Revisiting The Last Five NBA Trade Deadlines

The NBA’s 2018 trade deadline is now just 15 days away. A ton of players have already been mentioned in trade rumors, and many teams around the league are reportedly looking to buy or sell, but some NBA reporters have recently cited sources who believe that it may ultimately be a quiet deadline.

Of course, “quiet” is a relative term. Even if there are no franchise-altering deals completed at this year’s deadline, we should still expect to see several trades get done. After all, none of the last five NBA deadlines have featured fewer than eight deadline-day swaps, and there have always been a couple more moves made in the two weeks leading up to the deadline as well. In some years, those trades are just a little more interesting.

As we wait to see how eventful the 2018 trade deadline will be, let’s take a look back at the last five deadlines to get some context for what kind of activity we can expect this time around…

2017

• Deadline-day trades: 8
• Other trades in two weeks before deadline: 6
• Most notable players moved: DeMarcus Cousins (to Pelicans); Serge Ibaka (to Raptors); Jusuf Nurkic (to Trail Blazers); Lou Williams (to Rockets)
• Last season’s trade deadline actually ended up being pretty active, with plenty of moves being made before deadline day arrived. One All-NBA big man (Cousins) was traded in an unexpected blockbuster, with several other impact players on the move too. Cousins, Ibaka, and Williams netted first-round picks for the Kings, Magic, and Lakers, respectively, as did Bojan Bogdanovic for the Nets. The Blazers actually landed a first-rounder along with Nurkic in their swap with the Nuggets.

2016

• Deadline-day trades: 8
• Other trades in two weeks before deadline: 2
• Most notable players moved: Tobias Harris (to Pistons); Markieff Morris (to Wizards); Jeff Green (to Clippers)
• No massive deals went down at the 2016 deadline, though there were a few interesting moves, including one that ultimately didn’t happen — the Pistons, Rockets, and Sixers completed a three-way trade that included Donatas Motiejunas and a first-round pick, but the deal was voided due to the results of Motiejunas’ physical. The Grizzlies and Suns secured first-round picks for Green and Morris, respectively, while the Cavaliers sent a first-rounder to the Trail Blazers in order to dump Anderson Varejao‘s contract.

2015

• Deadline-day trades: 12
• Other trades in two weeks before deadline: 2
• Most notable players moved: Isaiah Thomas (to Celtics); Goran Dragic (to Heat); Reggie Jackson (to Pistons); Enes Kanter (to Thunder); Brandon Knight (to Suns); Will Barton (to Nuggets)
• 2015 was one of the most eventful deadlines in recent memory, with a dozen trades completed on the season’s final day for deals. Point guard trades ruled the day, with some of those acquisitions turning out better than others — the Celtics were certainly happy to give up Marcus Thornton and a protected first-round pick for Thomas, but the Suns and Bucks probably regret the three-way deal that sent Knight to Phoenix and Michael Carter-Williams to Milwaukee. That trade saw the Sixers acquire the future Lakers first-rounder that they ultimately used to move up for Markelle Fultz. In total, eight first-round picks changed hands in these 14 trades.

2014

• Deadline-day trades: 9
• Other trades in two weeks before deadline: 2
• Most notable players moved: Evan Turner (to Pacers); Andre Miller (to Wizards); Spencer Hawes (to Cavaliers)
• While 2014’s deadline was reasonably busy, most of the deals were modest moves — the fact that no first-round picks were involved in any of these trades reflects how quiet the deadline was. The Pacers‘ acquisition of Turner was probably the most notable deal, since Indiana parted ways with its longest-tenured player, Danny Granger, in that swap. Granger had spent his entire nine-year career with the Pacers at that point, but only played another 42 NBA games after being traded.

2013

• Deadline-day trades: 10
• Other trades in two weeks before deadline: 2
• Most notable players moved: J.J. Redick (to Bucks); Thomas Robinson (to Rockets); Marcus Morris (to Suns); Jordan Crawford (to Celtics)
• Robinson and Morris aren’t necessarily household names now and weren’t at the time, but the deals involving them were noteworthy since they were recent lottery picks — Morris was selected 14th in 2011, while Robinson was the fifth overall pick in 2012. Overall though, it was another deadline lacking in blockbusters, as no first-round picks changed hands in these 12 swaps. The Raptors‘ acquisition of Rudy Gay, which happened about three weeks before the 2013 deadline, was probably the biggest in-season move of the year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.