference at the time but just couldn’t sustain their excellent play when James went out and they missed the playoffs. The team knew they needed another star. It was a perfect storm.
In the 2019 offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers instantly shifted the balance of power across the entire NBA. General manager Rob Pelinka traded for Davis and it took a king’s ransom to get him. Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and three first-round picks. The move instantly paid off as the Lakers would win the NBA championship in the 2019-20 season.
Trade For Kobe Bryant In 1996 Draft
In the 1996 draft, general manager Jerry West took a gamble in the first round on a 17-year-old kid from Lower Merion High School. The trade involved Vlade Divac going to Charlotte in exchange for the 13th overall pick. That pick turned out to be Kobe Bryant.
Bryant made his name known across the NBA winning Rookie of the Year in 1996. He would be paired with superstar big man Shaquille O’Neal three seasons later and the two of them would form one of the most unstoppable duos in NBA history, winning three consecutive championships.
In his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant would win five total championships, two NBA Finals MVPs, and a regular season MVP in 2008. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Trade for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar In 1975
On June 16, 1975, the Los Angeles Lakers made one of the biggest trades in NBA history acquiring a future hall-of-fame big man in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
He won a championship with the Bucks in 1971 and appeared in another NBA Finals with them in 1973. However, Abdul-Jabbar had a desire to play in a big market like Los Angeles or New York as opposed to being in Milwaukee, where he was drafted.
Milwaukee fulfilled his trade request and got the deal done. Abdul-Jabbar was sent to the Lakers in exchange for four players: Brian Winters, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith, and Junior Bridgeman.
Four years later, the Lakers drafted Magic Johnson and the rest is history as the duo would win five NBA championships together in the 1980s. Forming one of the greatest dynasties of all time.