In the 1998 NBA Draft, Vince Carter was drafted No. 5 overall by the Golden State Warriors but was traded later that evening to the Toronto Raptors for the No. 4 overall pick, Antawn Jamison.
It was a seismic deal that transformed the Raptors franchise, making them a competitor in the Eastern Conference in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was one of two trades (along with the one that sent No. 9 pick Dirk Nowitzki from Milwaukee to Dallas) that altered the future trajectory of the NBA in the 1998 draft.
Two weeks into the 2025 Premier Lacrosse League season, the Carolina Chaos and Maryland Whipsnakes have swapped rookies Jack McDonald (16th overall) and Scott Smith (17th overall) in an intriguing early-season trade also featuring back-to-back draft picks.
The Chaos drafted McDonald three picks after taking Levi Verch at No. 13, resulting in plenty of head scratching from fans around the league who thought the Chaos would draft players to boost their league-worst offense. Smith was drafted into a Whipsnakes squad that returned its entire close unit from last season’s Cash App Championship loss.
“We were going to take McDonald in the draft, and literally, just before we were going to take him, the Chaos took him,” Maryland head coach and general manager Jim Stagnitta said. “At the time, you didn’t think to move up one spot in order to get Jack McDonald. And it’s not like we didn’t expect him to go right there because they had already taken Levi Verch. So there was no sense of urgency. We thought he’d be there.”
Carolina drafted McDonald for his 6-foot-5 frame, which helped him make great plays off the floor in college and cover midfielders running out of the box. The Canadian plays physical between the whistles and has solid footwork for his large stature. The former Maryland Terrapin’s best attribute is his ability to win ground balls off the carpet for his team because of his range and great stick skills.
“We always felt like McDonald was a really good fit for us because of his knowledge of how we play defense coming from college,” Stagnitta said. “We played team defense in a similar way. He’s a good communicator. I think he gives us, you know, the best of both worlds. We’re looking for a little offensive punch out of the long pole.”
McDonald did not see game action in his brief time with the Chaos and will make his professional debut with the Whipsnakes when he joins the lineup. Because of Carolina’s Homecoming Weekend doubleheader, he was available to be picked up because he had not been rostered for three games.
Yet even though Stagnitta could have added McDonald without needing to trade away Smith, he chose to continue his longstanding respect for Chaos GM Spencer Ford and worked out a deal to help Carolina out in return for snagging McDonald.
“I talked to Spence, and I said, ‘Look, I’m considering picking up Jack, but I don’t want to take advantage of an opportunity where maybe I can help you out, too,” Stagnitta said. “‘Would you be interested in just making a swap here instead of me just grabbing someone off your roster?’”.
With the trade, McDonald becomes the ninth Terrapin to join Stagnitta’s roster for the hometown Whipsnakes. He joins Alex Mazzone and Colin Squires at the LSM position.
“Jake Bernhardt had coached him and spoke really highly of him,” Stagnitta said. “Ajax [Zappitello], Roman [Puglise] and [Jack] Koras have played with him, and they all raved about him and his character.”
McDonald will have to fight to earn his spot within the Maryland defense.
Smith, a graduate of Johns Hopkins, is another physical specimen that Carolina will add to its lineup down low at close defense. Unlike McDonald, Smith made his debut last weekend in Charlotte for the Whips against the Philadelphia Waterdogs and registered a solid showing with two ground balls, one caused turnover and his first career goal — a two-pointer in the second quarter.
