Los Angeles Lakers: The five best trades in franchise history
By Jason Reed
3. James Worthy trade:
James Worthy kind of gets lost in the mix, in my opinion. Worthy is one of the greatest NBA players of all-time and will always go down as a pioneer of the game of basketball. Worthy gets lost in the mix quite simply because he played for the most prestigious franchise in NBA history.
When you think of the Lakers, you think of so many superstars before you think of James Worthy. While this may not be the case for someone growing up in the nineties, it definitely is a reality for the majority of NBA fans.
It also does not help that Worthy played third fiddle on the Showtime Lakers behind Magic Johnson and Kareem-Abdul Jabbar. On any other team, Worthy could have been the face of a franchise.
However, he is still a Hall of Famer and his inclusion was crucial in the Showtime Lakers dominating the 80s alongside the Boston Celtics. The Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the worth record in 1981-1982, decided to swap the first overall pick in the draft for Don Ford.
Ford, who was not even that good on the Lakers to begin with, played 106 games with the Cavaliers and averaged 3.6 points. While it may not be the Lakers best move of all-time, it arguably is the most talent-swayed of the five.