7 Biggest Trades in Philadelphia 76ers History, Ranked

The Philadelphia 76ers have made many moves to give them a better shot of winning games and improve their championship basketball odds at a sportsbook.

The 76ers made good on their short NBA championship odds in 1955, 1967, and 1983.

With that said, what are the seven biggest trades in 76ers history? Let’s find out.

7 Biggest Philadelphia 76ers Trades in Team History

1. Caldwell Jones and First-Round Pick for Moses Malone

Moses Malone was traded from the Houston Rockets in 1982, as he went on to add a third MVP trophy to his cabinet and helped lead the Sixers to a championship in his first season in Philadelphia.

Malone averaged 25.8 points on 50.7% shooting, 18 rebounds, two assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals in the 1983 NBA Finals to help the Sixers sweep the Los Angeles Lakers.

2. Connie Dierking, Paul Neumann, Lee Shaffer, and Cash for Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain was traded midseason from the San Francisco Warriors to Philadelphia in 1965, winning league MVP in all of his three full seasons with the Sixers. 

Chamberlain helped the Sixers win a championship in 1967, and his best statline with the franchise came during the 1965-66 season when he averaged 33.5 points, 24.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.

3. World B. Free for First-Round Pick

World B. Free was sent to the Los Angeles Clippers in 1978 for a 1984 first-round draft pick that ultimately turned into Charles Barkley (No. 5 overall).

Barkley finished with MVP votes in every season with the exception of his rookie year while in Philadelphia. He finished second in the voting during the 1989-90 season, when he averaged 25.2 points on 60% shooting, 11.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.

Free went on to average 30.2 points per game in his second season with the Clippers.

4. Mel Bennett for First-Round Pick

Mel Bennett was traded to the Indiana Pacers in 1976, as the first-round pick turned into Andrew Toney (No. 8 overall in 1980).

The two-time All-Star averaged 22 points and 5.8 assists in the 1983 NBA Finals.

5. Moses Malone, Terry Catledge, and Two First-Round Picks for Jeff Ruland and Cliff Robinson

The Sixers had a Big 3 of Julius Erving, Barkley, and Malone, but they shockingly decided to break that up when they traded Malone to the present-day Washington Wizards in 1986 following Barkley’s second season in the league.

One can only wonder what Philadelphia could’ve accomplished had they kept Malone for at least another season, as he went on to have two All-Star seasons in Washington.

6. Charles Barkley for Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang

Charles Barkley was dealt to the Phoenix Suns in 1992, as he went on to win MVP while averaging 25.6 points on 52% shooting, 12.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and one block per game.

Barkley led the Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals before falling to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in six games.

Jeff Hornacek put up solid numbers in Philadelphia but was never close to the level of Barkley.

7. Wilt Chamberlain for Jerry Chambers, Archie Clark, Darrall Imhoff, and Cash

The Sixers sent the Philadelphia native to Los Angeles in 1968, as he went on to team up with Jerry West and help the Lakers win a championship in 1972, dispatching the New York Knicks in five games.