NBA Draft: Redrafting the 1984 Draft Class

With the 8th pick, the Los Angeles Clippers select Sam Perkins

Sam Perkins closes out on a Kukoc corner three in Game 2 of the 1996 NBA Finals

Sam Perkins was a member of the North Carolina Tar Heels team that won the 1982 NCAA championship, alongside Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and James Worthy. He declared for the draft along with Jordan in 1984, and was selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the 4th pick.

Perkins played 17 years in the league, and made 3 NBA Finals - one each with the Lakers (1991), the SuperSonics (1996) and the Pacers (2000). He ended up on the losing side each time, but he was always a significant contributor on the scoreboard.

Perkins' career is not littered with accomplishments and accolades the way other players on this draft board are, but he did make the All-Rookie team in 1985, and his NBA career was nearly 4 times as longer as the average player. Never was he viewed as a minus player, and that is more than can be said for 80% of the players in any draft class.