What if the Cavs traded Mark Price instead of Kevin Johnson?

[L.Kizzle]

What if the Cavs traded Mark Price instead of Kevin Johnson?
Would things have been much different for both franchises in the late 80s up until the mid 90s?
Cleveland acquired a rookie Mark Price from Dallas in 1986 and selected Kevin Johnson in 1987.
Kevin was a high lottery pick and Mark a 2nd round surprise. Why would you trade your lottery pick?


Team vs Team Stats
Cleveland
88 Cavs - 42 Wins (1st Round)
89 Cavs - 57 Wins (1st Round)
90 Cavs - 42 Wins (1st Round; Brad D 40 games; Harper 7 games)
91 Cavs - 33 Wins (Price 16 games)
92 Cavs - 57 Wins (Conf Finals)
93 Cavs - 54 Wins (Conf Semi)
94 Cavs - 47 Wins (1st Round; Brad D half season)
95 Cavs - 43 Wins (1st Round; Brad D retired)


Phoenix
88 Suns - 28 Wins (1st Round)
89 Suns - 55 Wins (Conf Finals)
90 Suns - 54 Wins (Conf Finals)
91 Suns - 55 Wins (1st Round)
92 Suns - 53 Wins (Conf Semi)
93 Suns - 62 Wins (NBA Finals)
94 Suns - 56 Wins (Conf Semi)
95 Suns - 59 Wins (Conf Semi)


Player vs Player
Mark Price
88 - 16 Pts | 6 Ast | 2 Reb | 1 Stl
89 - 19 Pts | 8 Ast | 3 Reb | 2 Stl | All-NBA 3 | All-Star | MVP 10
90 - 19 Pts | 9 Ast | 3 Reb | 2 Stl
91 - 17 Pts | 10 Ast | 3 Reb | 3 Stl
92 - 17 Pts | 7 Ast | 2 Reb | 1 Stl | All-NBA 3 | MVP 7
93 - 18 Pts | 8 Ast | 3 Reb | 1 Stl | All-NBA 1 | All-Star | MVP 8
94 - 17 Pts | 8 Ast | 3 Reb | 1 Stl | All-NBA 3 | All-Star | MVP 9
95 - 16 Pts | 7 Ast | 2 Reb | 1 Stl


Kevin Johnson
88 - 13 Pts | 9 Ast | 4 Reb | 2 Stl
89 - 20 Pts | 12 Ast | 4 Reb | 2 Stl | All-NBA 2 | MVP 8
90 - 23 Pts | 11 Ast | 4 Reb | 1 Stl | All-NBA 2 | All-Star
91 - 22 Pts | 10 Ast | 4 Reb | 2 Stl | All-NBA 2 | All-Star | 7
92 - 20 Pts | 11 Ast | 4 Reb | 2 Stl | All-NBA 2 | MVP 15
93 - 16 Pts | 8 Ast | 2 Reb | 2 Stl
94 - 20 Pts | 9 Ast | 3 Reb | 2 Stl | All-NBA 2 | All-Star | MVP 11
95 - 16 Pts | 8 Ast | 3 Reb | 1 Stl|

[Xiao Yao You]

Price was already really good. Go with the proven guy over potential

[L.Kizzle]

Price was already really good. Go with the proven guy over potential

Proven? Mark wasn't some 7 year veteran. One is 86 draft and one is 87 draft.

[Xiao Yao You]

Proven? Mark wasn't some 7 year veteran. One is 86 draft and one is 87 draft.

16 pts 51%/49%/88% 6 ass. Almost the rare 50/50/90 in 2nd year. He established himself

[L.Kizzle]

16 pts 51%/49%/88% 6 ass. Almost the rare 50/50/90 in 2nd year. He established himself

So you trade your lottery pick 50 games into the season?

[Xiao Yao You]

So you trade your lottery pick 50 games into the season?

If you think the other guy is your guy and you can get something for him

Jazz should have traded all star Rickey Green as soon as they saw Stockton. Instead they lost him in the expansion draft for nothing

[90sgoat]

Charles Barkley would have appreciated it and honestly Phoenix might give Bulls a run for their money.

Barkley actually disrespected KJ in one of those talkshows where he said he always wished he played with a real point guard like Stockton and someone pointed out he played with KJ.

I guess Barkley didn't think too highly of KJ.

Mark Price was a significantly better point guard than KJ, not to take anything away from KJ, because he was Derrick Rose before Derrick Rose, but under control and with a jumper. The man had insane hops:



That said, Mark Price was a bonafide star if he had played on a better team. Lightning quick, 10 assist pr game, all time great 3 point shooter, great defender.

He'd be perfect with Barkley for that inside-out combo that they lacked. Hit those open 3s from Barkley passes from the post.

[Round Mound]

IMO KJ is a Top 75 Player Of All Time. I hope he gets picked atleast for the Top 100 Players Of All Time.

[90sgoat]

IMO KJ is a Top 75 Player Of All Time. I hope he gets picked atleast for the Top 100 Players Of All Time.

Better or worse than Price?

I pick Price quite easily but KJ is very underrated too. KJ was a very exciting player, big star, very popular.

[Xiao Yao You]

Charles Barkley would have appreciated it and honestly Phoenix might give Bulls a run for their money.

Barkley actually disrespected KJ in one of those talkshows where he said he always wished he played with a real point guard like Stockton and someone pointed out he played with KJ.

I guess Barkley didn't think too highly of KJ.

Mark Price was a significantly better point guard than KJ, not to take anything away from KJ, because he was Derrick Rose before Derrick Rose, but under control and with a jumper. The man had insane hops:



That said, Mark Price was a bonafide star if he had played on a better team. Lightning quick, 10 assist pr game, all time great 3 point shooter, great defender.

He'd be perfect with Barkley for that inside-out combo that they lacked. Hit those open 3s from Barkley passes from the post.

Don't think he was known for his D or speed or 10 assists a game. Great shooter and the Cavs were one of the best teams for a while.

[Xiao Yao You]

IMO KJ is a Top 75 Player Of All Time. I hope he gets picked atleast for the Top 100 Players Of All Time.

Injured too much. Peaked early on

[kawhileonard2]

This is like asking do you trade Lebron at the #1 pick for Tmac after the 2003 season and the answer is yes.

[L.Kizzle]

This is like asking do you trade Lebron at the #1 pick for Tmac after the 2003 season and the answer is yes.

No it's not. We need an example that actually happened.
One example could be Ralph Sampson and Olajuwon. They didn't trade Ralph (at first) because they drafted Olajuwon. The played together for 4 seasons and made the Finals.

Or even Eddie Jones-Kobe. Imagine trading Kobe halfway thru his rookie season or even in the playoffs after the airballs because they had Eddie Jones.

Cavs didn't even give it a real shot with those two.

[Xiao Yao You]

No it's not. We need an example that actually happened.
One example could be Ralph Sampson and Olajuwon. They didn't trade Ralph (at first) because they drafted Olajuwon. The played together for 4 seasons and made the Finals.

Or even Eddie Jones-Kobe. Imagine trading Kobe halfway thru his rookie season or even in the playoffs after the airballs because they had Eddie Jones.

Cavs didn't even give it a real shot with those two.

They would have been off with just one of them. Sampson was best at the 5.

Kobe and Jones could play together and did.

You weren't going to play 2 little guys together in the 80's

February 25, 1988: Traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers with Tyrone Corbin, Mark West, a 1988 1st round draft pick (Dan Majerle was later selected), a 1988 2nd round draft pick (Dean Garrett was later selected) and a 1989 2nd round draft pick (Greg Grant was later selected) to the Phoenix Suns for Larry Nance, Mike Sanders and a 1988 1st round draft pick (Randolph Keys was later selected).

Nance was a big part of those Cavs teams.The vet that a talented young up and coming team needed. Suns getting Corbin, West and Majerle eventually won the trade it looks like though

[L.Kizzle]

They would have been off with just one of them. Sampson was best at the 5.

Kobe and Jones could play together and did.

You weren't going to play 2 little guys together in the 80's

February 25, 1988: Traded by the Cleveland Cavaliers with Tyrone Corbin, Mark West, a 1988 1st round draft pick (Dan Majerle was later selected), a 1988 2nd round draft pick (Dean Garrett was later selected) and a 1989 2nd round draft pick (Greg Grant was later selected) to the Phoenix Suns for Larry Nance, Mike Sanders and a 1988 1st round draft pick (Randolph Keys was later selected).

Nance was a big part of those Cavs teams.The vet that a talented young up and coming team needed. Suns getting Corbin, West and Majerle eventually won the trade it looks like though

The only big guards in the 80s were Jordan and Drexler and Gervin. Joe Dumars was 6'2, 190 and could barley dunk and was Finals MVP.
Harper could be the 3.