12 years ago today: 5 teams move 13 players in largest NBA trade ever
Trades involving multiple teams in the NBA are exceedingly complicated. Just ask the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets how much of a hassle it is these days as they struggle to find suitable partners to include in moving Carmelo Anthony.
On Aug. 2, 2005, five teams somehow managed to pull off what remains to this day the largest trade in league history, with 13 players and a litany of draft picks being shuffled as a result.
Brace yourselves:
- Miami Heat received Antoine Walker (Celtics), Jason Williams (Grizzlies), James Posey (Grizzlies), Andre Emmett (Grizzlies), and draft rights to Roberto Duenas (Hornets)
- Memphis Grizzlies received Eddie Jones (Heat) and Raul Lopez (Jazz)
- New Orleans Hornets received Rasual Butler (Heat) and Kirk Snyder (Jazz)
- Boston Celtics received Qyntel Woods (Heat), Curtis Borchardt (Jazz), the draft rights to Albert Miralles (Heat), a 2006 second-round pick (Heat), and a conditional second round pick (Heat)
- Utah Jazz received Greg Ostertag (Grizzlies)
The Heat emerged as the real winners here, walking away with a number of assets that helped catapult them to the championship in 2005-06. The crown jewel of it all was Walker, who was a multiple-time All-Star and was coming off a season in which he averaged 19.1 points, nine rebounds, and 3.4 assists across 77 games with both the Celtics and Atlanta Hawks.
In South Beach, both Walker and Williams started all 23 of the Heat's playoff outings their first year with the franchise, and were the biggest contributors outside of Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. Posey was no slouch either, with his outside shooting and defense on the wing paying dividends more often than not.