As the trade deadline has come and gone for 2019, we take a look back at eight examples where a mid-season trade provided one or more key assets that helped put a contender over the top into championship glory.
1) Lakers acquire Mychal Thompson from Spurs for Frank Brickowski, a first round pick, and a second round pick (1987)
Though he was born in the Bahamas and raised in Miami, Thompson has claimed to have grown up dreaming of playing for the Lakers. That fantasy was fulfilled in February of 1987, when he was traded to Los Angeles after spending just a half-season with the Spurs. Los Angeles needed a hard-nosed defender and rebounder to back up an aging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Thompson fit the bill. Knowing a Finals rematch with the defending champion Celtics was all but inevitable, the Lakers felt that Thompson's ability to check Robert Parish and Kevin McHale was invaluable. The transaction paid immediate dividends, as Thompson played heavy minutes in his first game as a Laker, a marquee 106-103 victory over Boston. With Thompson, Kareem, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy on the roster, the '86-'87 Lakers became the first team in NBA history to field four #1 overall picks, and they eventually bludgeoned the Celtics in a six game Finals to win the fourth title of the Showtime era. Over four more seasons with the Lakers, Thompson played in three additional Finals and won another title in 1988. An decent undersized center himself, Brickowski missed most of the remaining '86-'87 season with various injuries, but did contribute for three more seasons with San Antonio. The Spurs took Greg Anderson with that #23 pick in 1987 that was acquired in the trade.
2) As part of a three-team trade with Magic and Trail Blazers, Cavaliers acquire Channing Frye for Anderson Varejao, Jared Cunningham, and a first round pick (2016)
After a tough loss in the 2015 Finals against Golden State, the Cavs first proved they were serious about finally winning the title in 2016 by firing coach David Blatt early in the season, despite being the top seeded team in the East at the time. Just a few weeks later the Cavs made another bold move, parting with popular but oft-injured center Anderson Varejao. Drafted initially by Orlando in 2004, Varejao was traded to the Cavs later that summer and spent 11 full seasons in Cleveland, including the 2007 Finals trip, "The Decision," and the entirety of LeBron James' time with Miami. The Brazilian had endeared himself to Cleveland fans over that time with his frenetic yet gritty style of play, but also suffered from frequent injuries, including an Achilles tear that kept him off the floor for the 2015 playoffs and Finals. With Tristan Thompson having taken over the team's role as lead rebounder and interior defender, Varejao was deemed dispensable and was traded to the Blazers as part of a three-team deal that brought Channing Frye to Cleveland from Orlando. Waived immediately by Portland, Varejao signed four days later with the Warriors. Though he played against his former Cavs teammates in the 2016 Finals and lost, Varejao did stick around with Golden State one more season to finally earn a ring in 2017. In Frye, the Cavs got some clutch three-point shooting that they were lacking and though he didn't play much in that year's Finals, Frye had some solid performances in the 2016 playoffs, including 27 points and seven rebounds in a second round game against Atlanta.
3) Spurs acquire Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer from Knicks for Malik Rose and two first round picks (2005)
Despite a disappointing second round exit the past spring, and their center position becoming a void after David Robinson's retirement, the Spurs kept their roster steady heading into the '04-'05 season. Slovenian stiff Rasho Nesterovic was essentially just a warm body, and the depth was similarly weak. Needing more effective and tougher front court depth, the Spurs sent stalwart power forward Malik Rose and two first round picks to the Knicks for Nazr Mohammed. It was a rare smart move by Knicks vice president Isiah Thomas, as he eventually turned one of those draft picks into David Lee (he also wasted the other pick on Mardy Collins, which is important to note before we go too crazy praising Thomas' decision-making). For San Antonio it was a philosophical end of an era, not just because the departure of Rose left Tim Duncan as the only holdover from the 1999 title team, but also because deadline deals were typically not part of "The Spurs Way" that had been cultivated by coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford. Though Mohammed had been a perpetual disappointment in the NBA after a star career at Kentucky (this was his third deadline trade in a five year span), he took over the starting center job admirably, contributing important rim protection as the Spurs returned to glory with their third title.
4) Pistons acquire Mark Aguirre from Mavericks for Adrian Dantley and a first round pick (1989)
Maybe the most famous deadline trade in league history, it caught many by surprise, including Dantley himself. Though his scoring title days were behind him by the '88-'89 season, Dantley was still a top scorer for Detroit and just three years earlier had been purported as the final piece of the puzzle for a Pistons championship. He would never win that elusive title with Detroit or anyone else, as the Pistons lost to Los Angeles in the 1988 Finals and nine months later Dantley was playing for Dallas. Many of Detroit's players openly decried the move, wondering why the popular and efficient Dantley, who had lead the team in scoring each of the last two seasons, was sent packing. One teammate who was noticeably silent was Isiah Thomas, leading many to speculate that he had demanded the trade for Aguirre, his childhood friend from Chicago. Whatever the motivation, the risky move worked as the Pistons finally broke through and won back-to-back championships. It looked all the wiser when a broken-down Dantley was forced to retire less than two years later.
5) 76ers acquire Clemon Johnson and a third round pick from Pacers for Russ Schoene, a first round pick, and a second round pick (1983)
Everybody agrees now that the addition of Moses Malone is what pushed the '82-'83 Sixers over the top and into an NBA title, but early in that season there was still some concern about depth at the center position. Rookie Mark McNamara wasn't cutting it, so the team sent rookie power forward Russ Schoene to the Pacers for veteran center Clemon Johnson. It must have felt like Christmas morning to Johnson, who went from arguably the league's worst team to one that seemed destined for greatness. Johnson added 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game during the postseason, while appearing in 12 of the 13 games of the famous fo'-fo'-fo' run. After spending several more seasons in Philadelphia, Johnson was heavily influenced by the legendary coach Billy Cunningham to start his own coaching career, and eventually became head coach at his alma mater, Florida A&M. Schoene was out of the league at the end of the season (though he did eventually return a few years later with Seattle), and the first round pick was used by Indiana on Mitchell Wiggins, who was immediately traded to the Bulls for a soon-to-be-a-bust Sidney Lowe.
6) As part of a three-team trade with Hawks and Celtics, Pistons acquire Rasheed Wallace and Mike James for Bob Sura, Lindsey Hunter, Chucky Atkins, Zeljko Rebraca, and two first round picks (2004)
If Aguirre-for-Dantley is the most famous trade deadline deal of all-time, then this is arguably the most famous of the salary cap era. And if you weren't paying attention at the time, it has to be stressed how sensible and obvious it seemed even at the time. After several up-and-down seasons with Portland, Wallace was languishing in the last vestiges of the "Jail Blazers" era. Everyone knew that the Blazers needed to be blown up and rebuilt from scratch, and everyone sensed the Pistons were a solid veteran big man away from being a legitimate title contender. Intricately built by former star player Joe Dumars (we'll ignore here the fact that he botched the 2003 Draft and essentially every major decision made after trading for Wallace), the Pistons were a hodgepodge of thriving veteran castoffs (Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace) and young, dynamic specialists (Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince). They needed an interior scoring catalyst, and the Blazers were happy to oblige if it lent an opportunity to help makeover their roster and reputation (they actually dealt away Wallace to Atlanta in a separate transaction five days before this one). 'Sheed proved a fiery but steady presence for Detroit as they surprised the Lakers in the Finals to win the championship. Lindsey Hunter was also part of that championship, as he was cut by the Celtics immediately after the trade and resigned with the Pistons. The draft pick acquired worked out well for Atlanta, who used it on Josh Smith.
7) Lakers acquire Mark Landsberger from Bulls for Oliver Mack and two second round picks (1980)
His contributions to the Lakers titles in 1980 and 1982 were minor, but Landsberger will always be remembered for one of the great plays in Finals history. Granted, it wasn't Landsberger, career journeyman, making the play, but rather fading into the background as Julius Erving made his famous sweeping reverse layup in game four of the '80 Finals. You can spot him in the famous photos and videos, #54 for the Lakers, immortalized forever in highlights as a bystander. Not a particularly gifted athlete but a preternatural rebounder, especially on the offensive end (he once hauled in 29 rebounds in one game while playing for Chicago), Landsberger was an end-of-the-bench guy for the Lakers, but played in three Finals with the team and won two titles before getting waived in 1983.
8) Rockets acquire Clyde Drexler and Tracy Murray from Trail Blazers for Otis Thorpe and a first round pick (1995)
Though he was, at one point, considered to possibly be the equal of Michael Jordan, this was no longer the case for Drexler by 1995. Having spent his entire career to that point in Portland, the 32-year-old Drexler knew his chances at a title were dwindling as the franchise had slipped back into mediocrity following Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992. Meanwhile the Rockets, despite being defending champs, had two serious headaches in disgruntled stars Otis Thorpe and Vernon Maxwell. They attempted to unload both at the deadline, thinking they could swap the power forward Thorpe for Drexler, then swap the shooting guard Maxwell for some front court help to even things out. Though the Thorpe-Drexler trade went through, all potential Maxwell deals fell apart, and the Rockets were left with a logjam in the back court and a paucity in the paint. Houston actually struggled down the stretch of the regular season, with the aging Drexler trying to find his footing playing second banana to Hakeem Olajuwon, but eventually everything did work out. Maxwell was suspended indefinitely after attempting to fight coach Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Horry emerged as the answer at the four, and Drexler settled into an effective complementary role. Despite entering the playoffs as a sixth seed, the Rockets fought through Utah, Phoenix, and San Antonio in the West before sweeping Orlando in the NBA Finals. After Drexler set the precedent, ,any veterans would join title contenders over the next decade or so in their career twilight to try to finally win that elusive ring, with some successful results (Gary Payton in Miami) but mostly unsuccessful ones (Karl Malone with Los Angeles, Charles Barkley with Houston, Allen Iverson with Denver)
Though he was born in the Bahamas and raised in Miami, Thompson has claimed to have grown up dreaming of playing for the Lakers. That fantasy was fulfilled in February of 1987, when he was traded to Los Angeles after spending just a half-season with the Spurs. Los Angeles needed a hard-nosed defender and rebounder to back up an aging Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Thompson fit the bill. Knowing a Finals rematch with the defending champion Celtics was all but inevitable, the Lakers felt that Thompson's ability to check Robert Parish and Kevin McHale was invaluable. The transaction paid immediate dividends, as Thompson played heavy minutes in his first game as a Laker, a marquee 106-103 victory over Boston. With Thompson, Kareem, Magic Johnson, and James Worthy on the roster, the '86-'87 Lakers became the first team in NBA history to field four #1 overall picks, and they eventually bludgeoned the Celtics in a six game Finals to win the fourth title of the Showtime era. Over four more seasons with the Lakers, Thompson played in three additional Finals and won another title in 1988. An decent undersized center himself, Brickowski missed most of the remaining '86-'87 season with various injuries, but did contribute for three more seasons with San Antonio. The Spurs took Greg Anderson with that #23 pick in 1987 that was acquired in the trade.
2) As part of a three-team trade with Magic and Trail Blazers, Cavaliers acquire Channing Frye for Anderson Varejao, Jared Cunningham, and a first round pick (2016)
After a tough loss in the 2015 Finals against Golden State, the Cavs first proved they were serious about finally winning the title in 2016 by firing coach David Blatt early in the season, despite being the top seeded team in the East at the time. Just a few weeks later the Cavs made another bold move, parting with popular but oft-injured center Anderson Varejao. Drafted initially by Orlando in 2004, Varejao was traded to the Cavs later that summer and spent 11 full seasons in Cleveland, including the 2007 Finals trip, "The Decision," and the entirety of LeBron James' time with Miami. The Brazilian had endeared himself to Cleveland fans over that time with his frenetic yet gritty style of play, but also suffered from frequent injuries, including an Achilles tear that kept him off the floor for the 2015 playoffs and Finals. With Tristan Thompson having taken over the team's role as lead rebounder and interior defender, Varejao was deemed dispensable and was traded to the Blazers as part of a three-team deal that brought Channing Frye to Cleveland from Orlando. Waived immediately by Portland, Varejao signed four days later with the Warriors. Though he played against his former Cavs teammates in the 2016 Finals and lost, Varejao did stick around with Golden State one more season to finally earn a ring in 2017. In Frye, the Cavs got some clutch three-point shooting that they were lacking and though he didn't play much in that year's Finals, Frye had some solid performances in the 2016 playoffs, including 27 points and seven rebounds in a second round game against Atlanta.
3) Spurs acquire Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer from Knicks for Malik Rose and two first round picks (2005)
Despite a disappointing second round exit the past spring, and their center position becoming a void after David Robinson's retirement, the Spurs kept their roster steady heading into the '04-'05 season. Slovenian stiff Rasho Nesterovic was essentially just a warm body, and the depth was similarly weak. Needing more effective and tougher front court depth, the Spurs sent stalwart power forward Malik Rose and two first round picks to the Knicks for Nazr Mohammed. It was a rare smart move by Knicks vice president Isiah Thomas, as he eventually turned one of those draft picks into David Lee (he also wasted the other pick on Mardy Collins, which is important to note before we go too crazy praising Thomas' decision-making). For San Antonio it was a philosophical end of an era, not just because the departure of Rose left Tim Duncan as the only holdover from the 1999 title team, but also because deadline deals were typically not part of "The Spurs Way" that had been cultivated by coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford. Though Mohammed had been a perpetual disappointment in the NBA after a star career at Kentucky (this was his third deadline trade in a five year span), he took over the starting center job admirably, contributing important rim protection as the Spurs returned to glory with their third title.
4) Pistons acquire Mark Aguirre from Mavericks for Adrian Dantley and a first round pick (1989)
Maybe the most famous deadline trade in league history, it caught many by surprise, including Dantley himself. Though his scoring title days were behind him by the '88-'89 season, Dantley was still a top scorer for Detroit and just three years earlier had been purported as the final piece of the puzzle for a Pistons championship. He would never win that elusive title with Detroit or anyone else, as the Pistons lost to Los Angeles in the 1988 Finals and nine months later Dantley was playing for Dallas. Many of Detroit's players openly decried the move, wondering why the popular and efficient Dantley, who had lead the team in scoring each of the last two seasons, was sent packing. One teammate who was noticeably silent was Isiah Thomas, leading many to speculate that he had demanded the trade for Aguirre, his childhood friend from Chicago. Whatever the motivation, the risky move worked as the Pistons finally broke through and won back-to-back championships. It looked all the wiser when a broken-down Dantley was forced to retire less than two years later.
5) 76ers acquire Clemon Johnson and a third round pick from Pacers for Russ Schoene, a first round pick, and a second round pick (1983)
Everybody agrees now that the addition of Moses Malone is what pushed the '82-'83 Sixers over the top and into an NBA title, but early in that season there was still some concern about depth at the center position. Rookie Mark McNamara wasn't cutting it, so the team sent rookie power forward Russ Schoene to the Pacers for veteran center Clemon Johnson. It must have felt like Christmas morning to Johnson, who went from arguably the league's worst team to one that seemed destined for greatness. Johnson added 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game during the postseason, while appearing in 12 of the 13 games of the famous fo'-fo'-fo' run. After spending several more seasons in Philadelphia, Johnson was heavily influenced by the legendary coach Billy Cunningham to start his own coaching career, and eventually became head coach at his alma mater, Florida A&M. Schoene was out of the league at the end of the season (though he did eventually return a few years later with Seattle), and the first round pick was used by Indiana on Mitchell Wiggins, who was immediately traded to the Bulls for a soon-to-be-a-bust Sidney Lowe.
6) As part of a three-team trade with Hawks and Celtics, Pistons acquire Rasheed Wallace and Mike James for Bob Sura, Lindsey Hunter, Chucky Atkins, Zeljko Rebraca, and two first round picks (2004)
If Aguirre-for-Dantley is the most famous trade deadline deal of all-time, then this is arguably the most famous of the salary cap era. And if you weren't paying attention at the time, it has to be stressed how sensible and obvious it seemed even at the time. After several up-and-down seasons with Portland, Wallace was languishing in the last vestiges of the "Jail Blazers" era. Everyone knew that the Blazers needed to be blown up and rebuilt from scratch, and everyone sensed the Pistons were a solid veteran big man away from being a legitimate title contender. Intricately built by former star player Joe Dumars (we'll ignore here the fact that he botched the 2003 Draft and essentially every major decision made after trading for Wallace), the Pistons were a hodgepodge of thriving veteran castoffs (Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace) and young, dynamic specialists (Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince). They needed an interior scoring catalyst, and the Blazers were happy to oblige if it lent an opportunity to help makeover their roster and reputation (they actually dealt away Wallace to Atlanta in a separate transaction five days before this one). 'Sheed proved a fiery but steady presence for Detroit as they surprised the Lakers in the Finals to win the championship. Lindsey Hunter was also part of that championship, as he was cut by the Celtics immediately after the trade and resigned with the Pistons. The draft pick acquired worked out well for Atlanta, who used it on Josh Smith.
7) Lakers acquire Mark Landsberger from Bulls for Oliver Mack and two second round picks (1980)
His contributions to the Lakers titles in 1980 and 1982 were minor, but Landsberger will always be remembered for one of the great plays in Finals history. Granted, it wasn't Landsberger, career journeyman, making the play, but rather fading into the background as Julius Erving made his famous sweeping reverse layup in game four of the '80 Finals. You can spot him in the famous photos and videos, #54 for the Lakers, immortalized forever in highlights as a bystander. Not a particularly gifted athlete but a preternatural rebounder, especially on the offensive end (he once hauled in 29 rebounds in one game while playing for Chicago), Landsberger was an end-of-the-bench guy for the Lakers, but played in three Finals with the team and won two titles before getting waived in 1983.
8) Rockets acquire Clyde Drexler and Tracy Murray from Trail Blazers for Otis Thorpe and a first round pick (1995)
Though he was, at one point, considered to possibly be the equal of Michael Jordan, this was no longer the case for Drexler by 1995. Having spent his entire career to that point in Portland, the 32-year-old Drexler knew his chances at a title were dwindling as the franchise had slipped back into mediocrity following Finals appearances in 1990 and 1992. Meanwhile the Rockets, despite being defending champs, had two serious headaches in disgruntled stars Otis Thorpe and Vernon Maxwell. They attempted to unload both at the deadline, thinking they could swap the power forward Thorpe for Drexler, then swap the shooting guard Maxwell for some front court help to even things out. Though the Thorpe-Drexler trade went through, all potential Maxwell deals fell apart, and the Rockets were left with a logjam in the back court and a paucity in the paint. Houston actually struggled down the stretch of the regular season, with the aging Drexler trying to find his footing playing second banana to Hakeem Olajuwon, but eventually everything did work out. Maxwell was suspended indefinitely after attempting to fight coach Rudy Tomjanovich, Robert Horry emerged as the answer at the four, and Drexler settled into an effective complementary role. Despite entering the playoffs as a sixth seed, the Rockets fought through Utah, Phoenix, and San Antonio in the West before sweeping Orlando in the NBA Finals. After Drexler set the precedent, ,any veterans would join title contenders over the next decade or so in their career twilight to try to finally win that elusive ring, with some successful results (Gary Payton in Miami) but mostly unsuccessful ones (Karl Malone with Los Angeles, Charles Barkley with Houston, Allen Iverson with Denver)