Trades are a great way to shake up a season in professional sports. Teams that are out of contention can sell off an asset to build for the future, and a team on the cusp of greatness could swoop in and add the final missing piece right before the trade deadline.
We are looking back at 5 of the most memorable last-minute deals that shocked the sports world when they happened.
1987: Eric Dickerson to the Indianapolis Colts
The NFL may be the most popular league, but it is not known for a lot of huge trades right at the deadline. Teams like to make their biggest moves in March and April during free agency and the draft. Fitting a new player into a team during the season can be very difficult, though we’ve seen the 2021 Rams pull it off with Von Miller coming over from Denver to help them win the Super Bowl.
But in the 1980s, the Rams also made a move to get rid of a star player who was having years of contract disputes with the team. Eric Dickerson is one of the greatest running backs of all time, and we probably do not talk about him enough like we do Barry Sanders, Walter Payton, and Jim Brown.
But Dickerson was incredible right out of the gate. He rushed for 1,808 yards as a rookie in 1983 and set the single-season rushing record with 2,105 yards in 1984. He won another rushing title in 1986 and was poised to be the best back in the game in that window between the greatness of Payton and later Barry Sanders.
However, Dickerson was not pleased with his contract. During the player’s strike of 1987, the Rams moved him in October in a blockbuster trade involving 3 teams.
The Colts traded linebacker Cornelius Bennett to the Bills for multiple 1st-round picks and running back Greg Bell.
The Colts then moved Bell to the Rams for Dickerson and an exchange of more draft picks.
Dickerson still proved to be an excellent runner for the Colts, and in his first full season with the team in 1988, he won his 4th rushing title with 1,659 yards. But by 1990, Dickerson was 30 and started slowing down. He never rushed for more than 729 yards in his final 4 seasons, but he finished his career with 13,259 rushing yards and was a no-brainer Hall of Fame selection.
But the Rams did not fare poorly from the big trade thanks to running backs being so replaceable. Greg Bell stepped in and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns in 1988 (16) and 1989 (15). The team won double-digit games both years and was in the 1989 NFC Championship Game.
1989: Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings
It is still the biggest trade in NFL history involving 18 players, many of which were valuable draft picks that Dallas accumulated to build a dynasty under head coach Jimmy Johnson.
While the Eric Dickerson trade was still fresh in NFL fan’s minds, this was still an era where running backs were kings and treated as the centerpiece to most offenses. Herschel Walker was considered the best player in Dallas, which was going through a transition period after new owner Jerry Jones fired Tom Landry, the only coach the team ever knew since 1960, and hired his old college buddy Johnson.
The Cowboys knew they were going to need a roster overhaul, so on October 12 right before the trade deadline, the Cowboys pulled off a massive haul in sending Walker to the Minnesota Vikings along with 4 mid-round draft picks.
In return, the Cowboys received 4 veteran players, which turned into 8 draft picks as there were conditional picks based on the Cowboys releasing those veterans after the season, which Minnesota did not think Dallas would do.
In the end, Dallas had 3 picks in the 1st round and 3 picks in the 2nd round from this draft. They used these picks to acquire players such as Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, and Darren Woodson. Smith went on to become the all-time leading rusher in NFL history.
While Dallas did finish 1-15 in 1989, it soon was in the playoffs and by 1992, the Cowboys won a Super Bowl. They won 2 more Super Bowls with this core roster. Meanwhile, the Vikings never won a playoff game with Walker, and he was on a different team (Eagles) by 1992.
Not only is it the biggest and most famous trade in NFL history, but it is also one of the most lopsided trades in NFL history.
1995: Clyde Drexler to the Houston Rockets
Clyde Drexler was a star player for the Portland Trail Blazers for over a decade after they drafted him in 1983. He led some great teams to the playoffs, but Portland was never quite able to get over the hump – namely Michael Jordan and the Bulls – to win a championship.
In the 1994-95 season, the Trail Blazers were having a mediocre season and did not expect to contend for the title that year. Drexler still had the desire to win a championship and requested a trade to a real contender. On February 14, 1995, the Trail Blazers traded Drexler just before the trade deadline to the Houston Rockets, who were seeking back-to-back championships under the great Hakeem Olajuwon.
Portland received Otis Thorpe, draft rights to Marcelo Nicola, and a 1st-round pick in 1995. But the winner here was clearly Drexler, who averaged a solid 20.5 points per game that postseason to help Olajuwon and the Rockets claim their 2nd title in a row.
Drexler shot 48.1% from the field in the playoffs, his best postseason run of his career in that regard. Drexler also played his final 3 seasons with Houston, making 2 more All-Star teams in the process.
Portland fans are hoping history does not repeat itself in the 2020s as longtime star Damian Lillard left in an offseason trade to the Milwaukee Bucks this year in the hopes of winning a championship and helping Giannis Antetokounmpo to his 2nd ring.
2008: Marian Hossa to the Pittsburgh Penguins
Sometimes you just have to make a bold move. The Pittsburgh Penguins were building something special in the 2000s with the young core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang.
The Penguins ended their 4-year playoff drought with an appearance in the 2007 Stanely Cup playoffs, but they were quickly knocked out in the 1st round by Ottawa. In the 2007-08 season, the Penguins were a top offense again, but right at the trade deadline in February, they made a big move in acquiring Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers.
The trade also included Pascal Dupuis, who would become a key contributor to the Penguins over the next 9 seasons. Hossa and Dupuis played with Crosby and gave the Penguins an even stronger top line.
Hossa only ended up playing 12 regular-season games for the Penguins, but he was there for the playoff run. Hossa had by far the best postseason of his career in 2008 with 12 goals and 14 assists for Pittsburgh. He scored a game-winning goal in overtime to eliminate the Rangers in the semifinals round.
Hossa’s efforts helped the Penguins reach the Stanely Cup Finals, but they fell in 6 games to the stronger Detroit Red Wings. This led to one of the more amusing stories in NHL lore when Hossa declined a long-term contract from the Penguins and decided to take a 1-year deal for slightly more money with Detroit, the team that just ended his season.
As fate would have it, the Penguins and Red Wings (with Hossa on their side) met the very next year in a rematch for the Stanely Cup. The Penguins rallied back from a 2-0 series deficit to win a dramatic Game 7 in Detroit, leaving Hossa on the losing side in both years. However, Hossa joined the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2009-10 season where he finally won a championship.
2011: Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks
Going back to his one magical year at Syracuse, Carmelo Anthony was always a big deal for basketball fans. After going No. 3 to Denver in that famous 2003 draft class headlined by LeBron James, Anthony quickly turned into a big-time scorer who led the Nuggets to the playoffs in 7 straight seasons.
But playoff success was not to be found, and Anthony was reportedly seeking a trade with New York his preferred destination. Just before the February trade deadline, Anthony was dealt to the Knicks in a big 3-team trade that also sent Chauncey Billups to New York with him.
Denver received multiple draft picks in addition to Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mosgov, and Wilson Chandler. Minnesota was the 3rd team involved and it received Eddy Curry, Anthony Randolph, and a 2015 2nd-round pick from the Knicks.
Clearly, the Knicks got the best of the deal, and the New York hype was real for Anthony. Of course, Knicks fans will hype anything that gives them hope. But Anthony stayed committed and spent 7 seasons with the team. He averaged 24.7 points per game after averaging 24.8 with Denver, so he gave them some of his best years.
But in 2011 after the trade happened, the Knicks were swept by a much stronger Boston team in the 1st round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Knicks were also bounced in the 1st round the next year, but in 2013, they did at least win a playoff series against Boston with Anthony shining before losing in the semifinals to Indiana.
At least for Knicks fans, it’s always the next move that will be the one that delivers a title. But Anthony’s crossover to the Eastern Conference was a buzz-worthy moment, as the league looked for answers to who was going to stop LeBron James after he joined the Miami Heat in 2010.
