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5 superstar NBA trades of the last 10 years

Adam Hunger / REUTERS

A couple of weeks ago we looked back on some of the biggest free agency moves in recent NBA history. Well with the basketball world waiting on a potential Kevin Love blockbuster, here are some of the biggest superstar trades of the last 10 years.

For what it's worth, LeBron James and Chris Bosh taking their talents to South Beach in 2010 were both technically done by sign-and-trade, but they were included in our free agency list because both were instances of free agents choosing new teams. Anyway, onto the real trades...

2004 - Shaquille O'Neal traded from Lakers to Heat

The Lakers were coming off of their fourth trip to The Finals in the last five seasons, but Phil Jackson was gone, Shaq and Kobe Bryant were feuding, Kobe himself was a free agent and the Lakers reportedly refused to extend Shaq's contract beyond the two years and over $60 million remaining on it.

O'Neal responded by asking for a trade, and he got his wish come July, when he was sent to the Heat in exchange for Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a first round pick. With that, the NBA had a heated rivalry to market for Christmas Day.

O'Neal partnered with a young Dwyane Wade to take the Heat from a 42-win second round team in 2003-04 to a 59-win conference finalist in 2004-05 and NBA champions in 2005-06. The Lakers, meanwhile, went from a 56-win Western Conference champion with Shaq in the fold in 2004 to a 34-win afterthought in 2005.

2007 - Ray Allen traded from SuperSonics to Celtics

After a potential blockbuster to acquire Kevin Garnett just before the 2007 Draft fell apart, thanks in large part to Garnett reportedly refusing to commit to Boston long term, the Celtics rebounded by trading the No. 5 pick in the draft - Jeff Green - to Seattle, along with Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak, for Ray Allen and the 35th pick (Glen Davis).

That paved the way for a bigger trade about a month later...

2007 - Kevin Garnett traded from Timberwolves to Celtics

Glory and honor were restored to the Celtics franchise on July 31, 2007, when they acquired Garnett in a megadeal that saw Boston part with Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Sebastian Telfair, Gerald Green, Theo Ratliff, a couple of draft picks and cash. The seven players (including the two picks) were the most ever given up for a single player.

Garnett signed an immediate extension beyond the one year plus an option he had remaining on his current contract, and joined Allen and Paul Pierce to form a new Big Three in Boston.

After winning just 24 games the season prior, the Celtics won 66 games and an NBA championship in 2007-08, sparking a run of six straight playoff appearances that included a championship, two conference titles and three trips to the East Final.

2008 - Pau Gasol traded from Grizzlies to Lakers

With just over a couple of months remaining in the 2007-08 season, the Lakers traded the rights to Marc Gasol, along with Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie and two first round picks, to Memphis in exchange for Pau Gasol and a second round pick.

Gasol gave Kobe Bryant his best teammate since Shaq and once again made the storied Lakers, who were already off to a surprising start that season, a legitimate Western Conference contender. L.A. went 29-9 the rest of the way, won the Western Conference for their first of three straight Finals appearances, and won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.

The younger Gasol helped rebuild the Grizzlies into the perennial West contender they are today.

2011 - Chris Paul traded from Hornets to Clippers

The Clippers had the reigning Rookie of the Year in Blake Griffin and another promising young big man in DeAndre Jordan, but they were still far from a playoff team in the tough West and continued to play second fiddle to the Lakers in Los Angeles.

That all changed on December 15, 2011, as in advance of the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, the Clippers acquired Chris Paul - whose trade to the Lakers had recently been nixed by David Stern - from New Orleans in exchange for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and a first round pick.

In Paul's first season in L.A., the Clippers posted their first .600-plus winning percentage in franchise history, made the postseason for the first time in six years, and laid the foundation for the championship contender that resides there now.

Honorable mention: Dwight Howard's 2012 trade from the Magic to the Lakers, which included Orlando, L.A., Philadelphia, Denver, Andrew Bynum and Andre Iguodala, among a host of other players, but didn't produce the desired result for the Lakers.

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