If you take a little time and dig through NBA history, certain days in the summer tend to feature the most blockbuster signings and trades. And July 11 is a day featuring quite a few trades in 2007 and 2012.
Rashard Lewis to the Magic
The NBA career of Rashard Lewis was one that we look back on with great admiration. He was drafted straight out of high school and didn’t get too many minutes over his first two years in Seattle. But from his third year until his ninth and final year there, he started all but two games he appeared in.
Lewis was an effective scorer with Gary Payton initially and then formed a strong tandem with Ray Allen. He was traded to the Magic 13 years ago on this date for only a second-round pick. Coming off a year in which he had averaged a career-high 22 points per game.
That trade was highway robbery. Seattle was rebuilding, but still. Yikes.
Steve Nash to the Lakers
The Lakers decided to bring one of the best floor generals in the game to Los Angeles to play alongside Kobe Bryant, two years after the Chris Paul deal fell through. They traded two first- and second-round draft picks to the Suns to make it happen. The day the trade broke eight years ago, it was a big deal.
It is too bad that Nash was hardly able to stay on the floor with Los Angeles. He and Bryant both dealt with various injuries during their time together, so the number of minutes they shared was very minimal. They brought in Nash along with Dwight Howard, and it seemed big things were going to be ahead.
The season was very underwhelming, and they were hardly healthy by the end. But Nash’s acquisition still made waves the day of the deal.
Nets Add Joe Johnson
The trade became official the same day as the Nash acquisition. The Nets traded five low-impact players and two draft picks to the Hawks to acquire Joe Johnson. He was leading the Hawks for several years prior with a great core group, and his fit with the Nets worked out well.
He spent several seasons in Brooklyn, helping them to playoff success and keeping his team as a regular in the postseason. He hit game-winner after game-winner and was a huge fan favorite. Johnson is a guy that knew what it took to win, having been apart of the Hawks long playoff streak in the years prior.
He spent three and a half years with the Nets overall, before going to the Heat. He made his seventh and final All-Star Game there, giving them some added credibility.
He got to be part of one of the most over-hyped starting fives we have ever seen. He partnered with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez, plus the veteran Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.
And so we remember July 11 eight years ago, when Brooklyn pulled the trigger to bring Johnson in. Good times. Good times.
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