20 best NBA Draft trades ever
By John Buhler
17. Brandon Roy from Minnesota Timberwolves to Portland Trail Blazers.
Former NBA point guard Brandon Roy is one of the greatest ‘what-could-have-been’ stories in the NBA in recent memory. Before his knees ultimately failed him, Roy was well on his way to being a superstar point guard in the NBA for the Trail Blazers.
Roy was 2007’s Rookie of the Year and was a three-time NBA All-Star for Portland before rampant knee injuries became too burdensome. Roy only played in six NBA seasons before retiring in 2013 at the age of 29.
Nobody saw his knee injuries coming out of the University of Washington in the 2006 NBA Draft. Roy went No. 6 overall to the Timberwolves, but was immediately traded to the Trail Blazers for Randy Foye’s draft rights.
From 2008 to 2011, Roy was simply electrifying for the Trail Blazers at point guard. While Foye has had the longer NBA career, Roy could have been a Hall of Fame caliber player for Portland if his health ultimately didn’t fail him.
Next: 16. Mark Price from Dallas Mavericks to Cleveland Cavaliers.