Within the basketball calendar is a certain day which looms with an aura of suspense and anticipation. That day is the NBA Trade Deadline which occurs every season in early-to-mid February.
The day marks the final point in time which teams can make trades with each other. Teams often have a good idea of where they are at in terms of competition by that point, and make moves accordingly, playing the role as buyers if they are competitive, and sellers if they are out of it and are retooling.
After a certain time on the day of the deadline (usually around 3 p.m. EST), teams can no longer make transactions with each other for the remainder of the season. Therefore, the Trade Deadline serves as an important time as the landscape of the league is often shaken up in rapid fashion, with events occurring quickly and rapidly.
As a result of these parameters, the NBA Trade Deadline often features huge, blockbuster trades that shake up the league for years to come. These five Trade Deadlines ended up being the biggest in NBA history.
5. 1996 Trade Deadline
This day was headlined by Tim Hardaway being traded to the Heat
Tim Hardaway was one of the better-known names of the 1990s, as he became a staple of the Golden State Warriors after they drafted him 14th overall in the 1989 NBA Draft. He would often lead them to playoff berths in the early 1990s, but the Warriors could not overcome better Western teams like the L.A. Lakers and Seattle SuperSonics.
Hardaway was not the problem, as he was a three-time All-Star with the Warriors, and their best player. But their constant failures led to the Warriors’ tough decision to trade Hardaway at the 1996 Trade Deadline.
On February 22, 1996, Hardaway was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kevin Willis and Bimbo Coles. The two players in return for Hardaway did not end up amounting to much, but Hardaway arguably got better with the Heat, averaging 17.2 points and 10 assists per game for the rest of the season, as opposed to the 14.1 points and 6.9 assists he averaged with Golden State.
1997 would see Hardaway greatly improve, as he would average 20.3 points per game and lead them to the Eastern Conference Finals that year. Although he would also not make it to the NBA Finals with the Heat, he still made two more All-Star rosters and led the Heat to six playoff appearances.
4. 2019 Trade Deadline
This day shook up the core of the league and made contenders into champions
2019 was an interesting time for the league, as it would end up straying from the stiff path of the past few years before it, by introducing some parity into the league. That came mostly courtesy of the Toronto Raptors defeating the dynastic Warriors in the NBA Finals, but the Raptors made strides a few months prior that would come into play.
The Raptors already featured a championship contending team in Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby. If any team was to beat the Warriors in the NBA Finals, it would be them, and that is exactly what happened.
That team was already magnificent on paper, but the Raptors decided to truly go for it rather than settling. They stole the show at the 2019 Trade Deadline by acquiring Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for C.J. Miles, Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, and a 2024 second-round pick
At the time, Gasol was averaging 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game, and he would go on to play a serviceable role off the bench to help propel the Raptors to their first title in franchise history.
The Raptors were not the only team to make strides at the 2019 Trade Deadline, however. The Philadelphia 76ers pulled up arguably the biggest trade of that day, when they acquired Tobias Harris from the L.A. Clippers. Harris was averaging 20.9 points and 7.9 rebounds that season, and would end up being a staple for them until 2024, when he was traded to the Detroit Pistons.
Other big moves also ended up occurring at that year’s Trade Deadline as well, such as Nikola Mirotić to the Milwaukee Bucks, Otto Porter Jr. to the Chicago Bulls (who was averaging 17.5 points per game before he fell off), Ivica Zubac to the Clippers, and Harrison Barnes to the Sacramento Kings while he was in the middle of a game.
3. 2022 Trade Deadline
The 2022 deadline was anchored by the James Harden blockbuster
The last time the NBA was significantly shaken up by a Trade Deadline trade was 2022, when a blockbuster went down that sent shockwaves not only through the basketball world, but the mainstream sports world as a whole. That was when the Brooklyn Nets traded James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons.
The trade was deeper than that, with the Nets sending Paul Millsap along with Harden and receiving Simmons, Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two draft picks. The trade was notable mostly for signifying the end of the Nets’ ill-fated big three era, which peaked the year prior.
Despite being extremely one-sided at the time in favor of the Sixers, the Harden trade ended up not working out for either side in the long run. Simmons was never able to stay healthy for the Nets (let’s see what happens this year) and Harden aided in leading the 76ers to a couple of second rounds, but never got them over the hump.
But the 2022 Trade Deadline was more than just the Harden trade. Tyrese Haliburton has become a staple for the Indiana Pacers, but what not many realize is that he was actually acquired from the Sacramento Kings at the 2022 Trade Deadline in exchange for Domantas Sabonis, who has himself become a staple of the Kings.
The 2022 deadline also saw the Boston Celtics acquire sharpshooter Derrick White. White would end up being a key factor in the Celtics’ appearance in the 2022 NBA Finals, which they lost, but would redeem himself two years later when he was instrumental in the Celtics’ 2024 NBA Finals victory.
2. 2023 Trade Deadline
The Nets once again headlined the 2023 Trade Deadline, but as sellers
The Nets found themselves at the forefront of the NBA during the first few years of the 2020s, for mixed reasons. They had a legitimate big three in 2021, then shipped Harden off in 2022, and when they realized the plan was not going to work, they completely sold off their pieces in 2023.
The 2023 Trade Deadline, therefore, was instrumental in forming the current landscape of the league today. The Nets traded Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns in what was a blockbuster trade involving the Bucks and Pacers. But the basis of the trade saw Durant go to Phoenix in exchange for Mikal Bridges.
That very same day, the Nets shipped off Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and three draft picks. The moves signified the official end of the Nets’ time in the spotlight, and a long rebuild that is currently ongoing would ensue.
Durant would end up becoming a mainstay for the Suns, joining Devin Booker and Bradley Beal to form a big three of their own (which has yet to work out). Meanwhile, Irving would join forces with Luka Dončić to create one of the league’s deadliest duos, a duo that led them to the 2024 NBA Finals
1. 2011 Trade Deadline
The trade of Carmelo Anthony sent shockwaves through the NBA
2011 was the wildest Trade Deadline in the history of the NBA, thanks to its numerous impactful transactions. But headlining it all was the rare event of the New York Knicks acquiring a star player they had long sought, and that was Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony ruled the NBA in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and the trade would end up trickling into today’s league. The Knicks gave up a haul for Anthony, and while he would lead them to a few playoff appearances, the team did not reach the promised land with him as they had hoped. He still became a Knicks icon and legend, though.
The trade was a 13-player blockbuster that primarily involved the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nuggets received a pick in the deal that they would eventually use to draft Jamal Murray, who would become a key component of their 2023 championship.
But the Anthony trade was not the only blockbuster to go down that day (although it was the biggest). The New Jersey Nets, in their penultimate season before relocating to Brooklyn, acquired Deron Williams from the Utah Jazz in exchange for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors, and two draft picks.
At the 2011 deadline, the Clippers also traded Baron Davis and a first-round pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. That first-round pick had less than a 2% chance of being the first overall pick — and of course it was, which the Cavaliers used to draft Kyrie Irving, and the rest is history.
Chris K is a writer and publisher who travels America, and loves doing it. He also loves pizza, video games, and sports, and can tell you a thing or two about each. Follow him on Twitter and on Medium to be informed of new articles.
