NBA Trade Deadline 2013: 5 Worst deadline deals of all-time
By Matt Shetler
As the NBA Trade Deadline nears, teams must decide on whether to pull the trigger on a deal that could impact their franchise in a positive way, leading to a lengthy playoff run.
Of course the opposite is true as well, as some trades just don’t work out.
May 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks point guard Baron Davis (85) reacts on the court against the Miami Heat during the first half of game four in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 89-87. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports
Every deadline there are a few head scratchers that make you wonder exactly what one of the teams was thinking.
Here’s a look at some deals that backfired in a big way.
5. 2005- New Orleans Hornets trade Baron Davis to Golden State for Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis
Davis had some injury risks at the time, but he was by far the most talented player involved in this deal and the Hornets got nothing for him. Davis went on that season to lead the Warriors to an upset over the Dallas Mavericks in the first-round of the playoffs in what turned out to be one of the more exciting playoff series’ of all time.
4. 2011- Boston Celtics trade Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic and a future first-round pick
Danny Ainge has been known to roll the dice, but he crapped out on this one. It’s not that Perkins was a great player in Boston, but he was a vital part of a championship team that Ainge dismantled. Looking back, the Celtics are still trying to replace Perkins size and toughness. While Green is a nice player, this didn’t work out well for Boston. Perkins made it to the finals with the Thunder last season, while neither Green nor Krstic were playing in the league.
3. 2011- Charlotte Bobcats trade Gerald Wallace to Portland for Joel Przybilla, Dante Cunningham, Sean Marks, and two first-round picks
One of Michael Jordan’s plenty of mistakes in Charlotte as the Bobcats got nothing for Wallace, as Przybilla, Cunningham, and Marks is a very weak return for at the time the best player in franchise history. Take this deal one step further and realize that the Blazers were able to turn Wallace into Damian Lillard and you realize how very little MJ got for a player of Wallace’s caliber.
Feb 15, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Team Shaq guard Kyrie Irving (2) of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives against Team Chuck during the first half of the rising stars challenge during the 2013 NBA All-Star weekend at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
2. 2011- Los Angeles Clippers trade Baron Davis and a first round pick to Cleveland for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon
The Clippers are accustomed to making bad moves, but this has to be near the top of the list. They were so anxious to get Davis’ contract off the books that they included what turned out to be the No. 1 overall pick in the deal. That pick turned out to be Kyrie Irving. The sad part is that the amnesty clause was being discussed at that time as possibly being included in the new CBA, which is exactly what the Cavs did with Davis. To their credit, the Clippers did rebound by acquiring Chris Paul, but that didn’t excuse the fact that this was an awful deal,
1. 2003- Milwaukee Bucks trade Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, Flip Murray and a first-round pick to Seattle for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason
The Bucks dumped perhaps the greatest shooter in NBA history to avoid the luxury tax to acquire an aging Payton and a decent player in Mason. Allen is a future Hall of Famer, while Payton played exactly 28 games in a Bucks uniform before leaving as a free agent that summer.
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