4. The Los Angeles Lakers trade for Robert Horry
Robert Horry might be the least talented player on this list that the Los Angeles Lakers traded for during the season but when it comes to impact, it is hard to find many players that had the same impact that Horry had in LA.
Horry, otherwise known as big shot Rob, became a legend in Laker lore with his game-winning three-point shot against the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference Finals. Without that shot the Lakers lose the series and the three-peat never happens.
Heck, who knows what kind of butterfly effect that shot had. Maybe Kobe and Shaq could not continue to put aside their differences without the taste of champagne in their mouths and they break up sooner. That one shot shaped an entire era for the Lakers.
The best part is that the Lakers got Horry for cheap, too. Horry was traded to the Phoenix Suns prior to the 1996-97 season and did not even last half a season in Phoenix. After an altercation with head coach Danny Ainge, the Suns were looking to move Horry for cheap and that is exactly what they did.
The Lakers sent Cedric Ceballos and Rumeal Robinson for Horry and Joe Kleine. Robinson and Kleine did not mean anything in this deal. It was all about Ceballos and Horry and while Ceballos was a one-time all-star in LA and was a good scorer, the Lakers won the trade by getting big shot Rob.