by Adi Joseph, USA TODAY Sports

Those who don’t study NBA trade deadline history are doomed to repeat it.

Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline undoubtedly will lead general managers and presidents of basketball operations into rash decisions. Some will work. Some won’t. But by reviewing the 10 biggest deadline deals of the past 25 years, we can pick up on trends and better serve our expectations.

10. The Wizards give up on their project. (2012)

JaVale McGee had to go. Washington Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld made the decision to clean house of all the knuckleheads from the Gilbert Arenas years, and McGee was an obvious trade choice. So Grunfeld found suitors in the Denver Nuggets, eager to get the explosive 7-footer in exchange for injury-prone but skilled veteran Nene. The deal has worked out for both sides (the Clippers also were involved for insignficant parts), with McGee playing a limited role with remarkable efficiency and Nene providing an anchor for a young team. The chemistry made the deal work.

9. The Pacers bring back their prodigal point guard. (1997)

Mark Jackson makes his teammates look good, which is why the Indiana Pacers regretted trading him in 1996. They brought him back from the Nuggets a year later, signing on for Jackson’s hefty salary and pairing him with Rose for a potent playmaking duo. The deal didn’t cost the Pacers much, either, because the Nuggets wanted to cut salary. Jackson led the Pacers to two Eastern Conference finals and an NBA Finals, showcasing the value of familiarity in midseason deals.

8. The Celtics get soft. (2011)

Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson weren’t members of the Boston Celtics’ big three-plus-one, but they were valuable contributors to the 2008 championship team and 2010 runner-up. Then they traded them to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. Boston finished last in the NBA in rebounding in 2011-12 while also lacking bench scoring. The Thunder meanwhile used Perkins as their enforcer in the paint and have reached new heights with him in the lineup. Toughness is a comodity.

7. Jeff Hornacek finds his destiny. (1994)

The Philadelphia 76ers tried to make Hornacek a point guard. When he … [For more on 10 biggest NBA trade deadline deals of past 25 years, click here.]