Worst moment in each NBA franchise’s history

Minnesota Timberwolves – The backroom deal gone wrong with Joe Smith

If you thought the DeAndre Jordan contract saga in the summer of 2015 was something to behold, then buckle up for the wacky tale of Joe Smith and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Smith, who was the number one overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, agreed to a “secret” pact with Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor prior to the 1999 season. In short, the agreement put forth that Smith would sign three separate one-year contracts at well below his market value (which was quite suspicious in itself), and in return, the Wolves would ante up with a massive extension for the fourth year and beyond.

This may seem preposterous on the surface and, well, it absolutely was, but apparently Minnesota felt this was a justifiable risk. It did not work out in their favor, though, as the NBA found out about the deal, and the Wolves were hammered with sanctions that included a $3.5 million fine and the loss of five (yes, five!) first-round draft picks.

The loss of these picks crippled the T-Wolves franchise for some time, as they failed to surround future Hall of Fame big man Kevin Garnett with enough talent to reasonably compete for the NBA title during his tenure in Minnesota. Joe Smith definitely was not worth the type of trouble that Minnesota encountered as a result of this agreement, and it is the most memorable punishment of its kind in the history of the NBA.

Next: New Orleans Pelicans