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Nothing stings NBA front-office execs more than seeing a trade benefit the other team more than their own.
In the never-ending search for top talent in an uber-competitive league, 30 general managers are charged with the daunting task of making their respective teams better than those of their counterparts, and accomplishing the opposite can be haunting.
The draft is an event in which good decisions can forever improve the trajectory of a franchise. It's also a time when unfortunate mistakes can result in a team being doomed for a generation, and sometimes longer. It's not just draft picks that can change the outlook, either - it's core-altering deals, too.
What follows are the top five draft-day trades of all time:
5. Pippen for Polynice
Details: In 1987, the Seattle SuperSonics selected Scottie Pippen with their No. 5 pick. They then traded him to the Chicago Bulls for Olden Polynice and future draft pick considerations.
Polynice finished his career with averages of 7.8 points and 6.7 rebounds over 15 seasons.
Pippen's list of career accomplishments is too long to mention here. Had Seattle held on to him, they likely would have had a trio of Pippen, Gary Payton, and Shawn Kemp.
Winners: Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan
Loser: Seattle Supersonics
4. Tractor Traylor paves the way for Dirk to Dallas
Details: "With the ninth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks select Dirk Nowitzki."
The Bucks should have stopped right there. Instead, they swapped the 7-foot German - who would eventually bring the 2011 championship trophy to the Dallas Mavericks - for Michigan's hefty power forward, Robert "Tractor" Traylor.
Traylor, who died in 2011, averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 in two years with the Bucks, and stuck in the league for just seven seasons overall. Nowitzki will likely surpass legendary center Shaquille O'Neal for the sixth spot in the all-time scoring rankings next season.
Winner: Dallas Mavericks
Loser: Milwaukee Bucks
3. Boston builds a championship nucleus in one fell swoop
Details: With Larry Bird having completed his second season as a pro, Boston Celtics head coach and front-office guru Red Auerbach instantly improved his team's destiny with one clever maneuver.
In exchange for Boston's first and 13th picks in the 1980 draft, the Celtics received the third pick and Robert Parish from the Golden State Warriors.
Auerbach used the No. 3 pick to select future Hall-of-Famer Kevin McHale, setting the stage for what would become a three-title dynasty featuring the nearly unstoppable trio of Bird, McHale, and Parish.
The Warriors, meanwhile, landed Joe Barry Carroll and Rickey Brown with the picks.
Winner: Boston Celtics
Loser: Golden State Warriors
2. The Logo targets teen "Bean"
Details: 1996 was a good year for Jerry West. Shortly before luring a young Shaq to L.A. from Orlando, West - the Lakers' GM at the time - traded their talented center, Vlade Divac, to the Charlotte Hornets for a 17-year-old selected with the No. 13 draft pick.
No one can blame the Hornets' fan base for holding an eternal grudge, since this swap ended up gifting the Lakers one of the only players in history that one can compare to Michael Jordan without being met with snickers and head shakes: Kobe Bean Bryant.
The rest is history.
Winner: Los Angeles Lakers
Loser: Charlotte Hornets
1. Red's genius leads to prolonged league dominance
Details: Red Auerbach was ahead of his time in many ways. What he did on draft day in 1956 was likely the most influential move in his unparalleled career.
Although the St. Louis Hawks selected a defensively-talented giant by the name of Bill Russell with their No. 2 pick, Auerbach would not be deterred from acquiring the player he coveted. Red traded "Easy" Ed Macauley, a star player in his own right, and Cliff Hagan to the Hawks for Russell.
While Macauley went on to become a seven-time All-Star and one-time champion (1958), Russell wound up winning the NBA title in his rookie season (1957). He would go on to win championship titles in 10 out of 11 seasons from 1959-69.
No other player in NBA history has come close to winning as many championships as Russell.
Winner: Boston Celtics
Loser: St. Louis Hawks
Honorable Mentions:
2007: Boston pioneers modern day "Big 3"
Details: Celtics GM Danny Ainge landed Ray Allen, who had come off a career-high 26.4 PPG with the Sonics the previous season, and the No. 35 pick (Glen "Big Baby" Davis) in exchange for the No. 5 pick (Jeff Green), Delonte West, and Wally Szczerbiak.
This trade enabled Ainge to convince Kevin Garnett to sign with Paul Pierce's Celtics, and thus the 2008 championship roster was formed.
Winner: Boston Celtics
Loser: Seattle SuperSonics
2001: Grizzlies land a franchise-changing center
Details: Pau Gasol was drafted with the Atlanta Hawks' No. 3 pick and then promptly traded to the Vancouver Grizzlies (months before the team relocated to Memphis), along with Brevin Knight and Lorenzen Wright. The Hawks received Shareef Abdur-Rahim and the No. 27 pick in that same draft, which would become Jamaal Tinsley.
Gasol would go on to win 2002 Rookie of the Year honors, make the 2006 All-Star Game, and lead Memphis to its first two playoff appearances. Not too shabby for a player who had not yet become a two-time NBA champion.
Winner: Memphis Grizzlies
Losers: Atlanta Hawks, Vancouver (see: lost team)
