Lottery swaps

Last update: June 27, 2008 - 10:40 PM

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The Wolves swapped top-10 picks for the third time since 1996 on Thursday night. Here's a look at the three trades:

1996

Drafted: Ray Allen, top, No. 4

Acquired: Stephon Marbury, bottom, No. 5 (from Milwaukee)

The skinny: Allen has had a stellar career and won his first NBA title in Boston; Marbury languishes in an unhappy situation with his hometown New York Knicks.

The verdict: The Wolves gambled that Marbury's relationship with his "good friend" Kevin Garnett would be enough to keep him happy in Minnesota. They were wrong.

2006

Drafted: Brandon Roy, top, No. 6

Acquired: Randy Foye, bottom, No. 7 (from Portland)

The skinny: Roy won rookie of the year honors and was an All-Star in his second year; Foye has been slowed by injury.

The verdict: Foye is still struggling to establish himself while Roy appears to be on the verge of superstardom. Doesn't look good at this point.

2008

Drafted: O.J. Mayo, No. 3

Acquired: Kevin Love, No. 5

The skinny: In addition to Love, the Wolves were able to land a great shooter/scorer in Mike Miller while subtracting some bad contracts in the process. They just have to hope Mayo doesn't become a superstar talent in Memphis (or elsewhere).

The verdict: Too early to tell, certainly. This will be measured in the long term and in the win/loss column. If this pushes the Wolves to on-court success, the trade will be a success.

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