In the business of professional sports, trades can make or break a player’s career and a team’s chance of winning. Without bad trades, there would be no superstitions, curses, conspiracies and miraculous wins for the team that traded smart. On the other hand, the team that lets a future hall of famer go will be kicking themselves for decades and beyond. To continue asking the ‘what ifs’ of sports mistakes, here are 10 of the worst trades in sports history:

1. Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees
   When the Boston Red Sox manager sold pitcher/outfielder George Herman Ruth, ‘Babe Ruth,’ to the New York Yankees in 1920, the Curse of the Bambino began to materialize. Before he was traded, Ruth helped win three World Series games for the Red Sox, and prompted a winning streak for New York that would haunt Boston fans for decades. It’s the curse that puts this terrible trade on top.



2. Brett Favre to the Green Bay Packers
   Favre was traded by the Atlanta Falcons for running-back Tony Smith. Little did the Falcons know, but Favre would go on to become one of the most valuable quarterbacks in the league, leading in every passing category.



3. Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings
   The trading of “The Great One,” Wayne Gretzky, who played for the Edmonton Oilers, in exchange for Jimmy Carson, Martin Gelinas, three first-round draft picks and cash, was considered one of the worst trades in NHL history. The native Canadian, who is arguably the greatest hockey player of all time, learned of his trade just hours after winning the Stanley Cup with the Oilers in 1988. Gretzky agreed to the exchange so long as his teammates, Mike Krushelnyski and Marty McSorley, would join him in Los Angeles. The trade came as a surprise to Gretzky and Edmonton fans, since he had helped bring the Oilers to the Finals for four seasons, winning the Cup each time. When in Los Angeles, Gretzky boosted hockey popularity in California, in addition to bringing the Kings into the Stanley Cup Finals.



4. Kobe Bryant to the Los Angeles Lakers
   At the ripe age of 17, a very young and talented guard, named Kobe Bryant, was drafted to the NBA out of high school. Bryant was chosen as the 13th overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996, but he had another team in mind. Refusing to play on any other team but the Lakers, the Hornets exchanged Bryant for Lakers player Vlade Divac. Bryant went on to win three consecutive NBA championships with the Lakers and another in 2009.



5. Jeff Bagwell to the Houston Astros
   In 1990, the Boston Red Sox traded future hall of famer Jeff Bagwell to the Astros for 37-year-old relief pitcher Larry Andersen, who went on to pitch only 22 innings and record one save for the Sox. The switch was exactly what Houston needed, since Bagwell remained with the Astros franchise for the rest of his career, winning multiple awards, such as NL MVP, the Golden Glove Award, NL Rookie of the Year, as well as appearing in multiple MLB All-Star games and helping the Astros earn division titles and play in their first World Series.



6. Tom Owens to the Indiana Pacers
   
   In 1981, the Indiana Pacers traded their 1984 first-round draft pick in exchange for Portland Trail Blazers’ center Tom Owen. Following the 1983 season, Indiana gave up their chance to have the second overall pick in an epic NBA draft class that included Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, John Stockton and the game’s greatest player, Michael Jordan. Portland drafted Sam Bowie, whose career was short-lived because of injuries. This goes down as one of the biggest draft busts and worst trades in NBA history.



7. John Elway to the Denver Broncos
   Very seldom do you hear of a football player, who didn’t get his first pick, threatening to switch professional sports completely. This was the case in John Elway’s 1983 NFL draft, in which he was the first overall draft pick by the Baltimore Colts, but refused to join the organization because he felt his career would be limited. Elway threatened to go play baseball if he was not traded. He got his wish when the Colts traded him to the Denver Broncos for quarterback Mark Herrmann, Chris Hinton and a first-round pick in 1984. Elway went on to become a Hall of Fame quarterback, setting several records for passes and taking home a Super Bowl win with the Broncos.



8. Nolan Ryan to the Anaheim Angels
   One of the worst trades in New York Mets history occurred when all-star pitcher Nolan Ryan was traded to the Anaheim Angels for Jim Fregosi, a player that was past his prime. Once Ryan began pitching as a starter for the Angels, he had one of the highest strikeout totals in the league, set several records and brought records wins for the Angels franchise.



9. Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings
   Behold the largest player trade in NFL history — the Herschel Walker trade. This mega transaction involved 18 players and draft picks, one of which was former Dallas Cowboys player Walker. Walker’s trade from the Cowboys in exchange for draft picks sparked the Dallas Cowboys’ dynasty in the 1990s.



10. Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics
    In 2007, the Celtics made NBA history, when they obtained former MVP and Minnesota Timberwolves power forward, Kevin Garnett, in exchange for five of their players, two first-round draft picks and cash considerations. This 7-for-1 exchange marks the NBA’s biggest trade for one player. With Garnett on the Celtics, the franchise was able to end their 20-year championship drought during the 2007-2008 season.

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