HOUReceived
Houston Rockets
PSteve Francis
PTony Massenburg
PDon MacLean
PMichael Smith
Rookie leverage megadeal · August 27, 1999
The enormous trade that rerouted Steve Francis to Houston
Houston, Vancouver and Orlando completed an 11-player trade after No. 2 pick Steve Francis resisted beginning his career with the Grizzlies.
See where this happened in the 1999 offseason →The original receipt
Every asset in the deal
Each team panel shows the players and draft assets it received.
To HOUTo VANDraft1STround asset
To ORLVANReceived
Vancouver Grizzlies
POthella Harrington
PAntoine Carr
PMichael Dickerson
PBrent Price
#Two first-round picks
ORLReceived
Orlando Magic
PMichael Smith
PRodrick Rhodes
PLee Mayberry
PMakhtar N'Diaye
Why it happened
The bet each side made
The move forced both organizations to choose between the value of the present roster and a different competitive timeline.
Why history remembers it
Francis shared Rookie of the Year, became a three-time All-Star and gave Houston its bridge from the Olajuwon era to Yao Ming.
What changed
The consequences
Principal profiles