Breaking down the five biggest trades in Colorado sports history

With the Broncos trading for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on Tuesday, here’s a look at the five biggest trades in Colorado sports history.

No. 5 Patrick Roy

Date: Dec. 6, 1995

Details: The Avalanche acquired the 30-year-old Roy and winger Mike Keane from Montreal in exchange for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky and Jocelyn Thibault.

Synopsis: Roy turned a good career into a Hall of Fame one with Colorado, leading the Avs to a pair of Stanley Cup championships. Keane made an impact on the 1996 title team as well, while none of the players the Canadians got so much as made an all-star team. The trade immediately altered the trajectory of the Avs, who had just relocated from Quebec.

No. 4 Holliday for CarGo

Date: Nov. 10, 2008

Details: GM Dan O’Dowd flipped Matt Holliday, a LoDo fan favorite and central figure in the team’s 2007 pennant run, in exchange for one of the top young outfielders in the game, Carlos Gonzalez. Colorado also got closer Huston Street and starter Greg Smith in the deal.

Synopsis: Holliday lasted a half-season with the A’s before being traded to St. Louis; the Rockies got a three-time all-star, three-time Gold Glove winner and two-time Silver Slugger in CarGo. Plus, they got a reliable closer in Street (84 saves in three years with Colorado).

No. 3 Carmelo Anthony & Chauncey Billups

Date: Feb. 22, 2011

Details: The three-way trade involving the Knicks and Timberwolves saw the Nuggets acquire Kosta Koufos, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov and four New York draft picks. In the process, the Knicks got franchise icon ‘Melo and homegrown hero Billups, plus some other non-marquee players such as Shelden Williams and Corey Brewer.

Synopsis: GM Masai Ujiri blew up the Nuggets’ roster a year and a half following the team’s Western Conference Finals appearance. Denver used one of the first-round picks it got to draft Jamal Murray in 2016.

No. 2 Nolan Arenado

Date: Feb. 1, 2021

Details: GM Jeff Bridich traded Arenado to the Cardinals, and sent over approximately $51 million, to unload the Rockies’ all-time great to St. Louis in exchange for one young left-handed pitcher (Austin Gomber) and four prospects (infielder Mateo Gil, right-hander Tony Locey, infielder Elehuris Montero and right-hander Jake Sommers).

Synopsis: It’s still early, but the deal appears to be the most lopsided trade in Rockies history. Gomber had a 4.53 ERA in his first season with Colorado before getting hurt; Montero is a promising prospect. As for Bridich, he resigned less than three months after the trade.

No. 1 Russell Wilson

Date: March 8, 2022 (unofficial)

Details: General manager George Paton traded two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, quarterback Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris and tight end Noah Fant to the Seahawks for quarterback Russell Wilson and a fourth-round pick.

Synopsis: With the Broncos mired in one of the most hapless stretches in franchise history, Paton engineered the biggest trade Denver sports has ever seen. The deal instantly makes the Broncos a playoff contender in 2022 and gives hope to a team that’s missed the playoffs in six straight seasons.

Honorable mention

  • Nuggets trade David Thompson to Supersonics for Bill Hanzlik and first-round pick (1982)
  • Nuggets trade Kiki Vandeweghe to Blazers for Wayne Cooper, Fat Lever, Calvin Natt and two draft picks (1984)
  • Nuggets trade Fat Lever to Mavericks for a couple first-round picks (1990)
  • Rockies trade Larry Walker to Cardinals for Jason Burch, Luis Martinez and Chris Narveson (2004)
  • Broncos trade Clinton Portis to Washington for Champ Bailey and second-round pick (2004)
  • Nuggets trade Allen Iverson to Pistons for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb (2008)
  • Broncos trade Jay Cutler and fifth-round pick to Bears for Kyle Orton and three picks (2009)
  • Rockies trade Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland for Alex White, Joe Gardner, Matt McBride and Drew Pomeranz (2011)
  • Rockies trade Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins to Blue Jays for Jose Reyes, Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman and Jesus Tinoco (2015)
  • Avalanche trade Matt Duchene to Senators for Sam Girard, Shane Bowers, Vladislav Kamenev and three picks (2017).

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