No. 2 1986 Sixers send Moses Malone and Terry Catledge to Bullets for Jeff Ruland and Cliff Robinson
The Sixers were still a very good team a few years after winning the title in 1983. They still had main pieces from the title team in Malone and Julius Erving and they had just added Charles Barkley in the draft. Then, they decided to trade Malone to the Washington Bullets.
The players they acquired were not bad players. Ruland was an All-Star big man for the Bullets, but with the Sixers, he was injured and he barely played and Robinson was nothing more than a role player. It was one of the more lopsided trades in the history of the league.
Meanwhile, Malone went on to have two great All-Star seasons in Washington. It was a deal the Sixers definitely swung and missed on. You don’t just trade a Finals MVP like Malone, it’s just not a smart deal.