Kyle Korver, one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time, was once traded for a copy machine.
Per Basketball Reference, Korver sits fifth on the all-time 3s list, behind only Reggie Miller, James Harden, Ray Allen, and Stephen Curry. In 2003, though, no one could have predicted Korver would be mentioned in the same sentence with all-time great shooters.
The New Jersey Nets selected Korver with the 51st overall pick in the 2003 draft. But there was a problem: they didn't have any room for him.
The Nets had just made the Finals that year and had a win-now roster – one that featured Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson, and Kenyon Martin. The team didn’t need a rookie eating up a roster spot – especially one who wasn't likely to get any playing time.
To compound their problems, the Nets were also low on cash, per NBC Sports. In fact, they were in need of some money to pay for their team’s Summer League entry that offseason.
The solution?
On draft night, the Nets promptly sold the rights to Kyle Korver to the Philadelphia 76ers. All the Nets took in exchange was $125,000. That was more than enough money to pay for their Summer League entry.
With their leftover money, the Nets bought a brand new copy machine. Supposedly it could fax too, and back in 2003 having an all-in-one printer, copier, and fax machine was a big deal.
Fast-forward 17 years, and Kyle Korver turned into an All-Star and one of the most lethal 3-point shooters the league has ever seen.
The Nets’ copy machine, though, broke down – a revelation revealed to the public by Korver himself. In a speech at Creighton University (his alma mater) in 2019, Korver didn’t forget what went down all those years ago:
“What’s your trade value? Mine was a copy machine. But that’s okay. A couple of years ago, that copy machine broke. And I’m still playing.”
Based on Korver's comments, the industrial copier broke down around 2017. Since the Nets acquired it in 2003, it meant they got 14 good years out of it. The Nets' front office likely had a lot of meeting notes printed out and faxes sent over the years. Still, most teams would probably prefer Kyle Korver's 17-year NBA career over one year of Summer League and some faxes.
While it was impossible to predict Korver's success at the time in 2003, trading an all-time great three-point shooter for a copy machine will go down as one of the strangest trades in NBA history.
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