Pat Riley picked up five new players, Lenny Wilkens was reunited with an original Dream Teamer, John Lucas got rid of one of his favorite targets and P.J. Carlesimo suspended a malcontent rather than trade him.
The NBA's trading deadline passed at 7 p.m. MST Thursday, and six deals - three by Miami - were completed involving 19 players.- Miami acquired point guard Tim Hardaway and forward-center Chris Gatling from the Golden State Warriors for forward Kevin Willis and point guard Bimbo Coles.
- Miami also picked up forwards Walt Williams and Tyrone Corbin from the Sacramento Kings for forward Billy Owens and guard Kevin Gamble.
- In its third deal, Miami got guard Tony Smith from the Phoenix Suns for rookie guard Terrence Rencher.
- Minnesota traded centers Christian Laettner and Sean Rooks to Wilkens' Atlanta Hawks for center Andrew Lang and point guard Spud Webb.
- Philadelphia traded center Sharone Wright, dubbed "Chiffon" by Lucas, to the Toronto Raptors for veteran forwards Ed Pinckney and Tony Massenburg.
- Orlando acquired forward Kenny Gattison and a low second-round draft pick from Vancouver for forward Jeff Turner.
- The Trail Blazers did not trade Strickland. Instead, they suspended him for one game after he stormed off the court during a shootaround.
"I'm not going to be a part of this," Strickland said. "If I have to pack up and take a fine, I will. This is it for me."
Strickland's well-known dislike for coach P.J. Carlesimo finally erupted into a rift that Blazers forward Buck Williams said "is almost irreparable at this point."
Others who were anticipating to be traded but weren't included Clifford Robinson, Herb Williams, Alvin Robertson, Mark West and Haywoode Workman.
By far the biggest shock of the day was the volume of activity by Miami, which has changed its entire starting lineup since the end of training camp.
After the Heat got off to a strong start with newly acquired Alonzo Mourning, they lost 26 of their next 39 games.
"With those results . . . you've got to make some decisions," Riley said. "We are not going to give up on the season. I don't know how much this is going to disrupt us."