Wayback Wednesday: What If…Charles Barkley Was Traded to the Lakers?

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m pondering another historical NBA What If, specifically what if Charles Barkley was traded to the Lakers in 1992?

When I think of Charles Barkley, I generally picture him in the Phoenix Suns’ iconic sunburst uniforms of the 90s. After all, that’s where he was playing when I started taking a keener interest in basketball. Hoop heads who have been watching longer than I have may well picture him on the Philadelphia 76ers instead, and indeed that stint accounts for half of his career. With that being said, it wouldn’t surprise me if the MVP and NBA Finals appearance in 1993 has led to those fans likewise coming to associate Chuck with the Suns more than the 76ers (or the Houston Rockets).

Of course, had a proposed trade gone through in 1992, it seems a safe bet to say that we’d have never seen Sir Charles in a Suns or Rockets uniform. For a brief moment, Charles Barkley was set to join the Los Angeles Lakers, before the deal went up in smoke. As with any What If involving legendary players, it’s fascinating trying to imagine an alternate history and all of the possible ripple effects. It’s all speculation at the end of the day, but Charles Barkley going to the Lakers is undoubtedly a huge What If, in real life and on the virtual hardwood. Let’s take a look back…way back…

In fact, let’s go right back to 1984, when the 76ers selected Barkley fifth overall. He joined Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Bobby Jones, and Maurice Cheeks on a team that was a season removed from winning the NBA championship. As such, Chuck not only had some great veteran mentors at the beginning of his pro career, but landed on a team that was still competitive. Indeed, the 76ers reached the Eastern Conference Finals in Barkley’s rookie year. As those key players began to age, retire, or move on to new teams, Philadelphia’s time as a powerhouse and true contender drew to a close. Barkley was undeniably a star, but by the early 90s, he was in sore need of more help.

Unsurprisingly, Chuck has recalled being miserable during his final two years with the 76ers, and strongly wanting out. Come January 1992, it looked like he’d finally get his wish. The 76ers agreed to a deal with the Lakers, though apparently the Suns and Trail Blazers had also been in the running. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the trade would send Charles Barkley and Ron Anderson to the Lakers for James Worthy and Elden Campbell. Barkley was delighted to hear the news from his agent, and went out to celebrate. Unfortunately for him, the 76ers backed out of the deal, and so he ended up playing that night under the influence of those premature celebrations.

Obviously, the Suns re-entered the picture come the offseason, and the rest is history. Charles Barkley getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in January 1992 remains a huge What If though, with ramifications stretching beyond his own career. Before we dive into that however, I want to talk about James Worthy. Had the trade happened, he potentially ends his career in Philadelphia, or possibly spends a couple of years as a journeyman before calling it a day. Granted, injuries hastened Worthy’s decline and saw his career end with less fanfare than it deserved, but he nevertheless retired a Laker after playing his entire career with the team. That’s a rare and special thing.

It would’ve been sad to see Big Game James end up wasting away on another team’s bench for a year or two. At least on the Lakers, he was respected enough to be given a solid bench role as he eyed retirement, and the team prepared to enter a new era. From the 76ers’ point of view, acquiring an aging Worthy might’ve been better than letting Barkley go for nothing in return, but probably not by much. We can argue whether the package of Jeff Hornacek, Tim Perry, and Andrew Lang was much better; in the end, bottoming out and drafting Allen Iverson in 1996 is what turned their fortunes around. Symbolically, Worthy might’ve felt like a valuable return, but he was on the way out.

Conversely, Charles Barkley could’ve really helped the 1992 Lakers. As it stood, they went 43-39 that year despite the loss of Magic Johnson. Chuck’s 23.1 ppg and 11.1 rpg would’ve almost replaced Worthy and Campbell’s combined 27 ppg and 10.8 rpg by himself, not to mention Anderson was a 13.7 ppg scorer off the bench in 1992. I realise that doesn’t prove anything, but by the numbers, the trade was unlikely to make the Lakers worse at scoring or rebounding. Chuck was also in his prime and thus a far better candidate to be a franchise player than James Worthy was by that point. It seems fair to suggest that the trade would’ve worked out well for the Lakers.

Of course, that’s a vaguely positive suggestion at best, so let’s consider the kind of impact that Charles Barkley could’ve had on the Lakers beginning in January 1992. They were 20-14 at the time of the proposed trade, but soon hit a rough patch as they went 4-10 in February, which included a seven-game losing streak. Knee surgery put Worthy on the shelf at the beginning of March, dealing them a significant blow as far as remaining competitive. Nevertheless, a five-game winning streak at the end of the month helped them stay afloat. A few spirited runs allowed the Lakers to finish above .500 at 43-39, and then take a game from the Blazers before a first round elimination.

It’s not inconceivable that the Lakers with Charles Barkley would’ve gone better than 23-25 from that point in January. They could’ve feasibly finished around 55-27, which would’ve given them the fourth or possibly the third seed in the West. That would’ve likely resulted in a first round matchup with the Suns, Spurs, or Supersonics; hardly guaranteed victories, but still winnable series. I’d suggest they’d have fallen to the Jazz or Blazers in the second round, or to Portland in the Conference Finals, depending on the seeding. Even if they did make it out of the West, I’m not sure they’re defeating the Chicago Bulls in a Finals rematch, though it’s certainly an interesting scenario!

I think at the very least, if the Lakers had been able to trade for Charles Barkley as they were prepared to do, they would’ve been a 50-win team in 1992 and had a good shot at getting to the second round. That would obviously be a better result than what actually happened, but of course, plenty of teams have made moves resulting in short-term gain and long-term pain. The Lakers would’ve likely at least remained relevant with Charles Barkley to build around, but there’s a very interesting intersecting What If with Magic Johnson pursuing a comeback ahead of the 1993 season. If Magic did return, there’s a scenario where he teams with Sir Charles beyond the 1992 Olympics.

That comeback fizzled after Magic suffered a cut during an exhibition game. Players had already expressed concerns about the risk of HIV infection, and the reactions to the incident prompted Magic to return to retirement. Barkley, who had paid tribute to Magic by getting permission to wear #32 during his final year in Philadelphia – it had been retired for Billy Cunningham – supported the idea of Johnson returning, bluntly stating they were playing basketball, not being intimate with him. It’s possible that if Charles Barkley were on the Lakers in 1992, Magic’s comeback may have succeeded, though the panic around HIV/AIDS during the 90s would’ve still made it a long shot.

If Chuck and Magic had played together on the Lakers in the 1993 season though, it’s a very intriguing scenario. Magic was still playing at a high level when he retired in 1991, and even out of shape as he was during his 1996 comeback, he demonstrated that he could’ve remained effective into his mid-to-late 30s. There’s a chance that a Lakers squad led by Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson, and featuring key players such as Vlade Divac, Byron Scott, A.C. Green, Sam Perkins (assuming they keep him), and Sedale Threatt, could’ve been contenders. Seattle or Houston would likely be the favourites in lieu of Phoenix though, and beating the Bulls remains a tall order.

With or without a returning Magic Johnson though, I expect that a Lakers team with Charles Barkley could’ve fared well through to the mid 90s. Staying healthy would be vital of course, and Barkley notably suffered some injuries and back pain that had him mulling retirement as early as 1994. He was still one of the best players in the NBA though, so with him the Lakers probably would’ve remained a 50-win team that you couldn’t ever count out completely come Playoff time. In other words, basically on par with what Chuck’s Suns teams were after the Finals appearance in 1993. They’d be relevant, if not necessarily frontrunners for the title, which would still be respectable.

Mind you, that might not have been good enough for Chuck. By 1996, his relationship with the Suns had soured, and he was frustrated that they were no longer contenders. This led to him being traded to the Rockets in a 4-for-1 swap in the offseason. Had he gone to the Lakers in 1992 and similarly found his window to once again compete for a championship rapidly closing, it’s possible he would’ve similarly demanded out. The 1996 offseason was a big one for the Lakers, as they signed Shaquille O’Neal and sent Vlade Divac to Charlotte for the 13th pick in the Draft; a high schooler named Kobe Bryant. Those moves may not come to pass if Barkley were still a Laker come 1996.

Sure, from a salary cap standpoint, it’s not impossible. In fact, a quick glance at the numbers suggests that even with a salary cap of around $24 million – a miniscule limit by today’s standards – with the right moves, a Lakers team featuring Charles Barkley might’ve still been able to sign Shaq. They could probably also still flip Vlade for Kobe’s rights, while still drafting Derek Fisher. There’s another fun What If there, not to mention a great video game team! Then again, maybe Shaq opts to stay in Orlando if Barkley is in Los Angeles. Perhaps Chuck’s demands end up interfering with the Lakers’ plans. They likely miss out on Eddie Jones and other players along the way.

Whether Charles Barkley leaves the Lakers come 1996 in this scenario, or he plays out the rest of his career with them, there’s a chance that his presence prevents the formation of the team that ruled the early 2000s. If so, maybe Kobe Bryant becomes a Legend elsewhere. Perhaps he still plays 20 years in the league, but he might end up moving around as LeBron James has done. Maybe Shaq stays in Orlando and has a falling out with Penny Hardaway as he did with Kobe, but they might have remained contenders for another year or two before that. The Spurs likely become the dominant team, but with Tim Duncan’s injury in 2000, maybe the Indiana Pacers win that one.

Weird as it may sound, I think Charles Barkley going to the Lakers in 1992 would end up having a bigger impact on the 2000s than the 90s. Even with Chuck in LA, I still see the Bulls winning in 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998, with the Rockets winning in 1994 and 1995. None of those outcomes really rely on Barkley being in Phoenix to still occur, and indeed a couple might’ve been a bit easier without him as an opponent. Meanwhile, there’s a good chance the Lakers aren’t in a position to start planting seeds to become the team of the New Millennium if they acquire Charles Barkley in 1992, and he’s still there in 1996. Trading Worthy probably would’ve hurt their image, too.

As far as video games are concerned, it would’ve made the Lakers a lot of fun in 90s titles…at least whenever he was licensed! Chuck and Vlade would be a strong duo in the original NBA Jam. Irrespective of Magic returning in real life, he would’ve been able to team up with him in Tecmo Super NBA Basketball. If all the pieces had fallen into place and we saw him, Shaq, and Kobe together, that would be a quintessential video game team! In real life, though? Just my take, but the way things went down was the best case scenario for both Charles Barkley and the Lakers. He may not have been thrilled at the time, but fortunately, a new opportunity was there on the horizon.

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