The 30 most painful NBA Draft pass-ups since 2000

NBA Draft Mistake #28: Seattle drafting Robert Swift over Al Jefferson and Josh Smith.

The Seattle SuperSonics knew that they were gambling when they selected 7’1 center Robert Swift 12th overall in the 2024 NBA draft. Based on his appearance on this list, they clearly lost. Swift appeared in just 97 games over his five-year career with the Sonics and the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he flashed potential over his first two years in the NBA but played sparingly.

After his sophomore season, he was expected to start for Seattle, but he tore his ACL before starting the 2006-07 season. He missed all of that season and only played eight games the following year. Swift played a slightly bigger role once the team relocated to Oklahoma City, but he tore his meniscus and only appeared in 26 games. After that, he played in the G League but failed to make it back to the league, ending his NBA career.

Swift’s failure made him a poster child of sorts for the argument against allowing high school players to jump to the NBA. That is unfair to both him and the high school players who successfully made the leap. Swift had two serious leg injuries that negatively affected his short career, and he could not bounce back afterward.

Meanwhile, many of the preps who went to the pros actually had good careers. In fact, players such as former all-star Al Jefferson and Josh Smith were both taken after him and were also high schoolers. Each would go on to have long and successful careers, unlike Swift.