"My first reaction was for them" — Kobe Bryant had an unexpected reaction to the Pau Gasol trade

The Pau Gasol trade to the Los Angeles Lakers changed the course of the franchise. Suddenly, the Purple and Gold were favorites to win the coveted Larry O'Brien trophy.

Kobe Bryant was pleased with the front office. He knew what the Spaniard could bring to the table. But there are also B-sides to every story. As the Lakers nation celebrated their new center, Kobe consoled his teammates who were part of the monumental trade.

Kwame Brown and Javaris Critterton

"My first thought was for Kwame and Javaris," Kobe told reporters. "Javaris was like a little brother to me. I tried to mentor him as much as I could. And Kwame, he's been through a lot of ups and downs but he has a great heart. My first reaction was about them."

Critteron was just a rookie then. He was the 19th overall pick of the Lakers in the 2007 NBA Draft and was fortunate enough to be assigned under Kobe. Unfortunately, this mentor-mentee relationship lasted just half a season. The Lakers had to package Javaris away as part of the Gasol trade.

Solid defender

Amid his reputation as the biggest draft bust, Kwame Brown's impact on the Lakers was pretty good. In his three seasons in LA, Bryant saw how good of a basketball player Kwame was. While he didn't excel on offense, Kobe acknowledged how good Kwame was on defense. In fact, Bryant claimed that Brown may have thought Andrew Bynum a thing or two.

"You know what, he may have showed Andrew a couple of things though, especially on screen-and-roll coverages and one-on-one defense. Offensively? No way," Bryant said, per the Los Angeles Times. "Kwame, he's a great defensive player. He's one of the best defensive big men I've ever seen. But in terms of offense, he was challenged."

It was bittersweet for Bryant to see Javaris and Kwame go. He built good relations with his teammates to help them progress in their NBA careers and help the team with its title quest.

This is just how life in the NBA goes. One day, you're playing for your dream team, and the next day, you're shipped away. Kobe had been in the league long enough to know how tough this is for athletes. He knew he had to console Kwame and Javaris after the sudden shift in their careers.

Related: "I took a lot of the blame for a lot of the stuff they were doing” - When Kobe Bryant confronted the Lakers management for their poor decision-making