The Grizzlies Paid a Future Pick for an Immediate Rookie Option
During the June 26, 2002 NBA draft, Milwaukee took Chris Owens of Texas with the forty-eighth selection and sent his rights to Memphis. In exchange the Grizzlies surrendered their 2003 second-round choice. Both team transaction ledgers record the swap, and the pick eventually landed at No. 35 in the next draft. Owens gave Memphis the opportunity to evaluate a college forward without using a first-round selection. Milwaukee delayed its own prospect choice a year, betting the future position would yield something more useful than the rights it sold.
Owens Signed a Contract but Didn't Reach the NBA Rotation
The Grizzlies did sign Owens in July 2002, so the move wasn't merely a trade for paper rights left untouched. He joined their development pool and continued under contract for a period. However, the club waived him in September 2003 without a regular-season NBA appearance. His college work and later professional opportunities shouldn't be described as Memphis NBA output. The club invested a future draft selection in a player it never used during an official game. This limited the tangible basketball return to an unsuccessful roster evaluation.
Milwaukee's No. 35 Selection Became Szymon Szewczyk
The second-round selection sent to Milwaukee turned into Szymon Szewczyk, a Polish big man selected thirty-fifth overall in 2003. Szewczyk had a legitimate professional career abroad, but he never played a regular-season NBA game for the Bucks. The fact that the selection was nine spots higher than the original Owens pick offers a reason to like the timing of Milwaukee's trade. It doesn't establish that the Bucks received an actual NBA rotation contributor. His European production belongs to his overseas teams, not to Milwaukee's league ledger.
The Future Pick Was Better Positioned but Still Didn't Produce Games
Neither organization received an NBA player from this specific exchange. Memphis developed Owens briefly under contract and moved on; Milwaukee selected an overseas prospect with the future choice and did not bring him into its regular-season rotation. The Bucks may have preferred the upside of a higher subsequent pick, but the original high grade overstated a selection that didn't become an NBA contributor. At this distance the appropriate judgment is equal and restrained, with both teams credited for pursuing an understandable scouting strategy without invented player minutes.
Final Verdict
Even Trade. Memphis earns C- because Chris Owens signed but never played a Grizzlies regular-season NBA game. Milwaukee also earns C- because the 2003 No. 35 selection became Szymon Szewczyk, another player with no Bucks regular-season appearances. The higher pick held developmental promise, yet neither acquiring club obtained league production.