Back in 2003, money didn’t grow on trees for the then-New Jersey Nets.
Despite being Eastern Conference champions that season, the team needed some dough to cover summer league expenses.
They also needed a new copy machine for their office.
So, what did they do?
Zach Lowe of Grantland reports that after drafting Creighton star Kyle Korver with the 51st overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft, the team immediately shipped his rights to the Philadelphia 76ers for $125,000.
The Nets used that money to finance summer league and buy a brand-new copy machine.
“We gave away a good player for summer league,” said Rod Thorn, the Nets’ general manager at the time. “It was just one of those things we had to do. At least, that’s how I rationalized it.”
Meanwhile, the sharp-shooting Korver has gone on to have a successful career, including setting an NBA record by hitting a 3-pointer in 127 consecutive games.
While Nets fans hope that copy machine better have been the best on the market, it’s difficult to say whether Korver, who has played for four teams in his career, would have even stayed with the Nets for all these years.
That said, it’s funny to think that a team traded a serviceable player for an office supply.
The Nets can at least boast about actually drafting him, though. There were six players, including a dude named Sofoklis Schortsanitis, taken before Korver who never played a game in the NBA and a handful of others who are no longer in the league.
