The Charlotte Hornets Trade Away Kobe Bryant (1996)

The deal that sent Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers is one of the more infamous deals in NBA history, as it was orchestrated by both former Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Jerry West, and former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro. The two of them helped orchestrate the deal before and during the 1996 NBA Draft, in which the Charlotte Hornets selected Bryant, and then traded him for center Vlade Divac.

While the Hornets really had no choice in the matter, it still stings (no pun intended) to trade away one of the 10 greatest NBA players of all time.