20 best NBA Draft trades ever
By John Buhler
14. Pau Gasol from Atlanta Hawks to Memphis Grizzlies.
Pau Gasol is a two-time NBA Champion, a six-time NBA All-Star, and a sure-fire Basketball Hall of Famer whenever the Spanish seven-footer decides to call it a career. Gasol has had a marvelous 15-year NBA career with the Memphis Grizzlies (2001-08), the Los Angeles Lakers (2008-14), and the Chicago Bulls (2014-present).
However, none of these three teams are the one that drafted him No. 3 overall in the 2001 NBA Draft. That would be the then hapless Atlanta Hawks that were in the midst of a nine-year Eastern Conference Playoff drought.
At the time, the Grizzlies weren’t exactly spectacular either, having just relocated from Vancouver to Memphis at the start of Gasol’s NBA career. This move allowed Memphis to eventually become a playoff team with Hubie Brown as its head coach and Gasol as its star player.
Once Gasol outgrew small market Memphis and wanted to play for a big market in Los Angeles, the Grizzlies organization in essence traded Gasol for the rights his younger brother Marc Gasol who went to the Lakers in the second round in 2007.
The younger Gasol brother has become arguably the most important player in Grizzlies franchise history. The elder Gasol brother was one of the most complete big men in his prime, winning two titles alongside Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum in Los Angeles. Without the first Gasol trade, who knows where the Grizzlies franchise would be playing basketball these days?
Next: 13. Ray Allen from Minnesota Timberwolves to Milwaukee Bucks.