15 Biggest Trade Deadline Deals in NBA History

The 15 Biggest Trade Deadline Deals In NBA History

Trades have always been a fascination in every sport, not just the NBA. Every year fans and analysts have numerous trade options that sometimes make sense on paper, but don't produce on the court, and sometimes trades that don't make sense on paper, but work on the court.

The 2013-14 NBA season is quietly approaching the All-Star break, and the first thing that comes up with that event is the trade deadline. This year, names like Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics and Kyle Lowry from the Toronto Raptors are among the most rumored pieces to be traded.

The trade deadline is the primary time where teams can evaluate where their teams stand, and to decide whether to pull the trigger on certain players who the respective organizations feel can put their team over the top, or whether to stand pat and hope the current roster can get it done when it comes to the postseason.

Winning championships, while it is the main goal of every team coming into the season, is not the only main goal for teams when it comes to the trade deadline. Other factors including clearing salary cap space and dealing disgruntled players are also factors for teams to pull the trigger.

The greatest NBA trade deadline deals have resulted in postseason and championship success for both participants while most of the best trades have been completely one sided.

With the trade deadline shortly around the corner, here is my list of the 15 best trade deadline deals in NBA history.

Brian Kalchik is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @BrianKalchik, like him on Facebook or connect with him on Google.

15. Sam Cassell is traded to Milwaukee

Trade: Milwaukee Bucks get: Sam Cassell, Chris Gatling and Paul Grant; New Jersey Nets get: Stephon Marbury, Chris Carr, Bill Curley and Elliot Perry; Minnesota Timberwolves get: Terrell Brandon and Brian Evans.

Winner: Milwaukee. Cassell teamed with Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson in the early 2000s for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks were within one game of the 2001 NBA Finals, but lost Game 7 to the Philadelphia 76ers.

14. Jeff Hornacek goes to Utah

Trade: Philadelphia 76ers get Jeff Malone and a 1994 first round draft pick (B.J. Tyler); Utah Jazz get: Jeff Hornacek, Sean Green and a 1995 second round draft pick (Junior Burrough).

Winner: Utah. Hornacek was the missing ingredients that the Jazz needed in order to get to two consecutive NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998.

13. Tim Hardaway is traded to Miami

Trade: Golden State Warriors get: Bimbo Coles and Kevin Willis; Miami Heat get: Tim Hardaway and Chris Gatling.

Winner: Miami. Hardaway became the team's first great point guard in their young history. Teamed with coach Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning, the team was an annual playoff team, yet couldn't get it done.

12. Ron Artest is traded to Indiana

Trade: Chicago Bulls get: Travis Best, Norm Richardson, Jalen Rose and a 2002 second round draft pick (Lonny Baxter); Indiana Pacers get: Ron Artest, Brad Miller, Ron Mercer and Kevin Ollie.

Winner: Indiana. Artest became the defensive presence that the Pacers needed in order to contend in the East. With Artest, the Pacers reached the conference finals in 2004.

11. Kendrick Perkins is traded to Oklahoma City

Trade: Boston Celtics get: Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, cash and a 2012 first round draft pick (Fab Melo); Oklahoma City Thunder get: Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

Winner: Oklahoma City. Perkins became the veteran presence needed for a young team to advance in the playoffs. Perkins and the Thunder reached one conference championship appearance and an NBA finals appearance.

10. Baron Davis is traded to Golden State

Trade: Golden State Warriors get: Baron Davis; New Orleans Hornets get: Dale Davis and Speedy Claxton.

Winner: Golden State. Davis became the point guard that the Warriors needed to pull off the upset of the defending Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks in 2007.

9. Dikembe Mutombo is traded to Philadelphia

Trade: Atlanta Hawks get: Toni Kukoc, Nazr Mohammed, Theo Ratliff. and Pepe Sanchez; Philadelphia 76ers get: Dikembe Mutombo and Roshown McLeod.

Winner: Philadelphia: Mutombo's arrival that season made the 76ers a finals contender, where they ultimately lost to the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers, one of the best teams of all time.

8. Carmelo Anthony is traded to New York

Trade: New York Knicks get: Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Corey Brewer, Renaldo Balkman, Anthony Carter and Shelden Williams; Minnesota Timberwolves get: Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph and 2015 second-round pick; Denver Nuggets get: Danilo Gallinari, Raymond Felton, Wilson Chandler, Timofey Mozgov, Kosta Koufus a 2012 second-round pick, a 2013 second-round draft pick and a 2014 first-round draft pick.

Winner: Denver. While the Nuggets gave up the best player in this trade in Anthony, the duo of Gallinari (when healthy) and Chandler have helped Denver be a consistent playoff team. The main part of this trade was the 2014 first-round draft pick that, if the Knicks do poorly, will guarantee the Nuggets a great player out of this great upcoming class.

7. Mark Jackson is traded to Indiana

Trade: Denver Nuggets get: Vincent Askew, Eddie Johnson, a 1997 second round draft pick (Jason Lawson) and a 1998 second round draft pick (Tremaine Fowlkes); Indiana Pacers get: Mark Jackson and LaSalle Thompson.

Winner: Indiana. Jackson was the heart of the Pacers team that took the 1998 Bulls to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, nearly knocking off the defending champions.

6. Ray Allen is traded to Seattle

Trade: Milwaukee Bucks get: Desmond Mason and Gary Payton; Seattle Supersonics get: Ray Allen, Ronald Murray, Kevin Ollie and a 2003 first round draft pick (Luke Ridnour).

Winner: Seattle: Allen was not as good as he was with the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee or Miami, but Allen consistently put the Sonics in playoff contention before Allen was traded to Boston.

5. Kevin Johnson traded to Phoenix

Trade: Cleveland Cavaliers get: Larry Nance, Mike Sanders and a 1988 first round draft pick (Randolph Keys); Phoenix Suns get: Kevin Johnson, Tyrone Corbin, Mark West, a 1988 first round draft pick (Dan Majerle), a 1988 second round draft pick (Dean Garrett) and a 1989 second round draft pick (Greg Grant).

Winner: Phoenix: Johnson and Majerle became starters on the 1993 Phoenix Suns that were one of the best teams to never have won a championship.

4. Alex English traded to Denver

Trade: Denver Nuggets get: Alex English; Indiana Pacers get: George McGinnis.

Winner: English became a Hall of Famer with the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s as part of one of the highest scoring offenses in NBA history.

3. Pau Gasol traded to Los Angeles Lakers

Trade: Los Angeles Lakers get: Pau Gasol and a a 2010 second round draft pick (Devin Ebanks); Memphis Grizzlies get: Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Marc Gasol, a 2008 first round draft pick (Donte Greene) and a 2010 first round draft pick (Greivis Vasquez).

Winner: Los Angeles. Pau Gasol became the missing piece that allowed Kobe Bryant to win his fourth and fifth titles in 2009 and 2010.

2. Clyde Drexler traded to Houston

Trade: Houston Rockets get: Clyde Drexler and Tracy Murray; Portland Trail Blazers get: Otis Thorpe, Marcelo Nicola and a 1995 first round draft pick (Randolph Childress).

Winner: Houston. Drexler jolted the defending NBA champion Houston Rockets and his arrival led to their second consecutive title in 1995.

1. Rasheed Wallace traded to Detroit

Trade: Atlanta Hawks get: Chris Mills, Zeljko Rebraca, Bob Sura and a 2004 first round draft pick (Josh Smith); the Boston Celtics get Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter and a 2004 first round draft pick (Tony Allen); Detroit Pistons get: Rasheed Wallace and Mike James.

Winner: Detroit: Wallace was the missing piece that the Pistons needed to be a championship-caliber team in 2004. His arrival spurred the Pistons onto a championship upset of the Lakers. Wallace helped the Pistons reach another NBA Finals and three consecutive Eastern Conference finals from 2004-2008.