20 worst NBA Draft trades ever
By John Buhler
9. Pau Gasol from Atlanta Hawks to Memphis Grizzlies
The Atlanta Hawks have usually been a playoff caliber team in the Eastern Conference for most of the last 40+ years since relocating from St. Louis. However in the first decade of occupying then brand-new Philips Arena, Atlanta was horribly basketball franchise, missing nine straight Eastern Conference Playoffs.
The Hawks organization is historically one of the worst teams at drafting players in NBA Drafts. Priest Lauderdale, Marvin Williams, and Josh Childress are just three ringing examples of Atlanta’s perpetual ineptitude in NBA Drafts. However, the Hawks made one stellar pick in 2001 at No. 3 by taking Spanish center Pau Gasol. Unfortunately, Gasol’s rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Atlanta local legend Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Abdur-Rahim was in his prime as a near All-Star player with the Grizzlies. He starred in high school for metro Atlanta powerhouse Wheeler before going to the California Golden Bears and ultimately the then expansion era Vancouver Grizzlies.
Not that Abdur-Rahim wasn’t good for a terrible Hawks team, but Gasol would become a future hall of fame player with the Grizzlies, Lakers, and Bulls. He helped make basketball relevant in Memphis. Gasol was later traded to the Lakers for most notably his brother Marc Gasol, who know stars for his adopted hometown team in Memphis. The Atlanta rebuild wouldn’t have taken nearly a decade with Gasol as the Hawks’ star front court player.
Next: 8. Rajon Rondo from Phoenix Suns to Boston Celtics.