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1997 NBA offseason

The 1997 NBA offseason.

A chronological guide to the transactions and decisions surrounding the 1997 NBA offseason.

Open the full season →Every offseason by year

In the order it happened

The transaction timeline

The draft, major signings, trades and roster decisions are ordered chronologically. Complete draft boards, trade packages and free-agent jersey changes are embedded at the moment they happened.

  1. June 25 · NBA Draft

    Tim Duncan makes San Antonio's lost season transformative →

    The Spurs turned an injury-ravaged 20-win season into Tim Duncan, pairing the polished No. 1 pick with David Robinson and changing the championship map for the next two decades.

    The complete draft board is preserved beside this moment →

    Draft board

    1997 NBA

    01
    1

    First overall selection

    Tim Duncan

    San Antonio Spurs

    Open every pick

  2. June 27 · Free agency

    Bobby Phills gives Charlotte a two-way guard

    Phills left Cleveland for Charlotte, where his perimeter defense and reliable scoring helped a 51-win Hornets team reach the second round.

    Follow the jersey change beside this moment →

    49Free agencyAugust 1, 1997From CLECLEPHILLS14To CHACHAPHILLS13Phills brings two-way play to CharlotteCharlotte added a strong perimeter defender and reliable secondary scorer to a veteran playoff roster.Cleveland Cavaliers → Charlotte HornetsOpen offseason →

  3. September 25 · Three-team trade

    Vin Baker and Shawn Kemp change frontcourts →

    Milwaukee sent Baker to Seattle, Seattle routed Kemp to Cleveland and the Cavaliers sent Terrell Brandon and Tyrone Hill to Milwaukee in a three-team reset built around unhappy All-Star big men.

    The complete trade package is preserved beside this moment →

    00TradeSeptember 25, 1997To SEASEABAKER42To CLECLEKEMP4CLEDOUGLAS20To MILMILBRANDON7MILHILL4219981STround assetBaker–Kemp three-team tradeSEA receives Vin BakerCLE receives Shawn Kemp, Sherman DouglasMIL receives Terrell Brandon, Tyrone Hill, 1998 1st-round pick6 original assets · 0 outcomes tracedOpen trade →

  4. Training camp · Season setup

    The Bulls defend the repeat while the Spurs begin a new timeline

    Chicago returned with the league's standard intact, but Duncan's arrival beside Robinson introduced the partnership that would inherit the decade's final championship.