Cavs History: Twenty-Nine Years Ago, Mark Price Caught Off Guard With Trade To Washington

September 27, 2024

It was the end of the era and it caught everyone by surprise. That included Mark Price, the four-time All-Star who had spent his entire career with the Cavaliers.

But on Sept. 27, 1995, the Cavs traded Price to the Washington Bullets for a 1996 first-round draft pick (which later turned into center Vitaly Potapenko).

When John Sabol of Fox 8 posted about the trade on social media, Price responded by calling it “one of the saddest days of my life.” He ended the sentence with the hashtag “#ForeverACav.”

Price wasn’t the only one who responded to the trade reminder. So did former Cavs backcourt running mate Ron Harper, the name most associated with controversial Cavs trades (to the Clippers for Danny Ferry and Reggie Williams).

“Yes sir tell me about my brother,” Harper responded, later adding, “We both got the short stick.”

Price was 30 years old at the time of the deal, orchestrated by then-general manager Wayne Embry. Price made it clear right away that he was fairly stunned.

“I was like, ‘Wow!’ I told my wife and we kind of sat there like, ‘Well, now what do we do?'” he told WUAB-TV at the time. “There are so many mixed emotions. We really loved our time here in Cleveland.”

In Washington, Price was expected to serve as the veteran floor general of a young team that featured the likes of Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace and Juwan Howard. But an injury quickly derailed his time there — as he appeared in just seven games on the season.

“Facing at least half a season without starting center Brad Daugherty and a need to add some youth to an aging roster, the Cavaliers felt they had to deal Price,” the Associated Press wrote, citing Embry.

Price left the Bullets after the season, signing with the Warriors in free agency — long before anyone in Cleveland despised the Warriors or probably even knew who they were. He had a pretty nice run in Golden State, appearing in 70 games.

But as anyone will tell you, Price’s best years came with the Cavaliers and that is the franchise for which he is most widely known — as his No. 25 hangs from the rafters today.

Price completed his nine-year Cavs career with averages of 16.4 points, 7.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 48% shooting. He also shot 41% on 3-pointers and was named first-team All-NBA in 1992-93.

Meanwhile, I’ve been thrilled to have made regular appearances on the aptly named “Mark Price For 3” podcast over the past couple of seasons. You can check my latest, recorded last week, right here.