NBA: Top 5 Free Agency Moves In NBA History
By Ray Petree
Moses Malone to Philadelphia (1982)
As time passes, the legacy of Moses Malone is further lost on younger fans.
In the early ‘80s the “Chairman of the Boards” was absolutely dominant. And, his greatest feat may have came in 1981. The Rockets finished the season with a mediocre 40-42 record, small in comparison to some of the other Western Conference powerhouses of the time. In the first round of the playoffs the Rockets met the reigning champion Lakers, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.
Showtime was still in it’s infancy, trading names like Byron Scott, Worthy and Rambis for Norm Nixon, Wilkes, and Jim Chones. Regardless, it seemed like imminent doom for Houston, but Moses had other plans. He dominated Kareem, and alongside Calvin Murphy, willed the Rockets past L.A in a decisive third game.
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That series was the beginning of a collision course straight for the NBA finals. There, the Rockets battled the Celtics, but without any other great players by his side, Moses was unable to overcome Larry Bird and his team.
The final result may have been a failure, but the journey was incredible. Moses seemed unstoppable, killing teams in the post and crashing the boards.
In ‘82, he continued his dominance, winning the MVP but losing in the first round to the Supersonics.
Like so many great players before him (and after), Moses was a transcendent phenom stuck in the wrong situation. Luckily for Moses, he entered the ‘82 offseason a free man – sort of. He was a restricted free agent, meaning he could look at greener-lawns, but Houston could match the offer and he’d be forced to stay.
Moses looked for a team that could benefit from his presence, and found the perfect fit. The 76ers had just met the Lakers in the NBA finals, a rematch of their series in 1980. Once again the Lakers came out on top thanks to the Sixers lack of a prominent big men. Darryl Dawkins was sufficient, but no match for Kareem.
So Moses signed an offer sheet with 76ers. $13.2 million to be specific. Realizing Moses had no intentions of staying in Houston, the Rockets matched his contract and dealt Moses in a sign-and-trade for Caldwell Jones and the Sixers 1983 first round pick.
The result was astonishing. The 1983 Sixers. Moses Malone, the Good Doctor, Mo’ Cheeks, Andrew Toney, Bobby Jones…65 regular season wins, and an incredible 12-1 postseason record. Naturally, Moses won his third league MVP, and went on to sweep the Lakers in the NBA finals.
“Fo’, fo’, fo’!”
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