In the Fall of 2013, the Washington Wizards were on the search for an answer at the center position. The organization had long moved on from JaVale McGee, despite nice flashes Emeka Okafor wasn’t the answer, and Kevin Séraphin was absolutely not panning out.
So on October 25, 2013, the Wizards pulled off a trade that would give them an answer. Flipping Okafor and a protected pick, they received Marcin Gortat (among other pieces) and the rest was history.
*Malcolm Lee was also included in this trade and went to the Washington Wizards.