The Los Angeles Lakers Trade For Kwame Brown (2005)

The fact that Kwame Brown was one of the most spectacular draft busts of the last few decades didn’t stop the Los Angeles Lakers from thinking they could salvage his career by giving him a change of scenery.

In the summer of 2005, the Lakers traded away Caron Butler — who went on to become one of the most respected players in the NBA — and Chucky Atkins, in exchange for Brown and Laron Profit. While Brown showed some flashes of growth in LA, eventually the Lakers ran out of patience and traded him away to Memphis in 2008. Butler was named to two All-Star teams as a member of the Wizards.