Several groups were active in closing the latter NBA transfer market. 24 of the 30 franchises were part of the final moves, an unprecedented number.
Among so many transactions, there were some minor but also some very important ones that shook the entire panorama of the league, like the one that sent Kyrie Irving to Dallas Mavericks or the one who left Kevin Durant in Phoenix Sans.
Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggetsthe leaders of the Eastern and Western Conferences respectively, also moved with the acquisition Mike Muskala and Thomas Bryantplayers expected to have a spot in the rotation in the Playoffs.
Usually championship teams haven’t made moves of this style in the closing transfer market, or they’ve done it with a secondary player. However, in some cases incorporate a star He served to galvanize a team and lead them to hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy a few months later.
More | NBA transfer market 2023: The winners and losers of the deadline
The midseason trades NBA champion teams made
Mark Aguirre in Detroit Pistons (1989)
Mark Aguirre was outstanding in the 1980s with the Dallas Mavericks: He was selected first overall in the 1981 Draft, was an All-Star in 1984, 1987 and 1988 and scored nearly 14,000 points in seven and a half seasons. But the team only reached the Western Conference finals once with the leader, and his constant conflicts with his teammates caused the Mavericks to choose to trade him.
In turn, the Detroit Pistons had lost the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals and the 1988 NBA Finals with Adrian Dudley as their leading scorer, but despite the team’s strong performance, they didn’t see Dudley getting on the same page with the rest of the team. . bad boys.
So the two teams traded two of the best forwards in the NBA at the time, and while Dudley didn’t play 80 games with Dallas and left the NBA two years later, Mark Aguirre became a two-time champion with the Pistons.
Aguirre averaged 12.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in the 1989 playoffs and 11 points and 4.6 rebounds in the 1990 playoffs, already as a second-season starter.
This was the transcript:
- Detroit Pistons receive: Mark Aguirre
- Dallas Mavericks receive: Adrian Dudley and a first-round pick.
Clyde Drexler on the Houston Rockets (1995)
In his 12th season with the Portland Trail Blazers, Clyde Drexler had already received four All-NBA and eight All-Star nominations, while always leading Portland to the playoffs and even the Finals in 1990 and 1992. But until then it already looked like a championship was impossible, even though Michael Jordan was out of the league in February 1995 (he wouldn’t return until March).
The Glide He asked to be traded to a title contender for a chance at the end of his career and got his wish, sending him to Houston, the defending champion team that had knocked off Portland in the first round in 1994.
Drexler’s arrival provided a much-needed boost to the Rockets with the heart of the champions, who despite qualifying sixth in the West for the playoffs ended up winning the two-time championship. Clyde averaged 20.5 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in 38.6 minutes per game that season.
This was the transcript:
- Houston Rockets get: Clyde Drexler, Tracy Murray.
- Portland Trail Blazers receive: Otis Thorpe and a first round pick.
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Rasheed Wallace to Detroit Pistons (2004)
Two first-round picks and a series of regular trades were what cost the Detroit Pistons to acquire Rashid Wallace in February 2004. The price of success. Without Rasheed Wallace, who averaged 13 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2 blocks per game in the 2004 playoffs, it’s hard to think these Pistons would have made it to Larry O’Brien.
Detroit already had a great team coached by Larry Brown, but Rashid (All-Star in 2000, 2001, 2006 and 2008) was a quality leap that ended up making the Pistons a contender. During Wallace’s tenure in Detroit, the Pistons did not win again but reached the East Finals four more times after the 2004 title.
This was the transcript:
- Detroit Pistons receive: Rasheed Wallace, Mike James
- Atlanta Hawks receive: Chris Mills, Zeljko Rebraca, Bob Sura, a first round pick.
- Boston Celtics receive: Chucky Atkins, Lindsay Hunter, a first round pick.
More | NBA 2023 transfer market: All deals, signings and news on the closing date of the moves
Marc Gasol to Toronto Raptors (2019)
In February 2019, Marc Gasol’s time with the Memphis Grizzlies seemed over. The Spaniard had only a year and a half left on his contract with a franchise that had accumulated losses, before the arrival of Ja Morant. Instead, the Toronto Raptors wanted to build on their year with Kawhi Leonard and knew they had to put everything on the line to win the title.
Then the Canadian franchise acquired the services of the 34-year-old Spanish pivot in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas and filler pieces and with their new starting interior, a player who was a perfect fit for these Raptors, went to their first title with these Finals that they won. against the Golden State Warriors. Gasol (All-NBA in 2013 and 2015) started all 24 games of these Playoffs and averaged 9.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3 assists in 30.6 minutes per game.
This was the transcript:
- Toronto Raptors receive: Marc Gasol.
- Memphis Grizzlies receive: Jonas Valanciunas, CJ Miles, Delon Wright and a second round pick.
PJ Tucker to Milwaukee Bucks (2021)
After several disappointments in the playoffs, at the beginning of 2021 the Milwaukee Bucks felt that year they were returning to win the title, with the integration of Jrue Holiday who had helped to form a great defensive block.
To further bolster that side, the Bucks signed experienced forward PJ Tucker, who then leaned on a losing Houston Rockets, with plenty of youth on their roster. Tucker averaged 29.6 minutes in the Champion Bucks’ playoff campaign, starting 19 of the 23 games he played and averaging 4.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. After being champion, Tucker left as a freelancer.
This was the transcript:
- Milwaukee Bucks receive: PJ Tucker, Rodions Kurucs, a first round pick and a second rounder.
- Houston Rockets receive: DJ Augustin, DJ Wilson, two first round picks.
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