With the NBA trade deadline now behind us, teams have only one option left to bolster their roster before the playoffs which is through the buyout market. Throughout history, while buyout acquisitions haven’t really produced positive playoff results, it still involves high profile acquisitions. Moreover some of them have helped teams win an NBA championship. For this piece, let’s rank the 10 best buyout signings in NBA history.

10. Joe Johnson: Miami Heat (2016)

Late into the 2015-2016 season, Joe Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets agreed to a buyout. Johnson would proceed to join the Miami Heat, a team trying to stay competitive with the absences of LeBron James and Chris Bosh. While the Heat weren’t expected to go deep into the playoffs, Johnson still averaged 10.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per outing in the first round to help the Heat reach the second round of the playoffs.

9. Enes Freedom: Portland Trail Blazers (2019)

The Blazers went as deep as the Western Conference Finals in the 2019 Playoffs. Although Damian Lillard did the heroics, Enes Kanter Freedom shined brightly in a Blazers uniform. After agreeing to a buyout with the Knicks, Freedom joined the Blazers and made an impact during the postseason. His first playoff game with the Blazers saw him drop 20 points and 18 rebounds enroute to a Game 1 victory before dropping 13 points and 13 rebounds to close out the Thunder. Freedom also registered 12 points and 13 boards in Game 7 against the Nuggets to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

8. Blake Griffin: Brooklyn Nets (2021)

With age and injuries, Blake Griffin was no longer the star he once was. As a result, Griffin and the Pistons parted ways to join the star-studded Brooklyn Nets. Griffin’s best postseason game with the Nets saw him tally a monster double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds in Game 1 of the second round of the 2021 Playoffs before they were eliminated by the Bucks in seven games.

7. Derek Fisher: Oklahoma City Thunder (2012)

Throughout his career, Derek Fisher played for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, that changed during the 2011-2012 season when Fisher was traded to the Houston Rockets. The five-time NBA champion requested a buy-out which led him to land in Oklahoma. Although Fisher was close to being a buyout success story, the Thunder failed to get past the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals as they conceded in five games. In the NBA Finals, Fisher averaged 5.6 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.

6. Jeremy Lin: Toronto Raptors (2019)

‘Linsanity” was an unforgettable phenomenon in Madison Square Garden. Although Lin struggled in the NBA since then, he made a great decision to take a buyout from the Atlanta Hawks. This allowed him to make a last minute switch to play for the Toronto Raptors. While Lin only played sparingly in the postseason, he still became the first Asian-American to win an NBA title. Furthermore, it’s safe to say that he was also one of the few buyout success stories.

5. Sam Cassell: Boston Celtics (2008)

In 2008, people often mistake PJ Brown as the greatest buyout success story for his performance in the 2008 NBA Finals. However, Brown doesn’t count as a buyout acquisition given that he came out of retirement. The buyout success story of that year should go to Sam Cassell. Cassell forfeited approximately $850,000 in salary from the Clippers to join the Celtics that year. While Cassell only averaged 10 minutes per game in the Finals, he still averaged 3.8 points per outing to help the team secure the NBA championship.

4. Ronny Turiaf: Miami Heat (2012)

After the Washington Wizards sent Ronny Turiaf to the Denver Nuggets, the French center mutually agreed with the Nuggets to a buyout. Turiaf would go on to choose the Miami Heat as his final destination. While Turiaf wasn’t the ideal center that would’ve addressed the Heat’s frontcourt woes, Turiaf still managed to contribute in limited minutes enroute to the Heat’s championship in 2012.

3. Boris Diaw: San Antonio Spurs (2012)

Unlike most players in this list, the Spurs only enjoyed the fruits of their buyout acquisition two years later. Boris Diaw agreed to a buyout with the Charlotte Bobcats which allowed the Spurs to acquire him midway through the season. But while the Spurs failed to advance to the Finals in 2012 and were defeated in the 2013 NBA Finals, Diaw played a huge role for the Spurs on their way to their 2014 championship. He played the role of the x-factor in the 2014 Finals, averaging 6.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 5.8 dimes per game to help end the Heat dynasty.

2. Peja Stojakovic: Dallas Mavericks (2011)

After the Toronto Raptors acquired Peja Stojakovic from New Orleans, the sharpshooter requested a buyout. This led to Stojakovic playing for the Dallas Mavericks. While Dirk Nowitzki starred for the team, it was Stojakovic who knocked down perimeter shots off the bench. His best game came against the Lakers in the second round of the 2011 Playoffs. Stojakovic dropped 21 points, spiked by six threes, and finished without a miss from the field. The Mavericks would go on to upset the Miami Heat in the 2011 Finals to win the franchise’s first NBA championship.

1. Markieff Morris: Los Angeles Lakers (2020)

The 2019-2020 NBA was strange at best due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the league was forced to continue in a bubble setup. Nevertheless, the Lakers were aiming for nothing less than a championship especially in honor of the late Kobe Bryant. After Markieff Morris agreed to a buyout with the Pistons, the Lakers received a much-needed boost in their frontcourt after signing him to the team. In the NBA Finals, Morris averaged 7.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game including a 19-point explosion off the bench in Game 3. He would go on to help the Lakers secure their 16th NBA title.