NBA Trade Deadline 2016: 5 worst trades of all-time

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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 25: Pau Gasol /

1) Memphis Grizzlies trade Pau Gasol and a 2010 2nd round pick to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, the rights to Marc Gasol, a 2008 1st round pick, and a 2010 1st round pick.

The Memphis Grizzlies made the worst NBA Trade Deadline move in history by moving Pau Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers for — well, nothing at the time.

Yes, Marc Gasol has turned into one of the NBA’s best centers and developed quickly, but he was seen as an afterthought in this deal. His future status as a top player at his position in the league was also hard to guess when this deal was made.

When this move happened, Pau was averaging 19 PPG and nine RPG on the team he played with through his entire career. He was the face of the Grizzlies and to give him up for a package that was seemingly headlined by Kwame Brown at the time was horrible. This famous sound bite by Stephen A. Smith when talking about the trade about sums up the former No. 1 overall pick’s place in this deal.

The Lakers were looking to upgrade the supporting cast around a then-disgruntled Kobe Bryant and it surely paid off. LA would win the 2009 and 2010 NBA Championship with Gasol on the team, making this trade a huge success for the Lakers.

Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, they have yet to make the NBA Finals with Marc, despite having multiple playoff appearances over the past five years.

As for the other guys in the deal, it’s not pretty. Crittenton is in prison for 23 years on manslaughter charges. Donte Green, the 2008 pick, didn’t last long in the league. Greivis Vasquez, the 2010 pick, would get traded by Memphis before getting much of a chance and has provided a solid presence for teams as a backup point guard.

It’s safe to say the Grizzlies would like to redo this one.

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