Seattle Took a Second-Rounder for a Center Who Had Started 69 Games
On September 28, 2003, the Seattle SuperSonics sent Predrag Drobnjak, also known as Peja Drobnjak, to the Los Angeles Clippers for a 2004 second-round selection. The timing reflected opposite roster objectives. Seattle was opening minutes for a younger frontcourt after Drobnjak had started 69 games in the prior season. Los Angeles needed center depth following major offseason turnover, and it was willing to give up a future mid-second-round chance for someone who could join the rotation immediately. The exchange was not a deal for a pick of unknown origin: the 2004 selection became No. 35 overall.
Drobnjak Supplied One Season of Clippers Production
Drobnjak played 61 Clippers regular-season games in 2003-04, starting 14 and logging 949 minutes. He scored 382 points, grabbed 196 rebounds and made 24 blocks, averages of 6.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per appearance. That is usable backup-center work for a team that finished 28-54, even though he did not become a starting cornerstone. He was selected by the expansion Charlotte Bobcats in June 2004, ending the direct Los Angeles stint after one season. His prior 146 appearances in Seattle and his later 71 games with Atlanta are not part of what the Clippers acquired.
Seattle Used the Pick as a Bridge to Gelabale
Seattle selected Andre Emmett with that incoming 2004 No. 35 pick, but it moved his rights to Memphis on draft night for another second-rounder in 2005. That later selection became Mickaël Gelabale, who eventually played 70 games for Seattle in 2006-07 and 39 more in 2007-08. His 109 SuperSonics games totaled 1,704 minutes and 489 points. It would be inaccurate to say Emmett played those games for Seattle; he did not. The value came through an additional trade, with a delay between the original center deal and the arrival of a useful reserve wing.
Both Clubs Eventually Found Modest Rotation Help
Los Angeles did what it set out to do: it exchanged a second-round opportunity for 61 games of immediate center depth. Seattle needed patience and another transaction, but the same draft asset later helped it obtain a player who logged more games and minutes with the SuperSonics than Drobnjak did with the Clippers. It is tempting to grade only the original Emmett selection and call the trade a Los Angeles win, yet that would ignore the documented draft-night movement of Emmett's rights. Conversely, Gelabale's contribution should not be treated as a direct 2003 return without explaining the intermediate step. The balanced result is limited but tangible value on each side.
Final Verdict
Even Trade. The Clippers earn C+ for 61 games, 949 minutes and 382 points from Predrag Drobnjak. Seattle also gets C+ because its No. 35 choice was flipped for the draft selection that became Mickaël Gelabale, a 109-game SuperSonics reserve. Both teams received useful short-term or downstream contributions.