The NBA Trade Deadline is just hours away, as it is set for 3 p.m. ET.
Of course, this is the time general managers are analyzing their teams, trying to determine if they have enough depth for a playoff run.
Other teams are stripping down their teams in order to gain future assets, like draft picks or young players.
No matter what circumstance, the Trade Deadline is always interesting.
In the history of the NBA, there have been some blockbuster deadline deals.
Some have more impact than others. On one hand, some trades take a team over the top. On the other hand, some trades fail, leaving them without answers.
The following trades are our picks for the all-time best NBA Trade Deadline deal in no particular order. Read below and decide the winner:
1. (2001) Dikembe Mutombo to Philadelphia 76ers; Toni Kukoc, Nazr Mohammed, Pepe Sanchez and Theo Ratliff to the Atlanta Hawks
This trade was a blockbuster for a few reasons. First, Mutombo was in the height of his career, as he would go on to win his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award. Along with Allen Iverson (the league’s MVP in ’01) the 76ers were able to make a run to the NBA Finals where they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers. Mutombo stayed with the 76ers for one additional season, while the quartet the Hawks acquired never made a huge impact on the franchise.
2. (2004) Rasheed Wallace to Detroit Pistons; Lindsey Hunter, Chucky Atkins and a first round pick to the Boston Celtics; Zeljko Rebraca, Bob Sura, Chris Mills and a first round pick to the Atlanta Hawks
This trade had championship level effects as well. Wallace went on to form a core four of Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Ben Wallace with the Pistons that went to back-to-back NBA Finals. That includes a title just a few months after Wallace was acquired. The Celtics and Hawks essentially acquired role players and future picks in the draft to build their future teams.
3. (2008) Pau Gasol to Los Angeles Lakers; Kwame Brown, Jarvis Crittenton, Aaron McKie, draft rights to Marc Gasol and two first round picks to Memphis Grizzlies
This trade was huge in both impact and size. For the Lakers, Gasol filled a Shaquille O’Neal-sized hole near the rim, and helped form a dynamic duo with Kobe Bryant that helped win back-to-back NBA Finals. On the Grizzlies’ side, they acquired the draft rights to Marc Gasol, who has played at an All-Star for the Grizzlies for a few seasons. This was a case of a team moving a player for the best value they could before he left the franchise for nothing. It could be argued that this trade worked out for both teams, but the Lakers walked away with two rings to show.
4. (1995) Clyde Drexler & Tracy Murray to Houston Rockets; Otis Thorpe, Marcelo Nicola and a first round pick to the Trail Blazers
Drexler went on to continue his Hall-of-Fame career with the Rockets, teaming with Hakeem Olajuwon to bring the Rockets the Larry O’Brien trophy in 1995. Drexler went on to play three more seasons with the Rockets, while the Trail Blazers never capitalized on their side of the trade.
While each of these trades was different, all involved teams trying to make title runs.
Our question is, out of the above deals, which is the all-time best NBA Trade Deadline trade?