22/09/2026
🏀On September 20, 2000 Patrick Ewing’s 15-year career with the Knicks comes to a sudden end, as New York trades the center to the Seattle SuperSonics in one of the largest deals in NBA history. The four-team, 12-player deal sent Ewing to Seattle, Glen Rice, Travis Knight, and Luc Longley to New York, and Horace Grant to the L.A. Lakers. Ewing (pictured below with SuperSonic team owner Barry Ackerly) had been lobbying for a trade since the end of the season, and at 38-years-old and with only a year left on his contract, the Knicks were willing to cut him loose. The deal did little for the Sonics, who were initially thrilled when they heard news of the transaction. The one thing Gary Payton had never had in Seattle was a great center, and some of the Sonics were optimistic that Ewing would make them an instant contender. “This puts us among the elite,” Sonics forward Vin Baker said prior to the season. “Patrick’s one of the best centers of all time.” But in a new system, on a new coast, on a new team, Ewing struggled. He averaged 9.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in the 2000-01 season, numbers that were miles below his averages in New York. He played only one season in Seattle before finishing his career with the Orlando Magic.🏀
