Most Shocking NBA Lottery shakeups of all-time

Basketball: NBA Draft Lottery: NBA Commissioner David Stern holding up the envelope with the number one pick in the draft at Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Number one pick goes to the New York Knicks.New York, NY 5/12/1985CREDIT: George Tiedemann (Photo by George Tiedemann /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)(Set Number: X31488 TK1 R1 F8 ) /

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Basketball: Orlando Magic Shaquille O’Neal (L) and Anfernee Penny Hardaway on bench during game vs New York Knicks at Orlando Arena. Orlando, FL 2/5/1995 CREDIT: John Biever (Photo by John Biever /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images) (Set Number: X47793 ) /

7. Magic Trade Chris Webber for Penny Hardaway (1993)

The Orlando Magic struck solid gold in the early 1990s in regards to the NBA Lottery (we’ll get there in full shortly). Part of that was winning the 1993 lottery even though they had only the 11th best odds at getting the No. 1 overall pick. However, it was the drama that followed getting the top pick in the 1993 draft that really changed things and made the way for a moment that shocked everyone.

For that draft, the only sensible pick at No. 1 overall was to take Chris Webber, something that everyone was fully aware of. And after the Magic had taken Shaquille O’Neal the year before with the top pick in the 1992 draft, the notion of pairing Webber and Shaq seemed almost too sensible. Cue the dramatic music now because plans changed.

After Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway asked for another shot to work out for Orlando, he wowed them so incredibly that they were convinced he was their guy. Subsequently, the Magic didn’t hesitate to trade Webber to the Golden State Warriors at No. 3 in exchange for Hardaway and a small package of assets. It was a move that seemed absurd at the time and, even if it was successful for Orlando, that didn’t make it any less shocking of a shakeup.

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