From Rasheed to Carmelo: Biggest NBA trade deadline deals since 2000
The chaos of the NBA's annual trade deadline has begun.
As the clock ticks closer to 3 p.m. on Feb. 23, teams are shuffling to make that meaningful last-minute deal, in hopes of either securing an NBA superstar who will propel them into title contention or finding some key pieces to a more long-term puzzle.
To recognize some of the franchise-altering moves made around this time each season, we take a look back at the most monumental trades that went down as the deadline came to a close since the turn of the millennium.
2001: Dikembe Mutombo to Philadelphia
Who the 76ers got: Dikembe Mutombo and Roshown McLeod.
Who the Hawks got: Toni Kukoc, Theo Ratliff, Nazr Mohammed and Pepe Sanchez.
The result: With a 34-year-old Mutombo (who would go on to win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award) as their anchor, paired with Allen Iverson (who would go on to win MVP) as their lead dog, the 76ers advanced to the NBA Finals in Mutombo's first year in Philly, while the Hawks finished the season at 25-57. Mutombo stayed with the 76ers for one more season, but their playoff run was cut short in the first round, and age eventually caught up with the 7-2, shot-blocking Hall of Famer.
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2002: Ron Artest to Indiana
Who the Pacers got: Ron Artest, Brad Miller, Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie.
Who the Bulls got: Jalen Rose, Travis Best, Norm Richardson and a second-round pick in the 2002 draft.
The result: The Pacers advanced to the playoffs each year that Artest, now known as Metta World Peace, was on the roster. But the headlines that he made weren't only for his on-court performance. After his role in the infamous "Malice at the Palace" brawl, Artest was suspended for the remainder of the 2004-05 season, and only played 16 more games in a Pacer uniform before being dealt to Sacramento. As for the other side of the trade, all of the Bulls' assets had short stints in Chicago, and they didn't see the postseason until they cleaned house.
2003: Ray Allen to Seattle
Who the Bucks got: Gary Payton and Desmond Mason.
Who the Supersonics got: Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, Flip Murray and a first-round pick in the 2003 draft.
The result: At 34 years of age, Payton, who had all but secured his spot in the Hall of Fame, headed to Los Angeles after finishing out the season, while Mason spent just two full seasons in Milwaukee before being traded to New Orleans. The real winner in this trade? The Sonics. Allen — fully in his prime at 27-years-old — reached his full potential in Seattle, averaging 24.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.9 threes made in his 4 1/2 seasons with the franchise. The Bucks, on the other hand, haven't won a playoff series since.
2004: Rasheed Wallace to Detroit
Who the Pistons got: Rasheed Wallace and Mike James.
Who the Celtics got: Lindsey Hunter, Chucky Atkins and a first-round pick pick in the 2004 draft.
Who the Hawks got: Zeljko Rebraca, Bob Sura, Chris Mills and a first-round pick in the 2004 draft.
The result: In a monumental trade deadline deal that had championship implications, Wallace was dealt to Detroit, where he made an immediate impact by joining forces with Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton to lead the Pistons to back-to-back NBA Finals trips, and the franchise's first title since the Bad Boys era. The Hawks fared well after the trade, too, as a young Josh Smith, who they drafted 17th overall a few months after the trade, led them to the playoffs in six of his nine seasons in Atlanta.
2008: Pau Gasol to Los Angeles
Who the Lakers got: Pau Gasol and a second-round pick in the 2010 draft.
Who the Grizzlies got: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, Marc Gasol (draft rights), a first-round pick in the 2008 draft and a first-round pick in the 2010 draft.
The result: Though this trade went down three weeks before the actual deadline, it was one of the most significant in-season moves in NBA history, so we couldn't leave it off the list. Pau Gasol, one of the league's most dominant big men at the time, didn't lose a step alongside Kobe Bryant in L.A., and the Lakers won back-to-back titles in his first two full seasons. It wasn't all bad in Memphis, though. The move cleared up space that set up the Grizzlies for success still being felt today, led by Marc, the younger Gasol, who has followed in his big brother's footsteps on the path to the upper echelon of NBA bigs.
2011: Baron Davis to Cleveland
Who the Cavaliers got: Baron Davis and a first-round pick in the 2011 draft.
Who the Clippers got: Mo Williams and Jamario Moon.
The result: At the time, the trade wasn't much more than a ploy for the Clippers to get Davis' hefty contract off their hands. But it turned out to shape the future for both franchises involved. The Cavs struck gold with the No. 1 pick, selecting Kyrie Irving as their franchise point guard while also managing to grab Tristan Thompson at No. 4. No trade, no Irving. No Irving, no 2016 NBA championship. As for the Clippers, they landed franchise point guard Chris Paul in a trade later that year, and have made five straight playoff appearances since.
2011: Carmelo Anthony to New York
Who the Knicks got: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter, Shelden Williams and Corey Brewer.
Who the Nuggets got: Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, Kosta Koufos, a second-round pick in the 2012 draft, a second-round pick in the 2013 draft, a first-round pick in the 2014 draft and an option to swap first-round picks in the 2016 draft (with Knicks).
Who the Timberwolves got: Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph and a second-round pick in the 2015 draft.
The result: In one of the bigger blockbuster trades in league history, over a dozen players were dealt, but none of the teams involved have much to show for it. Since the trade went down, none of the teams have advanced past the second round of the playoffs, and only three players — Anthony, Gallinari and Wilson Chandler — still remain on their same teams.
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2012: Monta Ellis to Milwaukee
Who the Bucks got: Monta Ellis, Kwame Brown and Ekpe Udoh.
Who the Warriors got: Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
The result: Ellis was a shoot-first-and-shoot-often guard. Bogut was a defensive anchor who required very few touches. In a game of "what if," imagine if the Warriors would have stuck with Ellis. Would Stephen Curry have developed into a back-to-back league MVP? Would Klay Thompson have emerged as one of the most knock-down shooters in NBA history? Would Kevin Durant have joined Golden State four years later? Ellis, in an interview with Sirius XM last year, even admitted that the Warriors were better off after the trade.
"I think if I was there, (the Warriors) probably wouldn't have won a championship," Ellis said. " ... If me and (Curry) would still be there, I think it would have been hard for us to win there with both of us being small in the backcourt."
2015: Isaiah Thomas to Boston
Who the Celtics got: Isaiah Thomas, Gigi Datome and Jonas Jerebko.
Who the Suns got: Marcus Thornton and a first-round pick in the 2016 draft (via the Cavaliers).
Who the Pistons got: Tayshaun Prince.
The result: At the time, Suns' general manager Ryan McDonough was determined to rid Phoenix of its guard-heavy roster, sending both Thomas — who was a high-energy point guard who gave scoring boosts off the bench — and Goran Dragic away in trades as the deadline creeped closer. Now, Thomas is a two-time All-Star point guard and franchise player for the Celtics, while Prince is out of the league and Thornton is stuck in a limited bench role with the Washington Wizards.
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2017: DeMarcus Cousins to New Orleans
Who the Pelicans got: DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi.
Who the Kings got: Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway, a first-round pick in the 2017 draft and a second-round pick in the 2017 draft.
The result: While the result is still very much to be determined, as Cousins has yet to play a game with his new team, the move paired the NBA's top-two big men in the same frontcourt, giving superstar power forward Anthony Davis the help that he so rightfully deserves. On the surface, the Kings clearly got the short end of the stick. But who's to say Hield won't evolve into one of the NBA's top two-guards? Only time will tell.
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