NBA Trade Deadline: Top 10 deadline trades of all time
By Daniel Tran
3. The Seattle Supersonics dumps Gary Payton for a younger model
Do you remember when you bought your first new car? The cabin was fresh with that new car smell and the leather was still nice and taut as you parked your rear end into the driver’s seat with a huge smile on your face, ready to break in that new engine and push the car to the limit. That is how it was the Seattle Supersonics with Gary Payton.
Pairing Shawn Kemp and Payton together, the Supersonics used their superstar duo to win multiple Pacific Division titles and even brought the Sonics to their first NBA Finals since Lenny Wilkens and Dennis Johnson won the NBA Championship in 1979. However, when Kemp left and the money in Seattle beginning to dry up, the front office was left with an aging Gary Payton and a team that was good but never great.
With Gary Payton still producing 20.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 8.8 assists in 2003, the Sonics decided to deal the 34-year-old point guard and Desmond Mason at the NBA trade deadline to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for a younger star named Ray Allen, Kevin Ollie, Ronald Murray and either one first-round draft pick or two second-round draft picks in the upcoming draft. The Sonics had a new car to drive their team.
Though Payton was advanced in age, his numbers were still all-star worth and he helped take the Bucks to the NBA Playoffs. Ray Allen would go on to become one of the greatest shooters of all time, making a then-record 269 three-point field goals during the 2005-06 season and was a four-time all-star with the Sonics.
Next: The 76ers find sidekick for Iverson