Each NBA team’s best trade in franchise history

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe Bryant for Vlade Divac to CHA (1996)

You know those people who fend off rabid Kobe Bryant stans by saying that the future Hall of Famer wouldn’t have won as many championships as he did without Shaquille O’Neal? Well, they’re right, and not just because Shaq won three Finals MVP’s to help Bryant win three of his five titles.

Let’s venture back to 1996. Around this time, the Los Angeles Lakers were coming off of their first 50-win season since Magic Johnson’s abrupt retirement — though Johnson made a brief comeback that season — but no matter how many games the team won, they knew a team headlined by *checks notes* Cedric Ceballos had little chance of winning a championship.

Hence why the team began clearing up cap space to sign O’Neal away from the Orlando Magic. One step in the team’s financial maneuvering plan involved trading away long-time center Vlade Divac. Shortly before the 1996 draft, the Lakers found a trade partner in the Charlotte Hornets, who help the 13th overall pick as capital.

As the Hornets had no interest in drafting Bryant, the Lakers essentially told them to select the high school standout for them, giving Charlotte the Divac to pair with Glen Rice and Anthony Mason and handing the Lakers a cheap young player and the flexibility to add Shaq to the roster.

From there, Bryant embarked on one of the all-time great careers, as his 20-year run in purple and gold netted him the all-time team record for win shares, one league MVP trophy (though his disciples will claim that Steve Nash took two away from him), two Finals MVPs, and five championships.