Top 5 Most Impactful NBA Trade Deadline Moves 

NBA franchises never want to get caught in no-man’s land for long. They want to make a deal that puts them in contention for a NBA title or rebuild once they know their personnel is not good enough to make a serious run at the title. The NBA trade deadline has become a big date on the NBA regular season calendar over the years.

Jarred Vanderbilt #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers

(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

The deadline-related transactions have been tracked in the NBA back to 1987, and since then that particular date (wherever it happens to fall) has become much more well known to fans.

The 2025 NBA trade deadline is Thursday, February 6 (6 pm ET).

We’ll see what big trades transpire this year and what team helps itself toward a deeper playoff run than expected before the big date.

For now, we want to take a dive into the best and most impactful deadline-related trades since 1987.

1. Mark Aguirre to the Pistons (1989)

Mark Aguirre #23 of the Detroit Pistons

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Background: The Pistons were closing in on the Lakers for the NBA title. They took L.A. to seven games in the 1988 NBA Finals, but were struggling a bit during the 1988-89 regular season. The team was getting more close-knit in order to meet its goals, but it seemed as if Adrian Dantley, a six-time NBA All-Star headed for the Hall of Fame, was disgruntled and the odd man out.

Earlier in his career he demanded a trade out of Utah for being underpaid but this time he was the one traded away from a contending team. He also had some issues with the coaching staff,  as the Pistons had a poor January at 8-6.

The Trade: On Feb. 15, the Pistons acquired all-star forward Mark Aguirre from Dallas for Dantley and a first round NBA Draft pick.

What Transpired: It was big news then, and immediately the Pistons jelled and went on a 19-game winning streak. The trade opened up playing time for defensive ace Dennis Rodman and made the Pistons a more defensive oriented team, while Aguirre sacrificed his individual accolades for the good of the Pistons. He was also re-united with his childhood friend from Chicago in ringleader Isaiah Thomas. Detroit went on to finish the season 37-4 and win the first of back-to-back NBA titles.

2. Clyde Drexler to the Rockets (1995)

Clyde Drexler #22 of the Houston Rockets

(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Background: Clyde was in his 12th season in Portland and the team was starting to slide after he was the ringleader for teams that twice reached the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992 and had the league’s best regular season record in 1991. On one hand, the players felt management might have given up on the core or it can also be looked at as Portland wanted to get something in return before the best players didn’t have much value. Either way, Portland granted Drexler his request after he knew the direction the franchise was going.

The Trade: On Feb. 14., Houston acquired the then eight-time All-Star, along with Tracy Murray, from Portland for Otis Thorpe, Marcelo Nicola's draft rights, and a 1995 first round NBA Draft pick.

What Transpired: The Glide is an underrated Hall of Famer, but at the time with Portland he was battling some injuries on the backside of his career. Think he wasn’t fired up to join his former Phi Slamma Jamma teammate from the University of Houston Hakeem Olajuwon? Drexler was rejuvenated and it was evident in his play.

The defending NBA champs entered the playoffs with a 47-35 record and the No. 6 seed. Behind Hakeem and Drexler, the Rockets repeated as Houston is the lowest seed ever to win the title. Vernon Maxwell lost his starting spot to Cylde and for good reason, as he averaged 20.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists in the playoffs.

3. Eddie Jones to the Hornets (1999)

ddie Jones #6, Charlotte Hornets

(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The Background: The Lakers were a good team and had world title aspirations with its core. In fact, this high-flying wing from Temple was one of four Lakers to make the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. Still something was missing and during the NBA lockout season of 1999, the Lakers made the move that was eventually coming. That season consisted of 50 games, and Jones was dealt 20 games into the season.

The Trade: The Hornets acquired Jones and center Elden Campbell from Los Angeles for Glen Rice, J.R. Reid, and B.J. Armstrong.

What Transpired: Jones was wildly popular with Lakers fans and it was a shocking move to some because the Lakers also let Anthony Peeler go a few years earlier. Jones was a terrific player and had good character, but the Lakers needed to make room for Kobe Bryant to flourish. He was coming on and needed more playing time, but more importantly the young Bryant needed to see that the Lakers realized he was their franchise cornerstone.

They did and in fact, the Hornets helped the Lakers twice. In 1996, that franchise had no desire to keep the Lower Marion (Ardmore, Pa.) high school star, so they drafted him for the Lakers to work out a trade. The Lakers went on to win three consecutive NBA titles in 2000-2002.

4. Jason Kidd to the Mavericks (2008)

Guard Jason Kidd #2 of the Dallas Mavericks

(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The Background: The Mavs had a contending team, but after going 67-15 in 2006-07, they were upset in the first round of the playoffs. The Mavs had a reputation of lacking toughness and needed a veteran presence so they wouldn’t waste the championship window of future hall of fame forward Dirk Nowitzki. They decided to trade for another future hall of famer that had already played for the franchise.

The Trade: On Feb. 19, Dallas acquired the former CAL star along with Malik Allen and Antonie Wright from New Jersey for Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, two first round NBA Draft picks (2008, 2010), plus $3 million. The trade was supposed to originally include Devean George and Jerry Stackhouse, but after some maneuvering the two teams eventually got it done.

What Transpired: The trade eventually worked out for Dallas, the team Kidd played for his first two and a half seasons in the NBA after the Mavs took him No. 2 overall in 1994. After two seasons on the brink, Dallas went 57-25 in 2010-11 and finally got over the hump with the help of their veteran leader. He was the leading player and catalyst for a New Jersey Nets team that went to back-to-back NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003, but he took on a different role with Dallas.

He became an outside shooting threat and was terrific on the defensive end. Kidd went off against Portland in the first round, did a solid job defensively vs. Kobe Bryant to knock off the defending champ Lakers and did an excellent job on young versions of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook of OKC to propel Dallas to the NBA Finals, where it knocked off the Miami Heat, 4-2, after trailing 0-2.

5. Kyrie Irving To The Mavericks (2023)

Kyrie Irving #11 of the Dallas Mavericks

(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

The Background: The Nets had tried to make some deals work to pair Irving with Kevin Durant and James Harden after he played a big part in Cleveland capturing the 2016 NBA title alongside LeBron James. That just didn’t work out for the Nets after they tried the same thing a decade earlier with aging superstars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Just as he did in Cleveland, Irving requested a trade, and he was made somewhat of a scapegoat for the Brooklyn failures, including missing time for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Trade: On Feb. 6, Dallas acquired the first pick in the 2011 NBA Draft from New Jersey for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and three draft picks: a 2027 second round pick, a 2029 unprotected first round pick and a 2029 second round pick.

What Transpired: The Mavericks wanted to pair their current superstar, Luka Dončić, with another star playoff performer with experience. It was a big different situation than the Jason Kidd role, as the Mavs needed Irving to play like a No. 1 overall pick and give Dallas another superstar to align with Luka. There were many who wondered if the move would work, especially after the Mavericks missed the NBA Play-In Tournament in 2023.

Irving was injured during the 2023-24 regular season and Dallas was toiling along at 28-23, but when Irving got healthy it began to click. Dallas made a run to the 2024 NBA Finals, as Irving regained his form as a big game and clutch performer. Dallas is currently 26-22 this season, but there is hope by Dallas fans that the team will be a playoff threat once again. Dallas took a risk with a trade deadline move, and it looks like it should work out for the second time after the Kidd move 15 years earlier.

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