1995 NBA trade deadline
The 1995 NBA trade deadline.
A chronological guide to the transactions and decisions surrounding the 1995 NBA trade deadline.
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.
Early February · Contender pressure
Houston searches for a jolt during an uneven title defense
The defending champions hovered around the middle of the Western playoff race and needed another creator who already understood Hakeem Olajuwon's game and the pressure of June.
February 14 · Trade
Clyde Drexler comes home to Houston →Houston sent Otis Thorpe and a first-round pick to Portland for Drexler. The reunion with college teammate Hakeem Olajuwon gave the Rockets the second star who helped turn a sixth seed into a champion.
The complete trade package is preserved beside this moment →
Deadline week · Aftermath
The champion accepts a lower seed for a higher ceiling
Houston never found regular-season consistency, but the Drexler trade gave it enough shot creation and experience to survive four road series and repeat.
To HOU
To POR