The 20 Worst Trades in NBA History

3. St. Louis Hawks trade Bill Russell to the Celtics

The St. Louis Hawks hit the lottery when they drafted Bill Russell with second overall pick in the 1956 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, they threw it away when they traded Russell to the Celtics for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan.

As basketball fans know, the rest is history, as Russell went on to be the greatest champion of all-time winning 11 championships in his 13 seasons in the NBA.