Top Five February Acquisitions
The five most impactful acquisitions for the NBA's stretch run.
As the NBA trade deadline nears, I thought I’d revisit my list of the top five February acquisitions. My primary rule for assembling this list was the following: the player had to have an impact in the season the deal was made (i.e., trades for future draft picks who turned out to be stars did not count). Also, the team’s postseason success mattered, which eliminated players like Ray Allen with the 2002-03 Seattle SuperSonics (did not make the playoffs) and Carmelo Anthony with the 2010-11 New York Knicks (swept in the first round).
With that said, here we go…
5. Jeff Hornacek, 1993-94 Jazz
The sweet-shooting Hornacek was acquired by the Utah Jazz from the Philadelphia 76ers on February 24, 1994, a trade that would give the Jazz one of the best backcourts in the NBA for the next six seasons.
Although Hornacek started just nine of his 27 games with Utah after the trade, he averaged 30.6 MPG, 14.6 PPG, and 3.9 APG with shooting splits of 51/43/89. He continued his solid play in the postseason, where he led the team in field goal percentage (47.5%), 3-point field goal percentage (44.1%), and free throw percentage (91.2%); and finished second in scoring (15.4 PPG), assists (4.0 APG), and steals (1.5 SPG).
Despite entering the playoffs as a five seed, the Jazz advanced all the way to the Western Conference finals, where they lost to the eventual champion Houston Rockets in five games.
After a first round playoff exit in 1995, the Jazz advanced to the conference finals in each of their next three seasons, including two trips to the NBA Finals (where they lost to the Chicago Bulls both times).
4. Dikembe Mutombo, 2000-01 Sixers
Fresh off his seventh All-Star Game selection, Mutombo was traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Philadelphia 76ers in a blockbuster deal on February 22, 2001. Mutombo had finished in the top three of the Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of the previous seven seasons (winning three times), a streak which eventually reached eight seasons (including his fourth win in 2000-01).
At the time of the deal, the Sixers were the runaway leaders in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41-14. Although they went just 15-12 after the trade, it was through no fault of Mutombo, who averaged 11.7 PPG, 12.4 RPG, and 2.5 BPG.
Mutombo continued to play well in the postseason — he averaged 13.9 PPG, 13.7 RPG, and a playoff-high 3.1 BPG — as the Sixers survived two tense seven-game series with the Toronto Raptors (conference semifinals) and Milwaukee Bucks (conference finals) to advance to the NBA Finals.
In Game 1 of the Finals, the Sixers handed the Los Angeles Lakers their first loss of the playoffs, but it was all downhill from there, as the Lakers won four straight games to claim the title.
Mutombo spent only one more season in Philadelphia, but it wasn’t a particularly memorable one. The Sixers went just 43-39 in the regular season and lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs.
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3. Rasheed Wallace, 2003-04 Pistons
Wallace was actually traded twice within an 11-day span, first from the Portland Trail Blazers to the Atlanta Hawks on February 9, 2004, and then from the Hawks to the Detroit Pistons on February 19, 2004. Trivia time: Wallace is one of only six players in NBA history with at least 1,000 career games played to appear in exactly one game with a franchise:
Walt Bellamy (Jazz)
Tom Chambers (Sixers)
Jamal Crawford (Nets)
Rasheed Wallace (Hawks)
Mark West (Bucks)
Herb Williams (Raptors)
The Pistons had a solid record of 34-22 before Wallace arrived, but after the trade they caught fire, winning 20 of their final 26 games. Wallace was a big part of that run, with averages of 13.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.0 BPG.
Wallace’s postseason numbers almost mirrored his regular season numbers (13.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 2.0 BPG) as the Pistons defeated the heavily-favored Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 in the NBA Finals to claim the third championship in franchise history.
The Pistons advanced to the Finals once again in 2005, where they lost a hard-fought seven-game series to the San Antonio Spurs. They proceeded to make the conference finals in each of the following three seasons, but did not make another NBA Finals appearance.
2. Clyde Drexler, 1994-95 Rockets
An eight-time All-Star with the Portland Trail Blazers, Drexler grew disenchanted with the direction of the franchise and asked to be traded to a contender. That request was granted on February 14, 1995, when he was sent to the defending champion Houston Rockets.
Drexler played quite well for the Rockets — he averaged 21.4 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 4.4 APG with shooting splits of 51/36/81 — but the team went just 17-18 in those games and entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Western Conference.
In the Western Conference playoffs, the Rockets won a close first round matchup with the Utah Jazz (3-2), came back from a 3-1 deficit in the conference semifinals to defeat the Phoenix Suns (4-3), and won a tough conference finals over the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs (4-2).
The NBA Finals was a relative breeze by comparison, as the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic to claim their second consecutive title. Drexler put up numbers in the postseason that were fairly typical (for him, anyway): 20.5 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 5.0 APG.
Drexler spent three more seasons in Houston, but did not make a return trip to the Finals. The Rockets did advance to the Western Conference finals again in 1997, but they lost a six-game series to the Utah Jazz.
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1. Pau Gasol, 2007-08 Lakers
Gasol spent the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies, but on February 1, 2008 he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that included his brother Marc, whose rights were sent to Memphis. Gasol had reached the postseason three times with the Grizzlies, but each appearance ended with him on the wrong end of a four-game sweep.
Gasol averaged 18.8 PPG, 7.8 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in 27 games with the Lakers, shooting 58.9% from the field and 78.9% from the free throw line. The team splits with and without Gasol that season are striking:
With: 22-5 (.815), 110.4 PPG, +11.6 DIFF
Without: 35-20 (.636), 107.7 PPG, +5.1 DIFF
The Lakers stood in fifth place in the conference standings at the time of the trade, but finished the regular season as the top seed in the Western Conference.
Gasol continued to play well in the playoffs, where he averaged 16.9 PPG and 9.3 RPG, leading all players in blocks with 40. However, the Lakers fell just short of a championship, bowing to the Boston Celtics in six games in the NBA Finals.
This was only the beginning, though, as the Lakers and Gasol advanced to the NBA Finals in each of the next two seasons, winning both times. Gasol was an All-NBA Third Team selection in 2008-09 and 2009-10, and earned a Second Team nod in 2010-11.
Excellent choices, Justin!