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Revisiting the Brutal Trade That Sent Moses Malone From the Rockets to the 76ers

By Stephen Lebitsch

Moses Malone was the Rockets franchise player, but his career took off even higher when he was traded to Philadelphia in 1982.
Moses Malone was the Rockets franchise player, but his career took off even higher when he was traded to Philadelphia in 1982. / Getty Images/Getty Images

In the history of the NBA, there have been a handful of brutally lopsided trades that shifted the balance of power in the league and still leave fans bewildered to this very day. Among the most consequntial is the deal between the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers in 1982 that sent reigning league MVP Moses Malone to the City of Brotherly Love.

The trade was conceived as justifiable by the Rockets at its time, but in retrospect, it was one of the best examples in sports of taking candy from a baby. One team sent itself into a rebuild, while the other elevated itself to championship mode with the help of a Hall of Famer. Let's take a look back at the inconceivable deal and its aftermath.

The Sixers, in arguably their most memorable trade ever, acquired center Moses Malone for nothing more than a veteran past his prime and a future draft pick. Malone was coming off a season averaging 24 points and 17 rebounds per game, and had just been named league MVP for the second time in four seasons. Heading to the Sixers, however, he took another leap. He immediately led Philly the to their first-ever championship in 1982-83, and repeating as MVP and winning Finals MVP on top of it all.

On the other end, the Rockets received 32-year-old Caldwell Jones and a future first-round pick which ended up being No. 3 selection Rodney McCrae. Both players put forth tough, unimpressive seasons in Houston, and they never contributed at an All-Star level. The Rockets would ultimately draft Ralph Sampson in '83 and Hakeem Olajuwon in '84, but even that couldn't make up for the paltry return for Moses.

There was one unfortunate aspect to all this, however, as Philly traded Malone to the Washington Bullets along with multiple picks in 1986. He'd make three more All-Star teams. The Sixers have made the NBA Finals just once since then.

The Rockets-76ers Malone trade was undoubtedly one of the most brutal of deals based on how it so disproportionately advantaged one team, but it somehow worked out in the end. Rarely does a team trade an MVP, but after a couple seasons of toil, the Rockets ended up drafting an all-timer in Olajuwon, eventually winning two titles of their own in 1994 and '95.