The "what if" moment that changed every NBA team forever

Utah Jazz: What if the Jazz hadn't traded Dominique Wilkins?

In 1982, the Utah Jazz selected future nine-time all-star Dominique Wilkins, but he declined to play for the team, forcing them to trade him to the Atlanta Hawks. The deal only netted them Freeman Williams, John Drew, and $1 million in cash considerations, and they partly agreed to the trade because they were struggling financially. Had they called his bluff and forced him to play, the Jazz might have eventually paired him with fellow Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone.

Both were drafted in the middle of the first round in 1984 and 1985 and while they formed one of the best tag teams in NBA history, they probably would have won a championship with Wilkins. That didn't happen, and Wilkins would go on to play 11 seasons with the Hawks, establishing himself as one of the best scorers in the NBA during that span.

Wilkins himself later admitted that he didn't want to play in Utah, primarily because they wanted him to play power forward. Still, he agreed that a trio of Wilkins, Stockton, and Malone could have been a dynasty instead of all three failing to win a championship. It sounds like there is a lot of regret on both sides.