The Greatest Trade Never Realized

[Ed Monix]

That’s a nice hypothetical, but since when is Dennis Scott a PF?

Both were gone the next season when they brought in Grant Hill and T-Mac.  Penny had also been seriously injured and never quite made it back by then.

Penny’s major injuries all occurred after Shaq left. I would imagine a result from the increased workload.

I think the first major injury was in the 1996 playoffs.  Shaq then left that summer, and Penny got surgery.

It's probably a bit revisionist to envision a fully healthy Penny next to Shaq.

You’re right about that first knee injury, but apparently because of Shaq’s departure and the teams struggles, Penny played through knee pain during the 1996-97 season.

I’m sure you’re correct about a fully healthy Penny too, but an educated guess says he caused major harm to the knee playing through pain.

If Shaq gets paid what he deserves & Kobe is drafted, there’s no need to play an obviously injured Penny.

[celticsclay]

Jrue holiday for nerlens noel and saric.

[Donoghus]

Jrue holiday for nerlens noel and saric.

The trade that kickstarted the Sixers championship dynasty?

[Who]

Shaq still leaves. Penny still hurt then leaves. So:

G: D Armstrong, T Hudson
G: K Bryant, M Miller
F: V Carter, P Garitty
F: H Grant, Bo Outlaw
C: A DeClerq, M Doleac

That is still a cool team. I wonder if they could've landed G Hill in FA to be their starting PG. Anyway, he'd still be hurt even if he did come. Maybe they would have had a better shot at Duncan with Kobe and Vince there. Imagine that team.

That team could win the East. Vince and Kobe would be a terrific 1-2 punch. Good PF play with Horace and Bo. Good PG play with D Armstrong. Weak in the middle but so too was most of the East. Title contender.

[Who]

I was never that interested in Webber and Shaq. Too big. Too stagnant. Webber would've had to play too much in the high post where he was only a mediocre to average jump-shooter. His advantage at PF was being able to overpower smaller PFs in the low post but with Shaq in there he wouldn't have had the same opportunities.

Webber needed a center like Vlade Divac who could play high-low to unluck his full potential at PF. Shaq never could have done that. He was a low post only center. Vlade's ability to play both high and low matter. If he was only a high post center, then teams could put their centers on Webber and defend Vlade with a PF. So that center to be enough of a low post threat to stop teams from putting their biggest bodies on Webber all the time thus allowing C Webb to beat up on smaller PFs.

Penny and Shaq was way cooler than Shaq and Webber. They were the next gen Magic & Kareem. It was a sad day when that duo broke up. So much fun to watch.

I don't think Orlando ever gets close to the Finals with Webber there instead of Penny. That inside-outside 1-2 punch of Shaq and Penny was lethal. I don't think young C-Webb was as good individually as Penny was either. Penny was a top 5 player in the league in 1996. Webber didn't become that until 2000 or 2001.

[gouki88]

As fun as Penny/Shaq was, I would've loved to have seen a mid-90s Magic with Webber & Shaq.

That would be a crazy duo. Unstoppable inside-out game

[BringToughnessBack]

Rondo for Curry  would have added multiple titles to our team. Too bad they didnt pull the trigger.



https://clutchpoints.com/3-times-the-warriors-nearly-traded-stephen-curry-2

[celticsclay]

Jrue holiday for nerlens noel and saric.

The trade that kickstarted the Sixers championship dynasty?

I just think it may be the biggest turnaround on a trade in nba history. It was the pinnacle of heinkies genius at the time but now noel has been basically out of the league and saric has not been more than a deep bench guy by the time he was 26. Meanwhile holiday improbably made an all star game last year and was the second best player on a title team.

[celticsclay]

Rondo for Curry  would have added multiple titles to our team. Too bad they didnt pull the trigger.



https://clutchpoints.com/3-times-the-warriors-nearly-traded-stephen-curry-2

We definitely moved rondo too late

[celticsclay]

I was never that interested in Webber and Shaq. Too big. Too stagnant. Webber would've had to play too much in the high post where he was only a mediocre to average jump-shooter. His advantage at PF was being able to overpower smaller PFs in the low post but with Shaq in there he wouldn't have had the same opportunities.

Webber needed a center like Vlade Divac who could play high-low to unluck his full potential at PF. Shaq never could have done that. He was a low post only center. Vlade's ability to play both high and low matter. If he was only a high post center, then teams could put their centers on Webber and defend Vlade with a PF. So that center to be enough of a low post threat to stop teams from putting their biggest bodies on Webber all the time thus allowing C Webb to beat up on smaller PFs.

Penny and Shaq was way cooler than Shaq and Webber. They were the next gen Magic & Kareem. It was a sad day when that duo broke up. So much fun to watch.

I don't think Orlando ever gets close to the Finals with Webber there instead of Penny. That inside-outside 1-2 punch of Shaq and Penny was lethal. I don't think young C-Webb was as good individually as Penny was either. Penny was a top 5 player in the league in 1996. Webber didn't become that until 2000 or 2001.

I’m not sure I’m seeing the huge difference between divac and Shaq. Divac was clearly a better passer but unless I am forgetting cause it was so long ago divac was not really a floor spacer. Webber was such a good passer that I feel like they could have made it work.

[Who]

I was never that interested in Webber and Shaq. Too big. Too stagnant. Webber would've had to play too much in the high post where he was only a mediocre to average jump-shooter. His advantage at PF was being able to overpower smaller PFs in the low post but with Shaq in there he wouldn't have had the same opportunities.

Webber needed a center like Vlade Divac who could play high-low to unluck his full potential at PF. Shaq never could have done that. He was a low post only center. Vlade's ability to play both high and low matter. If he was only a high post center, then teams could put their centers on Webber and defend Vlade with a PF. So that center to be enough of a low post threat to stop teams from putting their biggest bodies on Webber all the time thus allowing C Webb to beat up on smaller PFs.

Penny and Shaq was way cooler than Shaq and Webber. They were the next gen Magic & Kareem. It was a sad day when that duo broke up. So much fun to watch.

I don't think Orlando ever gets close to the Finals with Webber there instead of Penny. That inside-outside 1-2 punch of Shaq and Penny was lethal. I don't think young C-Webb was as good individually as Penny was either. Penny was a top 5 player in the league in 1996. Webber didn't become that until 2000 or 2001.

I’m not sure I’m seeing the huge difference between divac and Shaq. Divac was clearly a better passer but unless I am forgetting cause it was so long ago divac was not really a floor spacer. Webber was such a good passer that I feel like they could have made it work.

Divac could shoot out to 20 feet.

[celticsclay]

I was never that interested in Webber and Shaq. Too big. Too stagnant. Webber would've had to play too much in the high post where he was only a mediocre to average jump-shooter. His advantage at PF was being able to overpower smaller PFs in the low post but with Shaq in there he wouldn't have had the same opportunities.

Webber needed a center like Vlade Divac who could play high-low to unluck his full potential at PF. Shaq never could have done that. He was a low post only center. Vlade's ability to play both high and low matter. If he was only a high post center, then teams could put their centers on Webber and defend Vlade with a PF. So that center to be enough of a low post threat to stop teams from putting their biggest bodies on Webber all the time thus allowing C Webb to beat up on smaller PFs.

Penny and Shaq was way cooler than Shaq and Webber. They were the next gen Magic & Kareem. It was a sad day when that duo broke up. So much fun to watch.

I don't think Orlando ever gets close to the Finals with Webber there instead of Penny. That inside-outside 1-2 punch of Shaq and Penny was lethal. I don't think young C-Webb was as good individually as Penny was either. Penny was a top 5 player in the league in 1996. Webber didn't become that until 2000 or 2001.

I’m not sure I’m seeing the huge difference between divac and Shaq. Divac was clearly a better passer but unless I am forgetting cause it was so long ago divac was not really a floor spacer. Webber was such a good passer that I feel like they could have made it work.

Divac could shoot out to 20 feet.

I’ll take your word for it cause I honestly can’t remember just noticed he never averaged even a three per game and was a 23% career three point shooter on low volume.

[lbgreen33]

Naw, the greatest trade never made was 5 1st round picks for Justice Winslow.   

I totally agree!!!

[Moranis]

Jrue holiday for nerlens noel and saric.

you mean Holiday for Noel,  Saric, Hernangomez, and Fox. You know since the pick they got from the Pelicans was traded for Saric.

[celticsclay]

Jrue holiday for nerlens noel and saric.

you mean Holiday for Noel,  Saric, Hernangomez, and Fox. You know since the pick they got from the Pelicans was traded for Saric.

I think you’re the first person I have ever seen include a player that never played for the team as part of a trade return (and obviously I have a lot of posts . That’s fascinating.