Hoops Habit
Fansided

Each NBA team’s best trade in franchise history

By Christopher Jeter

(Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser /NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser /NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Oklahoma City Thunder

Detlef Schrempf for Derrick McKey and Gerald Paddio to IND (1993)

It feels weird talking about the Seattle SuperSonics in this space considering, well, you know. But most of the Thunder’s trades over the last decade have primarily benefitted the teams on the other end — except the hopeless Orlando Magic — so none of those seemed like a natural fit here.

So, let’s head back to the thick of the Michael Jordan Bulls dynasty. By this point, Schrempf, who was drafted eighth overall by the Dallas Mavericks in 1985 and traded to the Indiana Pacers three-and-a-half seasons later, used the uptick in minutes he received from his second team to establish himself as a second-tier star wing who could operate as the fulcrum of an offense in a pinch and provide some floor spacing during a time when that sort of thing wasn’t a priority. Think of him as a 90s Peja Stojacovich or a better version of Joe Ingles.

That’s who the Sonics acquired in 1993 for two players that you would only know if you were a diehard Sonics fan or really enjoyed browsing through the Basketball Reference website. So they bring Schrempf in to play with Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp — among other good players — and he proceeded to have his best season as a pro in 1993-94, posting a .260 WS/48 (we won’t discuss what happened to the Sonics in the first round of that postseason).

The success continued over the next five seasons to the tune of 16.6 points and .178 WS/48, helping the Sonics win 64 games in 1995-96 and giving the 72-win Bulls a six-game fight in the NBA Finals.