You've seen players traded for cash and coaches traded for picks, but nothing will beat the time the Indiana Pacers traded an All-Star for a team's marketing expert.
In the middle of the 1982-1983 season, the Pacers were on pace for their worst finish in franchise history. After a series of bad trades for players past their prime a few years ago, the Pacers had bigger problems than trying to win games. They were in debt and needed to find a new owner. If they didn't, their time in the NBA would come to an abrupt end.
But when you're a team with one winning season in the last six years, finding a willing buyer seemed impossible. This is where Jon Spoelstra, father of Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, enters the picture. He was the senior vice president and general manager for the Portland Trailblazers from 1979 to 1989.
Spoelstra already established a reputation as a marketing expert. The Blazers were the most-watched team in the NBA for years despite not having much success in the playoffs. Spoelstra was also the catalyst for the radio in-house broadcast. A move that reportedly helped the Blazers make more money than the rest of the league combined!
The Pacers needed help badly and the only person they could trust was Spoelstra. When they asked the Blazers if they could borrow Spoelstra for a couple of weeks to teach them the ropes in exchange for a brand-new computer, Larry Weinberg, owner of the Blazers, initially said no.
However, when the two teams clashed on January 4, everything changed. Starting point guard Darnell Valentine suffered a knee injury that would end his season. Without a point guard and a win-now mindset to rebound from missing the playoffs the season before, the Pacers had to strike fast. The Pacers offered Don Buse, a two-time All-Star and six-time All-Defensive first team, in exchange for cash and a week of Jon Spoelstra's time.
Surprisingly, this turned out to be a win-win deal for everyone involved. The Blazers made the playoffs that season (with some help from Don Buse) and 20 more seasons after that (with less help from Don Buse). The Pacers sold their team a few months later to current owner Herb Simon and Spoelstra gave them a 100-page document of potential marketing ideas. But if you asked Spoelstra why he agreed to the deal, he just wanted to work with a brand-new computer. Something the Pacers gave him as a gift after his one week of service.
NBA All-Star Traded For Marketing ADVICE 🤯 | Clutch #Shorts – YouTube
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