Wayback Wednesday: The 1996 NBA Offseason

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m reflecting on the 1996 NBA offseason.

Another NBA offseason is upon us, and it’s off to an interesting start! Kawhi Leonard is heading back to the Toronto Raptors, while LeBron James has announced that he’ll return for his 24th season, but it won’t be with the Los Angeles Lakers. Though the offseason ultimately slows down and hardcore hoop heads get a little anxious waiting for the new season to begin, these big moves at the beginning always make it exciting. I was already planning on reminiscing about the 1996 NBA offseason this week, but these major stories involving multi-time All-Stars make it an even more apt topic!

You see, the 1996 NBA offseason was a big one, and certainly memorable for me. I was still a fairly newly-minted basketball fan, fresh off of seeing my favourite team win a championship. As such, it was my first experience really following along with the proceedings. Several big names switched teams in 1996, and although that didn’t stand in the way of the Chicago Bulls completing the Drive for Five, that offseason ultimately still played a large role in shaping the future of the NBA. As it’s been 30 years since the 1996 NBA offseason, let’s take a look back…way back…

As the 1996 NBA offseason was getting underway, a lockout was looming. Much like the 1995 lockout, it’s often overlooked because it didn’t result in any games being lost. In fact, the 1996 lockout was resolved within hours of going into effect on July 10th, though it wouldn’t ward off a more contentious and impactful stoppage a couple of years later. In any event, the 1996 NBA offseason was able to get underway. Once teams were able to begin signing and trading players on July 11th, the Lakers and Charlotte Hornets completed their agreed-upon swap of Vlade Divac for the rights to Kobe Bryant. To state the obvious, that turned out to be an excellent deal for LA!

Of course, while the Lakers liked Kobe’s potential and saw him as a future star, that trade was instrumental in landing a player who was already a very big deal: Shaquille O’Neal. Trading away Divac cleared additional cap room to make a run at Shaq, and potentially outbid the Orlando Magic; something that was possible back then. They would do just that, with the Lakers’ offer of $120 million over seven years edging out the Magic’s final bid of $115 million. Meanwhile, the Orlando Sentinel was openly questioning whether Shaq was worth that much, which he was stung by. Throw in the rifts with Anfernee Hardaway and Magic coach Brian Hill, and Shaq was out of there.

Needless to say, on top of the on-court ramifications, a young superstar destined to be one of the all-time greats leaving the team that drafted him via free agency at the first opportunity was a huge story! The only headline that could’ve topped it would’ve been Michael Jordan moving on from the Chicago Bulls, but His Airness signed a massive one-year deal to return on July 12th. Shaq’s image took a hit the time, as some pundits portrayed it as abandoning a contender in pursuit of more money. Looking back now, there was fault on both sides. Shaq has admitted to youthful impatience and ego, but the media was unfairly ruthless towards him, and the team mismanaged the situation.

In any case, while Shaq remaining in Orlando is an interesting “What If” – one that I may have to revisit – he instantly made the Lakers a powerful team in the West. Back in the East, other teams were making moves in the hopes of toppling the Bulls. Their long-time rivals the Knicks acquired Allan Houston and Chris Childs in free agency, and traded Anthony Mason to the Hornets for Larry Johnson. Houston proved to be the better signing, replacing John Starks in the starting lineup and going on to be a two-time All-Star with the club. Though Johnson wouldn’t put up the same All-Star numbers as he did in Charlotte, he still excelled for the Knicks in a smaller role.

Shaq wasn’t the only All-Star centre to switch conferences during the 1996 NBA offseason. Dikembe Mutombo was also a free agent, though he’d originally sought a ten-year deal to return to the Nuggets; again, such contracts were possible at the time! Denver declined, and so the Hawks moved Mt. Mutombo to Atlanta with a five-year, $55 million contract. Then-Nuggets GM Bernie Bickerstaff later said that refusing to re-sign Mutombo when they had a chance was his biggest regret in that role. Though teaming Mutombo with Mookie Blaylock, Steve Smith, and Christian Laettner didn’t make the Hawks true contenders, they were a good 50-win team in 1997 and 1998.

Another team on the rise in 1996 was the Miami Heat. They had acquired Alonzo Mourning as the 1996 season was getting underway, and brought in Tim Hardaway in February. After being swept by the champion Bulls in the first round, they looked to bolster their roster to come back even stronger in 1997. They signed P.J. Brown on July 18th; a solid move, though somewhat overshadowed by Shaq joining the Lakers! On August 22nd, they signed former Phoenix Sun Dan Majerle, who’d spent the 1996 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Rather infamously, the Heat also failed to sign Juwan Howard, though not because the promising power forward declined their offer.

Miami outbid the Washington Bullets for Howard’s services with a deal in the range of $100 million. However, the league ruled that they hadn’t properly calculated their available cap room, having excluded performance bonuses for Hardaway and Brown. As a result, the NBA rejected the contract, and Howard ultimately re-signed with the Bullets. Since they’d renounced Howard’s rights to sign Tracy Murray and Lorenzo Williams after he appeared to be leaving, Washington had to forfeit their first round pick in 1997 for the contract to be approved. The Heat initially pursued legal action, but ended up dropping their case, thus ending a rather messy free agent situation.

The Lakers undoubtedly had the biggest free agent signing during the 1996 NBA offseason, but the Houston Rockets arguably made the biggest trade. On August 19th, they traded Robert Horry, Sam Cassell, Mark Bryant, and Chucky Brown to Phoenix for Charles Barkley. With the Suns no longer in contention, Chuck wanted out, and even threatened to retire if he wasn’t traded. For their part, the Rockets were a year removed from winning back-to-back championships, and naturally wanted a shot at another one. The trio of Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Clyde Drexler was seen as a potential answer to the Bulls’ Big Three of MJ, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman.

Notably, the Seattle Supersonics – who had taken the Bulls to six games in the 1996 NBA Finals – didn’t end up making any big offseason moves, at least in terms of name recognition. Mind you, the moves they did make ultimately impacted their future, and not in a positive way! The Sonics let Ervin Johnson go to the Nuggets in free agency, replacing him with Jim McIlvaine. On the surface it was a decent if lateral move, but the bigger issue was that it contributed to the friction that Shawn Kemp had with the team over his salary. As Hoops Analyst has recalled, Kemp’s attitude was a problem as much as anything else, but the McIlvaine signing contributed to his departure.

Before I get to some of the noteworthy moves involving veterans and journeyman, let’s recap the major stories of the 1996 NBA offseason. After being swept by the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals and souring on his situation in Orlando, Shaq signed a massive deal with the Lakers. Barkley was traded to Houston, forming a Big Three with The Dream and The Glide. The Knicks loaded up on talent, hoping that they could get past a Bulls team that would once again be led by Michael Jordan, who was seeking his fifth ring. Miami had also improved their roster. Seattle was still in contention, but it was clear that a storm was brewing with The Reignman’s contract.

I remember those headlines being hot topics during the 1996 NBA offseason! As a Bulls fan, my hope was that they would overcome those teams and their improved rosters to win it all again; obviously, that’s ultimately what happened. Like everyone else though, I was still intrigued to see the revamped lineups with big names donning new uniforms. It was my first time seeing established stars that I strongly associated with particular teams wearing different jerseys, shaking up a league I’d come to know via trading cards, magazines, and video games, in addition to now watching the real games and NBA Action. It definitely made me even more excited for the new season.

I’ve already covered some of the biggest and most historically-significant moves of the 1996 NBA offseason, but looking back, I’m reminded of other trades and signings that overhauled rosters and resulted in interesting trivia. Former All-Stars Dominique Wilkins and Xavier McDaniel returned from stints overseas, signing with the San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets respectively. As both had been out of the league when I really began paying attention to it, they felt like players from another era, even though they’d both been in the NBA as recently as 1995! Nique’s run with the Spurs is actually underrated, as he was solid for a team whose season was ruined by injuries.

The Portland Trail Blazers shook things up by trading Rod Strickland to Washington for Rasheed Wallace, then entering his second year. It gave Strickland a fresh start, and eventually allowed Sheed to blossom into an All-Star. The Blazers also signed Kenny Anderson, and traded for Isaiah Rider. Although it turned out to be a rather short-lived backcourt, in 1996 it was seen as a promising pairing. Elsewhere, Derek Harper returned to the Mavericks, where he’d been part of some very successful teams in the 80s. After a season lost to injury with the Bullets, Mark Price joined the Golden State Warriors, where the former All-Star had a respectable season in a reduced role.

Rick Mahorn became a familiar face back in a familiar place in Detroit. Kenny Smith also joined the Pistons after being cut by the Rockets, in what was the beginning of the end of his career. Jerome Kersey was picked up to strengthen the Lakers’ bench. Kevin Willis joined fellow Class of 1984 alumni Olajuwon and Barkley in Houston. The Knicks shored up their bench with Buck Williams, while the Nets signed Robert Pack and David Benoit. Popeye Jones was traded to Toronto. In short, thanks to trades and expiring contracts, some lengthy or at least significant stints ended in 1996. A few notable veterans, including Jeff Malone and Alvin Robertson, also called it a career.

As an Australian, I was thrilled to see a couple of Aussies get their shot at the NBA. The Minnesota Timberwolves signed Shane Heal, following an impressive showing at the Olympic Games in Atlanta that infamously saw him clash with Sir Charles. Heal’s signing garnered the most attention because of that display, but the Philadelphia 76ers also added big man Mark Bradtke. Neither saw significant minutes, though Heal did have a game that was spotlighted by NBA Action, and it was still cool to see them make the big time. Their signings were also included in the official patch for NBA Full Court Press, which launched with final 1996 rosters due to its early release date.

Since my family’s PC wouldn’t run NBA Live 97, I was stuck trying to update NBA Live 96 as best I could without the modding tools that I’d later discover when we got online in August 1997. To that end, I was able to play along with the 1998 season more accurately than the 1997 campaign! Nevertheless, those attempts to update NBA Live 96 PC for the new season unquestionably contributed to the moves of the 1996 NBA offseason sticking in my mind. Once again, the fact that it was my first time experiencing the offseason as a hardcore fan, locked in on all the news that I could find, also made it extremely enjoyable and a core memory from my early fandom.

Looking back, although the 1997 season would’ve been a blast even if I hadn’t been paying close attention during the offseason in 1996, it definitely hyped me up and solidified my love of all things NBA. Speaking of narratives though, I also recall one of the magazines discussing how 1997 may turn out to be the Bulls’ last run, noting that Michael Jordan had only re-signed for one year, and that he, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman were getting older. It’s something that I hadn’t really thought about as a fairly new fan, and it was slightly dismaying to consider! Then again, it hindsight it probably prepared me for The Last Dance as much as the 1997 offseason would.

1997 may have belonged to the Bulls, but as I mentioned, moves made during the 1996 offseason would have a large impact on the future of the NBA. Shaq and Kobe would become a dynamic duo in Los Angeles, leading the Lakers to a threepeat after the turn of the century. New York made a Cinderella run to the Finals in the lockout season of 1999. Seattle parted ways with Shawn Kemp the following year, a trade that shook up three teams and began the decline of three All-Stars. When the Bulls broke up, Pippen replaced Drexler alongside Hakeem and Chuck in Houston’s Big Three. And of course, the Class of 1996 with Allen Iverson and Kobe was one for the ages.

Obviously it was years before we saw the full impact of the moves made during the 1996 NBA offseason, as well as the players that were drafted that year. However, I’d suggest that even at the time, everyone recognised that it was a significant offseason. Yes, there’s hindsight and nostalgia here, but the shift in power with Shaq going west, the formation of Houston’s new Hall of Fame trio, the retirement of a few veterans, the potential of the rookie crop, and all the significant trades and signings, had fans excited about a league-wide changing of the guard. Even if the Bulls’ fifth ring was inevitable – and it arguably was – the 1996 NBA offseason was filled with intrigue.