Ranking The Five Biggest Trade Deadline Deals In NBA History

The 2026 NBA trade deadline has officially come and gone, and while the saying goes “deadlines make deals,” this year’s deadline was actually relatively quiet compared to those in the past.

Sure, the Los Angeles Clippers went into rebuild mode by sending James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Washington Wizards loaded up on aging and injured stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis, but both LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo stayed put, as did Ja Morant.

Sure, Harden going to Cleveland could make them the favorites in a wide-open Eastern Conference, but that’s far from a given.

The relatively tame deadline got us thinking, however, back to some of the biggest and most influential trade deadline deals in NBA history. And we decided to count some of them down.

5) The Brooklyn Nets Acquire Kevin Garnett And Paul Pierce (2013)

Not only did Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett help the Boston Celtics return to the top of the NBA with a championship in 2008, but the two Hall of Famers are also a large reason why the Celtics are still among the league’s elite today.

With their primes behind them and the Celtics beginning to falter, the team took advantage of an over-eager, new-to-Brooklyn Nets team, who sent a jaw-dropping three first-round picks and a pick swap to Boston, in addition to several role players, for Garnett and Pierce.

The move backfired badly for Brooklyn, as neither aging star lived up to expectations, with Pierce traded to the Washington Wizards in 2014, and Garnett going back to the Timberwolves in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Celtics used two of the picks to acquire current superstars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who led the team to another championship in 2024.

4) The Detroit Pistons Land Rasheed Wallace On The Way To A Championship (2004)

By the time the 2004 NBA trade deadline rolled around, the Detroit Pistons had already established themselves as one of the best teams in the league.

Led by Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, a stifling defense highlighted by Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince, and a pair of veteran guards who could both score in Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton, the Pistons were a force to be reckoned with.

But there was a piece missing.

Former NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace played just one game for the Atlanta Hawks after coming over from the Portland Trail Blazers before he was dealt again.

This time, Wallace was part of a three-team deal that sent him to the Detroit Pistons alongside Mike James, who came over from the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics received Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter, and a first-round pick that went on to become Tony Allen, while the Hawks landed Bob Sura, Željko Rebrača, Chris Mills, and their own first-round pick that became Josh Smith.

Meanwhile, Wallace immediately fit in with Detroit.

He slotted in next to Wallace and Prince to form the league’s best front court, and Detroit went on to win an NBA Championship, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

3) The Gasol Brothers Swap Teams (2008)

In 2007, with Kobe Bryant at the peak of his career, the Los Angeles Lakers went crashing out in the first round of the NBA players.

Bryant, unhappy with the team Los Angeles had put around him, asked for a trade. The Lakers nearly sent Bryant to Detroit; however, he shot down the deal via a no-trade clause, declaring himself a “Laker for life.”

Despite the declaration, he kept the pressure on Los Angeles’ front office, and they soon delivered.

On Feb. 4, 2008, with the Lakers sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, they went out and made a swing for the fences. Los Angeles traded Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol, and two first-round picks to Memphis for Pau Gasol and a second-round pick.

Pau and Kobe fit like a glove, as the Lakers made it to the NBA Finals, although they did fall to the Boston Celtics. Los Angeles returned to the finals in both 2009 and 2010, winning both, and securing the Hall of Fame legacy of not only Bryant but also Gasol.

2) The Houston Rockets Add Clyde Drexler To An Already Loaded Team (1995)

With Michael Jordan out of the picture, playing Minor League Baseball, the Houston Rockets, led by legend Hakeem Olajuwon, won their first NBA Championship in 1994.

But by the time the trade deadline rolled around the following season, the Houston sat in fifth in the NBA Western Conference standings.

Lucky for them, superstar forward Clyde Drexler had made it clear that he wanted out of Portland.

Houston pounced on the opportunity, sending Otis Thorpe, the draft rights to Marcelo Nicole, and a first-round pick to the Blazers in exchange for Drexler and Tracy Murray.

The move sent Drexler back to Houston, where he and Olajuwon played alongside one another in college.

Drexler immediately gave the Rockets a shot in the arm. He averaged 21 points per game down the stretch, and then helped the Rockets win a record nine road playoff victories, as they knocked off four 50-win teams en route to a second consecutive NBA Championship

In the NBA Finals, Drexler averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 6.8 assists as the Rockets swept Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, and the Orlando Magic.

1) The Los Angeles Lakers Acquire Luka Doncic For Pennies On The Dollar (2025)

Maybe it’s recency bias. Maybe it doesn’t work out. But when the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Luka Doncic, already a five-time first-team All-NBA selection, alongside Maxi Kleber, Markieff Morris, for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a first-round pick at the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the entire sports world was stunned.

One year prior, Doncic carried the Dallas Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals. Now, he was getting moved for a player in Davis that many assumed would never stay healthy again, as well as a role player in Christie and a late first-round pick.

Now, a year later, Davis has already been shipped to Washington after playing just 29 games in a Mavs uniform. The centerpieces of Davis’ move to Washington are the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2026 first-round pick, which could well be 30th overall, and the Golden State Warriors’ top-20-protected pick in 2030.

Doncic, meanwhile, was just named to his sixth NBA All-Star Game, the Lakers are 30-19, and the Slovenian superstar looks like the centerpiece of the organization in the post-LeBron James Era, whenever that comes.