Monroe: Deal or No Deal

[duncan228]

Deal or No Deal
Mike Monroe

Suns All-Star big man Amare Stoudemire heard he might be headed to Cleveland or Miami before Thursday’s trade deadline. As often happens, neither of the rumored blockbuster trades happened.

It wasn’t the first time a player had expected to be packing his bags, only to wind up remaining on the team that shopped him around the league, and there are some great examples that prove the adage that the best trades often turn out to be the ones that don’t get made.

Express-News NBA writer Mike Monroe takes a look at some rumored trades that didn’t happen — and one that did, only to be rescinded — and how they worked out:

Horry for Elliott, 1994

This Rockets-Pistons deal-turned non-deal ultimately worked some championship magic for two teams. The trade was consummated and approved by the league office, but Sean Elliott failed the required physical exam in Detroit, and the Pistons called off the whole thing. Robert Horry (and Matt Bullard) went back to Houston, where he helped the Rockets win the 1994 NBA championship. It would be the first of back-to-back les for the Rockets and the first of seven championship rings Horry would earn. That summer, the Pistons would ship Elliott to the Spurs, where he would hit the most famous shot in club history and help them win the first of their four NBA les in 1999.

Barry for Smith, 2006

The Spurs acquiring J.R. Smith from the Hornets was so close to being done on deadline day in 2006 that Brent Barry was told not to join the Spurs on their charter flight to Memphis, where they were to play the next day. Had it not been for some hesitation on the part of the Hawks, brought into the deal as a third-party salary-cap helper, the trade would have been made. By the time the Hawks agreed, the deadline had passed by mere minutes. Barry remained a reliable bench contributor on the 2007 championship team, earning a second ring.

Worthy for Aguirre, Tarpley, 1986

Mavericks owner Donald Carter and Lakers owner Jerry Buss, prodded by Magic Johnson, had agreed to make this deal on draft night in 1986. Johnson and Mark Aguirre were close friends, and Roy Tarpley had shown the potential to be a dominant rebounder during his days at Michigan. According to reports, Lakers general manager Jerry West told Buss he would quit if the owner made the deal over his objections. Buss deferred, and “Big Game James” helped the Lakers win back-to-back les in 1987 and 1988. Tarpley’s career would crash and burn in a pile of substance abuse that got him banned from the league for life.

[Ice009]

It wasn't a trade deadline deal, but back in the 84 draft the Blazers and rockets were going to make a trade:

rockets trade Ralph sampson to the blazers for Drexler and the second pick. So Akeem would have been the first pick, but because of that the rockets would have drafted Jordan over Bowie. So The Dream, Drexler and MJ would have been on the rockets together.

. Hakeem, Jordan and Drexler all in their prime on the same team. WOW.