The 30 most painful NBA Draft pass-ups since 2000

NBA Draft Mistake #11: Miami drafting Michael Beasley over Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love.

The 2008 draft was unusually stacked at the top of the lottery. Derrick Rose was selected first overall, followed by fellow future MVP Russell Westbrook and five-time all-star Kevin Love, who were taken fourth and fifth, respectively. However, Miami, who picked second, passed both players over to select Michael Beasley.

Although Beasley was admittedly intriguing as a 6’10 wing who could score, there were red flags about him, including his immaturity. His behavior at the rookie symposium left a lot to be desired and was a sign of things to come.

While he played fairly well in his two years in Miami, averaging 14.3 points and 5.9 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game, he was traded to Minnesota after his sophomore season. That was mainly to make room for LeBron James and Chris Bosh, but perhaps also because he had repeated issues with marijuana. After Miami, he bounced around, playing for seven teams in nine years before taking his talents to China.

Had Miami looked at the potential warning signs, they could have landed a future MVP in Westbrook or a multi-time All-Star in Love. Perhaps they have even found a way to pair them with Dwayne Wade, James, and Bosh. In that case, they may have won “not five, not six, not seven…” championships.