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The Luka Doncic trade is still the buzz of sports media right now, and rightfully so. It’s almost unheard of that a player of not just Luka’s status, but also his age is traded. Luka was supposed to be the face of the Mavericks franchise for years to come, but now it seems as though he will help continue the long standing history of the Los Angeles Lakers instead while the Mavericks wait to see when Anthony Davis returns from injury. While this trade is unprecedented in many ways, Luka is certainly not the first star or face of the franchise player to ever be traded. In fact, there have been multiple instances where Detroit teams have traded their stars with varying results. None of these trades at the time ever held the magnitude of what this trade was, but at the same time, these trades Detroit teams made could be a look into the crystal ball of what the Luka trade could end up being for the Mavericks long term. 

Detroit Pistons Trade Grant Hill to the Orlando Magic

In August of 2000, the Detroit Pistons made a sign and trade deal sending star player Grant Hill to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace. Grant Hill (28 years old at the time) was the best player to ever put on a Pistons uniform since the days of the “Bad Boys” making this trade a very tough one to swallow for Pistons fans at the time. While on paper this trade looked like a steal for the Magic, it never worked out that way. Hill battled multiple injury ridden seasons where he made two all star teams in Orlando before eventually going to the Suns. As for the Pistons, Chucky Atkins would wind up being a very solid backup point guard for the team averaging about 7-12 points per game each season from 2000-2004, but the biggest piece would wind up being Ben Wallace. Wallace (26 years old at the time) was never a prolific scorer during his NBA career, but there is no doubting the impact he had on the court as Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year four times as a Piston and was a huge piece of the 2004 “Going to Work” Pistons team that won the NBA Championship. Wallace would also end up making four All Star teams as other teams were afraid to ever attack the paint with Wallace in the picture. Wallace, along with Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Rasheed Wallace, made the Pistons a force to be reckoned with for years creating one of the most memorable runs in Pistons history. 

Detroit Pistons Trade Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson 

This one did not work out nearly as well. During the 2008-2009 season the Pistons were looking to reset their roster. The team had lost in the Eastern Conference Finals for three consecutive years and were looking to get out of their rut. The Pistons would wind up making a move they thought could propel them forward, acquiring Allen Iverson (33 years old at the time) from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Chauncey Billups (32 years old at the time), Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb. This trade would mark not only the beginning of the end for Iverson, but also for the Detroit Pistons. Iverson was certainly serviceable for the Pistons averaging 17.4 points per game, while adding on 4.9 assists, and 1.6 steals over 54 games. Ultimately, the Pistons would end up reaching the playoffs as the eighth seed and would be swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Iverson never returned to the Pistons following that season, playing a combined 28 games with both the Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers before being out of professional basketball altogether. Billups would also return to the Pistons to end his career in 2013-2014, but he wasn’t the same player that led the Pistons to all of their success earlier in his career. Not only have the Pistons not reached nearly the same heights as they did when they had Billups, but they haven’t even won a playoff game since making that trade as the Pistons are currently on a 16 game playoff losing streak that they hope they can snap this season.

Detroit Tigers Trade Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros

On August 31st 2017 (back when the MLB had the Waiver Trade Deadline) the Detroit Tigers pulled a shocker at the last possible moment when they traded Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros. The deal sent Verlander (34 years old at the time) to Houston, while the Tigers got back Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron, and Jake Rogers. While the trade was agreed upon, Verlander had the last say on whether he would go or not given that he had a no-trade clause in his contract with the Tigers. Ultimately, he allowed the deal and went on his way to Houston. At the time, the deal did make some sense for both sides, Houston was building up a team they thought could win the World Series (and did), and the Tigers knew that the clock struck midnight on their run and it was time for a rebuild. That move worked out really well for Verlander, as he would win two World Series Championships with the Astros in 2017 and 2022. He also would win two more Cy Young Awards with the Astros in 2019 and in a shocking rebound season in 2022 after he missed all of 2021 with Tommy John Surgery. Meanwhile, back in Detroit, the trade did not look nearly as pretty. The prize at the time of the trade for the Tigers was Franklin Perez. Perez never even sniffed making it to Detroit as he kept battling injuries and never got above the High A level. Both of the other pieces did wind up getting to Detroit, but neither have had close to the same impact that Verlander did in Houston. Daz Cameron would wind up playing in parts of three seasons with the Tigers between 2020-2022. Cameron would occasionally flash potential but was never able to put anything together as a Tiger as he had a combined -.7 Wins Above Replacement and never did much offensively. Cameron didn’t even play in the MLB in 2023, but would find his way back to the Majors with the Oakland A’s last season where he produced very similar numbers to his time in Detroit. The only current Tiger left in that trade is Jake Rogers. Like most catchers Rogers doesn’t boast great offensive numbers, having only a .607 OPS last summer, but for what he lacks with the bat he makes up for behind the plate. Rogers is one of the best framing catchers in baseball (91st percentile) as he steals a lot of strikes for his pitchers, and he also has a great arm that throws out a lot of base stealers. Rogers also deserves a lot of credit for his ability to call games for a Tigers pitching staff that was excellent a season ago, including last season’s AL CY Young winner in Tarik Skubal. While Rogers is a solid catcher, this trade was still a massive miss for the Tigers. Given what Verlander wound up doing in Houston, and what the Tigers got in return, this trade hurt Tigers fans even more than it did when they originally made it.

Detroit Lions Trade Mathew Stafford to the LA Rams 

Much to the disappointment of Lions fans, the Lions were ready to begin yet another rebuild. This time it would not include Mathew Stafford as he requested a trade out of Detroit after the hiring of new GM Brad Holmes and new Head Coach Dan Campbell. Holmes would end up making his first major move as Lions GM by sending Stafford (33 years old at the time) to his former employer in the Los Angeles Rams for QB Jared Goff (27 years old at the time), two first round picks, and a third round pick. This move signaled an all in push for the Rams who were desperately trying to get back to the Super Bowl after falling just short to the Patriots back in 2019. As for the Lions, they were not only looking to establish a new identity, but were also looking for foundational pieces that the franchise hasn’t had in a very long time. Unlike most trades, this one was a massive success for both sides of the deal. In Stafford’s first year as a Ram, the team won not only the NFC West, but also won the Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals, giving the Rams their first Super Bowl win since moving back to Los Angeles. The Rams would also remain competitive making the playoffs two other times since acquiring Stafford. As for the Lions, they did excellent in this trade as well. Not only was the team bad enough to where they were able to draft franchise cornerstones with early round picks like Penei Sewell and Aidan Hutchinson, but they were also able to use the picks from the Rams to turn them into very important pieces like Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, Ifeatu Melifonwu, and more. Those pieces, along with Jared Goff, who was able to revive his career with the Lions, helped turn the franchise around as they were able to win their first two NFC North Titles in franchise history, while also making it to the NFC Championship Game in 2024. Many people will claim that the Lions will need to win a Super Bowl to make this an even trade, but the fact that the Lions are now a contender instead of a laughing stock should make this trade a success now while they are still looking to get over the hump and win the Super Bowl. 

While all of these trades of Detroit’s star players were impactful on each of the franchises, they still were veterans at the times of their respective trades. The most fascinating thing about the Luka Doncic trade is that, not only was he incredibly accomplished already, but he is also 25! The expectation was for Doncic to be the face of the Mavericks franchise for the next 10-15 years, and instead Dallas decided to move on. This will probably go down as one of the biggest trades in the history of sports, and if Detroit sports history has any say about how this trade could work out, I’m sure the Mavericks would prefer this trade will work out closer to the Grant Hill and Mathew Stafford trade rather than the Justin Verlander or Chauncey Billups trade.