Portland Trail Blazers: 4 little-known trades that would have altered history

Portland Trail Blazers: Four little-known trades that would have altered franchise history

PORTLAND, OR - JANUARY 27: Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics drives againstof the Portland Trail Blazers on January 27, 2011 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

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Clyde Drexler, Portland Trail Blazers (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Cisco Systems, Inc.) /

No. 2: The Portland Trail Blazers nearly move Clyde Drexler after one season

In each of the first two trades, the Portland Trail Blazers, in some way or missed out on a franchise-altering move. In this instance, we’re coming from the top rope with one of the bigger bullets the Blazers dodged.

In 1983, the Blazers took a chance on a Houston highflyer by the name of Clyde Drexler. From the very beginning, Drexler became a rotation fixture, even scoring in double-figures in three of his first five Playoff games. But even he nearly found himself in a different city after his one season.

The Houston Rockets received an offer that would have sent Clyde Drexler and the 1984 NBA Draft’s No. 2 pick to the Houston Rockets.

In return? The Blazers would receive Ralph Sampson, sure to carry the Walton-Bowie throne if big men who couldn’t quite stay healthy.

The bigger story is that this would have allowed the Houston Rockets to finagle their way into Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, and Hakeem Olajuwon.

To be fair, Sampson did average 21.0 points and 11.1 rebounds in 1983-84, and upped that to 22.1 points and 10.4 rebounds on 50.2 percent shooting in 1984-85. But lower body injuries essentially ended his career as we know it some years later. Thankfully, the Blazers weren’t too slow to dodge a 7-foot-4 bullet.