The 1998 NBA Draft is one of the better classes in NBA history. While it likely falls just short of being a top-five draft class of all time due to the stiff competition at the top, it has a very easy case for the top 10.

One of the definitive stories that everyone should remember from the 1998 NBA Draft is the trade that happened within the top five picks of the draft.

Two North Carolina teammates, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, were traded for each other on draft night.

Jamison and Carter were both juniors in their final season with the Tar Heels. The dynamic duo led North Carolina to the Final Four in the 1998 March Madness tournament.

It may be easy to forget now, but Jamison was actually the leading man for that team, with Carter playing the role of co-star. In his final season, Jamison averaged 22.2 points (on 57.9 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent from beyond the arc) to go with 10.5 rebounds per game.

Carter was no slouch himself. He averaged 15.6 points (shooting 59.1 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from beyond the arc), 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

When the NBA Draft came around, Jamison was selected by the fourth overall.

Meanwhile, Carter was drafted by the  fifth overall. The only problem was the Warriors really coveted Jamison. Thus, a deal was struck between the two sides.

The draft rights for the two players were swapped for each other straight-up, with the Warriors adding some cash to get the deal done. The two former teammates traded draft caps as the Raptors wound up making one of the most important trades in their franchise’s history.

Raptors Get the Man Who Would Change Their Franchise Forever

The Raptors and the Vancouver Grizzlies entered the NBA as part of the 1995 expansion. When they acquired Carter, the squad had never won a season.

Something was going to change.

Carter’s rookie year did not result in a winning season, but it did earn him the Rookie of the Year Award. Carter received 113 first-place votes, defeating Jason Williams and Paul Pierce for the distinction.

Jamison was nowhere in sight.

Carter’s second season, 1999-2000, was the leap forward that the Raptors sought.

The Raptors went from 23-27 in the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season to 45-37 in 1999-00. Carter played all 82 regular-season games and was named to his first All-Star Game and All-NBA team.