3 best NBA trade deadline deals of the 1990s: Mark Jackson arrives in Indiana, Jazz acquire Jeff Hornacek, and more
The NBA trade deadline has been in place since 1947, but deals can only be tracked back to 1987. The league sets the deadline at every 16th Thursday of the season at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, which means that this season's trade deadline is on Feb. 9.
While there have been trade records from 1987 to 1989, there were no significant deadline deals in that span. But one notable trade did happen in 1988 when the the Cleveland Cavaliers sent Kevin Johnson to the Phoenix Suns.
The Cavaliers traded Johnson, Tyrone Corbin, Mark West, a first-round pick and two second-round picks to the Suns in exchange for Larry Nance, Mike Sanders and a second-round pick.
With that out of the way, let's take a look at three of the best trade deadline deals of the 1990s. It should be noted that these trades happened at the trade deadline itself and not before.
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3 best NBA trade deadline deals of the 1990s
Honorable Mention: Stephon Marbury lands in New Jersey in wild 3-team trade
The New Jersey Nets, Milwaukee Bucks and Minnesota Timberwolves completed a wild three-team deal at the 1999 NBA trade deadline. The Nets received the best player in the trade in Stephon Marbury, while the Timberwolves got a package led by Terrell Brandon and the Bucks received Sam Cassell along with a few players.
Marbury became a star in New Jersey, becoming an All-NBA third-team guard in 2000 and an All-Star in 2001. However, his stay with the Nets lasted two and a half seasons. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the Jason Kidd deal in the 2001 offseason.
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#3 Miami Heat get Tim Hardaway from Golden State
The Golden State Warriors parted ways with Tim Hardaway in 1996, sending him and Chris Gatling to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kevin Willis and Bimbo Coles. It was a lopsided trade since Hardaway was already a three-time All-Star at the time.
It was a great trade for the Heat since Hardaway became one of the best players in franchise history. He led Miami to the Eastern Conference finals in 1997, but they lost to the almighty Chicago Bulls in five games. The Heat retired his No. 10 jersey in 2009, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame last year.
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#2 Mark Jackson goes to Indiana for a second time
The Indiana Pacers acquired Mark Jackson from the LA Clippers in the 1994 offseason, but shipped him to the Denver Nuggets after two seasons. After spending half a season in Denver, the Pacers traded for Jackson at the 1997 deadline.
Jackson facilitated the Pacers' success in the late 1990s leading them to a 2000 NBA Finals berth. Indiana made it to the Eastern Conference three straight times from 1998 to 2000. The Pacers put up a fight against Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals, but the Lakers won the championship in six games.
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#1 Jazz acquire Jeff Hornacek from Philadelphia 76ers
The Utah Jazz made one of the most important trades in their team's history in the 1994 deadline. They traded Jeff Malone and a conditional first-round pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jeff Hornacek, Sean Green and a future second-round pick.
While Hornacek was a one-time All-Star at the time of the trade, he was not a household name in the league. However, Hornacek became an integral part of the Utah's two straight trips to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998, wherein they lost to the Chicago Bulls both times.
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