The 2023 NBA draft is just a couple of weeks away, and it has the chance to be one of the best in recent years. That is usually said every June, but this time it may actually be the case. This year’s class is headlined by Victor Wembanyama, a 7’4 French center with the offensive skill set of Kevin Durant. We don’t need Adrian Wojnarowski, or Shams Charania to tell us whether he will be the top pick by the San Antonio Spurs come draft night.
He may not be the only future star, however. Other players, such as Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson, project to be future NBA All-Stars. Additionally, if history is any indicator, there are often future All-Stars found in the second half of the first round and even in the second round of the draft.
The globalization of basketball has resulted in a dramatic increase in the draft talent pool and that raises the possibility of more draft-night steals. Even then, every year, several teams still find a way to make a big mistake on draft night that has a negative effect on the future of their franchise.
Just about every team has made at least one in recent years, some more painful than others, but all are mistakes. Nonetheless, with that in mind, here are 30 of the most painful NBA draft mistakes since 2002.
NBA Draft Mistake #30: San Antonio drafting Joshua Primo in the lottery.
Fans of the San Antonio Spurs, myself included, are on cloud nine after landing the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. However, one reason they were so bad this season is that one of their recent lottery picks failed to pan out. Guard Joshua Primo was selected 12th overall in the 2021 NBA draft but is already out of the league after some serious allegations forced the team to cut ties with him.
12th picks don’t work out all the time, but the Spurs reached their goal by selecting Primo where they did. In fact, he didn’t appear on several mock drafts, so imagine the surprise when he was picked in the late lottery. Had he not allegedly done what he was accused of doing, he might have turned into a good NBA player.
Especially after growing from 6’4 to 6’6 after being drafted, there was hope that he could develop into a big point guard. That’s unlikely to happen now, and certainly not with the Spurs, who haven’t missed a beat without him. Of course, they did waste a lottery pick, and Alperin Sengun seemed like the obvious choice, even at the time, and has definitely improved since then.
With Victor Wembanyama set to join the Spurs next season and projected to put up monster numbers, the Primo debacle probably won’t hurt them going forward. Still, it might make the Spurs think twice about gambling on big unknowns in the upcoming drafts with their treasure trove of picks.
NBA Draft Mistake #29: The L.A. Clippers drafting Darius Miles over Mike Miller and Jamal Crawford.
In the 2000 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Clippers took a risk by drafting Darius Miles third out of high school. At the time, no high school player had ever been taken that high, but Miles’ size, athleticism, and raw talent won out. While he wasn’t as big of a disappointment as others on this list, it is fair to say that his career didn’t go as expected. Miles spent two decent seasons with the Clippers, coming off the bench, before being traded in a deal that included Andre Miller.
As it turns out, the Clippers got rid of Miles just in time before they really regretted their decision. He spent time in Cleveland before ending up with the Portland Trailblazers. After signing a huge contract, he later missed two full seasons recovering from microfracture surgery before being waived and his contract removed from Portland’s books.
That led to a strange saga where Portland then threatened to sue teams if they signed him during a comeback attempt. He did, resulting in them being stuck paying him. No matter what, Miles being taken third didn’t work out, and while the 2000 NBA draft was awful, there were still better players on the draft board. Mike Miller and Jamal Crawford, neither of whom were all-stars, both had long careers and were less risky than Miles was.
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.
NBA Draft Mistake #27: Charlotte drafting Adam Morrison over Brandon Roy
The 2006 NBA Draft was mostly forgettable, thanks in large part to its lack of star power. Only two players in the top 20 made the all-star team. Even then, the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Hornets) decision to draft Adam Morrison third overall was highly questionable.
To his credit, he did average 28 points in his final season at Gonzaga, but few expected his offensive success to translate. They were right. His best season in the NBA came during his rookie year when he averaged 11.8 points on an ugly 37.6% field goal percentage. It was downhill from there.
He missed his entire sophomore season and underwhelmed in his third season, averaging 4.5 points, with the Bobcats before he was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers. Luckily for Morrison, he joined the Lakers at the right time. He happened to win two championship rings in his final two seasons in the NBA, ending his career on a high note.
Still, a third-round pick failing to earn a second contract is pretty bad, and it is only fitting that one of the worst franchises in NBA history (current or defunct) made one of the biggest draft mistakes in NBA history.
NBA Draft Mistake #26: Milwaukee drafting Joe Alexander over Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert.
Few people remember Joe Alexander, who was selected 8th overall in the 2008 NBA draft. Admittedly, I completely forgot about him as well, but it is easy to understand why. Of all of the players who made this list, Alexander has the distinction of playing the fewest games with his first team. That tells you all that you really need to know about his lackluster NBA career.
He played only 59 games with Milwaukee over two years. Actually, he didn’t play with the Bucks at all during his sophomore season after spending part of it in the NBA G-League. He was then moved to the Chicago Bulls, where he logged eight games before his career came to an early end. Generally, top-10 picks are guaranteed at least two seasons in the NBA, with most having their third-year options picked up. Alexander was the exception to the rule, and no other team even gave him a shot after a poor showing with Milwaukee.
As for who they passed over, Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert—both multi-time All-Stars—were still on the board, as was Serge Ibaka. Missing out on all three hurts, but the silver lining is that they remained bad enough to pick 15th in 2012, allowing them to select Giannis Antetokounmpo. Just like they planned it.
NBA Draft Mistake #25: Atlanta trading Luka Doncic for Trae Young and Cam Reddish.
All things considered, this isn’t nearly as egregious of a mistake as the ones to follow, but it is still a mistake. The Atlanta Hawks selected Luka Doncic third overall in 2018 but agreed to a trade with the Dallas Mavericks for the draft rights to Trae Young and a future first-round pick, which became Cam Reddish. Young has become a two-time all-star, proving worthy of the fifth pick, but Reddish is already on his third team in four seasons.
Compare that with Doncic, who won Rookie of the Year, is a four-time all-star, and has made four all-NBA teams in his first five seasons, and it is clear that he is the best player in the deal. Worse yet, Young, despite being a great player, has clashed with coaches and teammates, so much so that the Hawks are open to trading him this summer.
Although Dallas has their own issues with Doncic, he is still among the NBA’s elite players while Young probably ranks in the teens or early twenties. Had Reddish worked out, then we might be having a different discussion, but as it stands, the Hawks gave up a great player for a very good player, and that is never a good idea.
NBA Draft Mistake #24: Philadelphia drafting Ben Simmons over Jaylen Brown.
Prior to the 2016 NBA Draft, 6’11 point-forward Ben Simmons appeared to be a no-brainer choice for the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick. He mostly lived up to the hype, at least initially. He was a two-time all-star, made the all-NBA second team in 2019, and was one of the better defensive players in the league.
That all changed in the Sixers 2021 semifinal series against the Atlanta Hawks, where Simmons imploded under pressure, including passing up a game-tying layup in Game 7.
After the series, then Sixers coach Doc Rivers criticized Simmons, leading to him demanding a trade that summer or threatening to sit out. Philadelphia wouldn’t give in, however, and he sat out for most of the season until he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a deal for superstar James Harden.
While getting Harden helped salvage the situation, Harden appears likely to leave in free agency, and the Sixers’ season was ended in part by a player that they passed on drafting. Jaylen Brown was selected third overall in the same draft and had a career year this season, far exceeding even Simmons’ best year with the Sixers. The decision not to draft Brown could very well hurt Philadelphia for the next several seasons.
After all, Boston and Philadelphia play in the same conference and have already played each other three times in the postseason since the 2016 Draft, with the Celtics going 3-0. Passing over Brown, in combination with a soon-to-be-discussed decision, both limited the Sixers’ ceiling and helped their archrival land two stars. Not great.
NBA Draft Mistake #23: Philadelphia drafting Jahlil Okafor over Kristaps Porzingis
On paper, Jahlil Okafor seemed to be a safe choice for the Philadelphia 76ers in the lead-up to the 2019 NBA draft. Okafor was a five-star high school recruit and was productive in his only season at Duke. While there were concerns about his defense, most expected him to be an above-average offensive player thanks to his skill as a post player. During his first season in the NBA, it certainly looked like that might be the case.
Okafor averaged an impressive 17.5 points and 7 rebounds per game, leading to him being named to the All-Rookie first team. Unfortunately, a meniscus tear cost him the final two months of his rookie season and limited during his sophomore season. He continued to put up capable numbers until he suffered another season-ending injury.
During his third season with the Sixers, they opted not to pick up his fourth-year option after he was benched to start the year. He requested a trade and was later moved to the Brooklyn Nets after playing just two games for Philadelphia that season. In total, he logged 105 games and averaged a mediocre 12.6 points per game as the third pick for Philadelphia. Unfortunately for them, the player taken after Okafor would go on to have a much better career.
Kristaps Porzingis was selected fourth overall in 2019 and made a total of three All-Star teams with the New York Knicks. While he was later traded, they managed to win that deal, unlike the Sixers, who basically salary-dumped a high lottery pick. Moves like that are the exact reason they appear three times on this list. Stay tuned!
NBA Draft Mistake #22: Philadelphia drafting Markelle Fultz over Jayson Tatum.
In 2017, the Philadelphia 76ers’ made the fateful decision to trade up to number one by dealing the number three pick and future pick to the Boston Celtics. It didn’t work out so well. The 76ers selected Markelle Fultz first, while the Celtics took Jayson Tatum, who went on to become a top-10 NBA player.
To the 76ers’ credit, Fultz was considered a great prospect at the time, certainly worthy of being number one after posting big numbers at Washington. Of course, Fultz couldn’t replicate those numbers in the NBA, especially after a shoulder injury permanently affected his once terrific jump shot. The 76ers later cut their losses and shipped Fultz to the Orlando Magic rather than pay to keep the underperforming and overpaid former number-one pick.
Fortunately for Fultz, he has played much better with the Magic, but unfortunately for the 76ers, they didn’t get the player that they thought they were getting. Worse yet, Tatum and the Celtics have been a thorn in the Sixers’ side since the trade, including eliminating them from the playoffs three times. Given how this situation played out, as well as the Ben Simmons and Jahlil Okafor fiascos, the “Process Sixers” really had some poor luck that continues to haunt them.
NBA Draft Mistake #21: Golden State drafting James Wiseman over LaMelo Ball.
Despite happening just three years ago, Golden State’s decision to draft James Wiseman second in the 2020 NBA Draft makes the cut. After finishing with only 20 wins, the Warriors were hoping to get a future franchise player that could bridge the gap between eras. Unfortunately, Wiseman wasn’t the player to help Golden State accomplish that. He struggled through his rookie season until it was cut short thanks to a knee injury.
That knee would cost him his entire sophomore season too, and it would put him at a disadvantage entering this season. While he did improve some, his development was much slower than the Warriors wanted. They faced the prospect of paying him $10 million next season in addition to having to pay at least double that amount in luxury tax. As a result, they opted to trade him in a four-team deal for Gary Payton II and two second-round picks.
That return on investment likely wasn’t what Golden State had in mind when they picked him second. And, considering that there were rumors that the Warriors were interested in LaMelo Ball, who was picked third by the Hornets, it’s clear that they made a mistake in not selecting him instead.
NBA Draft Mistake #20: Toronto drafting Andrea Bargnani over LaMarcus Aldridge.
The theory of Andrea Bargnani proved to be far better than Bargnani himself. He was drafted first overall in 2006 by the Toronto Raptors and never quite lived up to his full potential after being compared to Dirk Nowitzki.
Then again, every international big-man from that era was compared to Nowitzki, with all failing to live up. Bargnani was no different. He spent seven seasons with the Raptors, and while he put up better numbers than most players on this list, including scoring 21.4 points per game in the 2010–11 season, he certainly ranks low on the list of most successful former number-one picks.
Actually, LaMarcus Aldridge, who was picked second, would go on to have a much better career. The seven-time NBA All-Star is one of the better offensive big men of his era, even scoring 20,000 points. He was also an underrated defender who helped lead both Portland and San Antonio to deep runs in the playoffs, unlike Bargnani, who didn’t exactly impact winning.
Things ultimately worked out for Toronto; three years after drafting Bargnani, they selected DeMar DeRozan, who would also go on to have a much better career. Though, had they drafted Aldridge instead, they might have been able to build a championship team much sooner than 2019.
NBA Draft Mistake #19: Phoenix drafting Deandre Ayton over Luka Doncic.
When the Phoenix Suns landed the number one overall pick in 2018, it became immediately clear that they had their sights set on then-Arizona Wildcat Deandre Ayton. Nearly five years after the 2018 NBA Draft, it’s clear that the Suns made a big mistake in selecting him.
Although Ayton is far from a draft bust, it’s apparent that despite his physical gifts and skill, he isn’t the franchise player that they need him to be. Meanwhile, a player that they passed on, superstar Luka Doncic, is one of the top players in the NBA.
Doncic was one of the most accomplished draft prospects ever, but he was taken third overall and then traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Passing up Doncic came back to haunt them when he and the Mavericks eliminated the Suns in the 2022 West Semifinals despite the Suns having the best record in the league.
Now, the Suns are reportedly shopping Ayton after another embarrassing playoff loss. However, they are unlikely to get anywhere near the value that they missed out on by picking him instead of Doncic. While most people could have foreseen that Doncic would be a better player than Ayton, few expected there to be as big a gulf between the two.
NBA Draft Mistake #18: Denver drafting Nikoloz Tskitishvili over Amare Stoudemire.
Nikoloz Tskitishvili has become something of a meme for NBA draft buffs as a random high lottery pick that failed in spectacular fashion. He spent his first three seasons with the Denver Nuggets and immediately fell short of expectations. In his first season, he served as a backup center but was unproductive in that role, averaging just 3.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game.
In his second and third years with Denver, he seldom played and continued to fail to make a noticeable impact despite being 7’0 tall. He was later traded to the Golden State Warriors, where he continued to underwhelm before his NBA career began to unwind. In total, he appeared in 143 games as a Nugget, averaging 3.8 points on an awful 30% shooting from the field as well as pulling down 1.9 boards per game.
Tskitishvili clearly didn’t pan out for Denver, and they passed up on five-time all-star Amar’e Stoudemire, who was taken ninth. The Nuggets would surely like to have that one back, especially since their failure to get any value out of the fifth pick affected their ability to build around Carmelo Anthony.
NBA Draft Mistake #17: Charlotte drafting Frank Kaminsky instead of acquiring six picks from Miami.
Former Wisconsin star Frank Kaminsky is one of several four-year players who make the list despite standout college careers. Although Kaminsky was a college standout, there were some serious questions about his game. He was slow-footed and unathletic, leading to concerns that he couldn’t defend at the next level.
Then there were the concerns that his breakout season at Wisconsin had more to do with him dominating against younger players than being an offensive weapon. Those concerns turned out to be completely warranted, but leave it to Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Hornets to take him anyway.
This despite them being offered six draft picks, including four future first-round picks, by the Boston Celtics in order to move up in the draft just to select Justise Winslow. Jordan and the Hornets reportedly hadn’t done scouting for players projected to fall out of the lottery, leading to them debating the deal only for time to run out and then having to take Kaminsky.
Trying to trade the farm for Winslow doesn’t make Boston look good, but turning down four firsts to draft a player who was clearly not going to be a star at the NBA level is pretty bad for Charlotte. Kaminsky would go on to play four seasons with the Hornets, then bounce around the NBA. Had they been better prepared, Charlotte could have avoided wasting a top-10 pick.
NBA Draft Mistake #16: Philadelphia drafting Evan Turner over DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George.
Former number two pick Evan Turner had three productive seasons at Ohio State, culminating with him averaging 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 6 assists per game and being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2010. His ability to fill up stat sheets made him seem like a safe choice, not to mention he had three years of college experience.
Although Turner would go on to have a long career, unfortunately, he was just decent instead of great. He spent three and a half seasons with the 76ers, and the first two of those years were spent coming off the bench. When he did get the chance to start in the final two seasons, he played well but was far from star level.
Philadelphia agreed and traded him to Indiana for an over-the-hill Danny Granger and a second-round pick. Hindsight is 20/20, but had the Sixers drafted DeMarcus Cousins or Paul George instead, they might not have needed to resort to the drastic “process”. Then again, some of their later draft decisions could have helped make up for Turner’s failure to pan out. More on that later.
NBA Draft Mistake #15: Atlanta drafting Marvin Williams over Deron Williams and Chris Paul.
Despite coming off the bench during his one season at North Carolina, Marvin Williams was selected second overall by the Atlanta Hawks. Perhaps Willams heavily benefited from helping UNC win the National Championship because it seemed clear that he wasn’t going to be a star in the NBA. That turned out to be very much the case.
Williams spent seven seasons in Atlanta, and while he developed into a useful role player, especially during the second half of his career, he was never a star. His best season came during the 2007-08 season when he averaged nearly 15 points and 6 rebounds per game—good but far from great.
Had he been taken, say, 10th, he certainly wouldn’t be considered a mistake, especially after playing 15 seasons and nearly 1,100 games. Be that as it may, Atlanta reached and missed out on two big names. Deron Williams was taken fourth by Utah and made three All-star teams as well as two All-NBA second teams.
Meanwhile, Chris Paul (a.k.a. the “Point God”) was selected fifth by New Orleans and would go on to make 12 all-star teams, 11 All-NBA teams, and lead the league in assists and steals five and six times, respectively. Obviously, Atlanta made a mistake here.
NBA Draft Mistake #14: New York drafting Renaldo Balkman over Rajon Rondo and Kyle Lowry.
In 2006, the New York Knicks selected Renaldo Balkman, who was known for his defensive ability and versatility, with the 20th pick. In theory, that would have made him the ideal fit for a team picking in the 20s, but that wasn’t their pick, and they weren’t a playoff team at the time. In fact, they lost 59 games during the 2005-06 season, but instead of picking at the top of the draft, they traded their pick, which turned into the number two selection and LaMarcus Aldridge.
That made the decision to pick Balkman odd, since despite his defensive potential, he was limited as an offensive player, and that negatively affected his ceiling as a prospect. Needless to say, it didn’t work out. The Knicks drafted Wilson Chandler and Danilo Galanari in consecutive drafts, making Balkman obsolete and leading to his being moved to the Denver Nuggets after just two seasons.
Having the 20th pick in the draft not work out happens more often than not, so it’s not a big deal, right? That’s true, but Rajon Rondo was taken with the subsequent pick, as was Kyle Lowry with the 24th pick. Had they taken either, they would have had a star to try to lure LeBron James to the Knicks in 2010 or at least a big three after acquiring Stoudemire and Anthony. A big missed opportunity for the Knicks.
NBA Draft Mistake #13: Sacramento drafting Jimmer Fredette over Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vucevic, and Jimmy Butler.
In the lead-up to the 2011 draft, Jimmer Fredette’s draft position became the subject of a lot of speculation. After all, he was arguably the most famous college player at the time after averaging nearly 29 points for BYU. Prior to being picked, he drew comparisons to Adam Morrison, another college player who put up big numbers but failed to translate them to the NBA. He was ultimately picked 11th and started his career with the Sacramento Kings.
Those comparisons proved fairly accurate; Fredette struggled to transition from being an elite scorer to playing backup point guard and lasted just three seasons with the Kings before they cut their losses after 171 games. He started just seven of those games, and his best year saw him score 7.9 points. His NBA career never got back on track, and Fredette ended up going overseas and playing in China.
There, he was able to regain some of the magic from his BYU days, just not with Sacramento. Worse yet, he was taken one spot ahead of Klay Thompson. How different would NBA history be had the Kings taken Thompson over Fredette? They also missed Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Vucevic, and Jimmy Butler. To be fair, they did draft Isaiah Thomas, only to later trade him before he became an All-Star. 2011 wasn’t the Kings’ year.
NBA Draft Mistake #12: Sacramento drafting Marvin Bagley Jr. over Luka Doncic.
Up until recently, the Sacramento Kings were considered to be one of the worst-run franchises in the NBA. That has begun to change now, but not before their front office made some pretty blatant mistakes. Chief among them is their decision to select Marvin Bagley Jr. second overall over Luka Doncic in the 2018 NBA Draft.
We’ve already discussed how the Suns passed over Doncic, but at least they chose a future starting center in Ayton, and he flashed star potential. Bagley hasn’t in his five seasons in the NBA, and he is already on his second team after having a falling out with the Kings, who chose to bench him in his fourth season.
He is now a member of the Detroit Pistons but has yet to catch on there either. Whether he does or doesn’t is irrelevant at this point since he is no longer with the Kings and they passed over Doncic, who has become a top-five player in the NBA. He was also the youngest MVP of Euroleague, proving that he could dominate against other pros even as a teenager.
Sacramento chose wrong, even passing up two-time all-star Trae Young, who was picked fifth in the same draft. While missing out on both will likely sting for years to come, the Kings have at least built a very good team, but they could have been even better had they not wasted the second pick in the draft.
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.
NBA Draft Mistake #10: Washington drafting Jan Vesely over Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, and Jimmy Butler.
Despite a pretty spotty draft record, this is the Washington Wizards’ first appearance on this list, and they certainly earned their place. In 2011, they drafted Jan Vesely, an athletic and mobile power forward, sixth overall, but he struggled to earn playing time early. When he did play, there were flashes, but his lack of a jump shot and inability to hit free throws limited his ceiling as a player.
In three seasons with the Wizards, he failed to earn the role of full-time starter and was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He failed to carve out a role there in the last year of his rookie contract. After his NBA career was over, he managed to build quite a resume playing in several other leagues, just not the NBA.
The Wizards striking out with the sixth pick was bad enough, but they passed on some serious talent. Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, and Jimmy Butler were all selected later, and each went on to have far better careers. Had they selected any one of them, they, along with John Wall and Bradley Beal, might have been enough to finally make the Wizards a true contender. Too bad they blew their chance.
NBA Draft Mistake #9: Brooklyn trading the pick that became Damian Lillard.
The Brooklyn Nets, who, back in 2012, were the New Jersey Nets, were desperate for star power and made one of the more foolish trades of the last 20 years. On March 15, 2012, they acquired all-star Gerald Wallace from the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal that included the Nets’ unprotected pick.
Trading an unprotected pick is always risky, especially considering that they were a lottery team at that point in the season. However, the 2012 NBA Draft wasn’t especially well-regarded at the time, outside of the top of the draft, which included Anthony Davis. The Nets ended up finishing with the sixth-worst record, even after trading for an all-star, and the pick that Portland received ended up being used to draft Damian Lillard sixth overall. Ouch.
As it turns out, the star that the Nets were so desperate to get ahead of their move to Brooklyn could have been had in the draft. Wallace certainly wasn’t that player with the Nets, averaging just 11.4 points in 85 games over two seasons with the team.
The Nets would compound their mistake by later trading for Joe Johnson’s awful contract and then an aging Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Brooklyn finally began to get their act together in the late 2010s, under the guidance of GM Sean Marks who helped them acquire Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.
Of course, all three later asked to be traded, and the Nets are now rebuilding again. Perhaps those missteps could have been avoided by taking more of a long view and building through the draft, starting with drafting Lillard sixth overall.
NBA Draft Mistake #8: Boston drafting Joseph Forte over Tony Parker.
Most people know by now that the Boston Celtics nearly won the draft rights to Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, only for them to come up just short. That was bad luck, but fewer people probably know that Boston passed up a chance to select Duncan’s long-time teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Tony Parker.
Parker was famously taken 28th by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2001 NBA Draft. However, Boston nearly selected him 21st before Celtics legend Red Auerbach made the final decision to pass on Parker for Joseph Forte. Parker would go on to be a six-time all-star, win four NBA championships, and be the Finals MVP in 2007.
Meanwhile, the player the Celtics took over Parker lasted only a year with the team. Part of the reason the Celtics chose to pass on Parker was reportedly because he wasn’t an American prospect. Back in 2001, there weren’t many international players in the NBA, especially 18-year-old point guards from France.
The Spurs, of course, were arguably the first team to target international prospects, and it paid off big time. At his best, Parker was one of the best players in the NBA and far exceeded even the Spurs’ wildest hopes. He could have been a huge get for Boston had they not overlooked him.
NBA Draft Mistake #7: Minnesota drafting Derrick Williams over Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, and Jimmy Butler.
Ahead of the 2011 NBA draft, which is one of the best of the last 20+ years, many were excited about Derrick Williams. Williams came around at a time when the NBA began to get smaller and seemed like a perfect fit as an athletic 6’8 forward who was a super efficient scorer in college. In his last season at Arizona, Williams averaged a stellar 19.5 points on 59.8% shooting to go along with 8.3 rebounds per game.
Unfortunately, his shooting didn’t translate after being taken second overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. In his rookie season, he shot 41.2% from the field and made just 26.9% of his threes. As teams began to sag off him, that took away his ability to attack bigger and slower defenders.
Less than a year into the Derrick Williams experience, the Timberwolves reportedly wanted him out. They shopped him in a deal for Pau Gasol, who was 33 at the time, believing that he would be a much better fit with Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love. That was probably true, but that trade never materialized and prevented the Timberwolves from salvaging any future value from the former number two pick.
After his third season and having played just 156 games, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings for defensive specialist Luc Mbah A Moute. Williams bounced around the NBA but never averaged more than 12 points per game and failed to become a reliable 3-point shooter.
Although it might be hard to fault Minnesota for taking a standout college player, they missed out on similar-sized future superstars like Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, and Jimmy Butler. Therefore, drafting Williams definitely qualifies as a mistake.
NBA Draft Mistake #6: Cleveland drafting Anthony Bennett first overall.
The 2013 NBA draft ranks among the worst of the 21st century, with just three players making an All-Star team. Compare that to a better draft like 2011, where 12 players made at least one All-Star team, and it’s clear that there was far less talent to be had. Still, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ decision to select Anthony Bennett first overall remains one of the most shocking decisions in NBA draft history.
Prior to being taken first, there were rumors that Bennett was actually falling in the draft, possibly even as low as the teens, only to have his name called first. The decision to take him first was immediately panned, and it didn’t take long for Bennett to prove his critics right. Bennett played just 52 games his rookie season, even spending time in the NBA G League, a first for a number one pick, and averaged only 4.6 points.
That was actually the highlight of his career in Cleveland. He was traded the following year to the Minnesota Timberwolves as a part of the Kevin Love deal. However, instead of being the centerpiece of the deal, his big salary as the top pick in the draft was used as salary filler. Bennett would last just four years in the NBA, playing only 152 games for three teams.
Although Cleveland did trade him for Love, they essentially wasted the number one pick in the draft, and that came back to bite them during the second LeBron James era. The Cavs were the perennial favorites to come out of the East, but the Golden State Warriors added superstar Kevin Durant to their team in 2016.
This was after the Cavs beat them in the NBA Finals, and they simply didn’t have enough to compete after that. They lost consecutive NBA Finals to the Warriors, and James left for the Lakers as a result. Had Cleveland not whiffed on that pick, they could have at least gotten a starting-caliber player, but they messed up big time.
NBA Draft Mistake #5: Portland drafting Greg Oden over Kevin Durant.
For those who weren’t around during the lead-up to the 2006 NBA draft, you missed out on a heated debate over who should be the number one pick. The two candidates were Ohio State center Greg Oden and Texas small forward Kevin Durant. Obviously, Durant would go on to have a better career, but at the time, it was far less certain. People hadn’t seen a player like Durant before—a 6’10 small forward who could score like he could despite being rail thin.
As a result, quite a few people, including the Portland Trailblazers, believed that Oden, a more traditional back-to-the-basket center, would be better in the NBA. Had it not been for injuries, they might have been right about Oden. When he did play, he was highly productive, but that seldom happened.
Although Portland shouldn’t be blamed for Oden failing to stay healthy in the NBA, they should have probably weighed his risk of injury more. They may have also opted not to draft Durant because they already had LaMarcus Aldridge, another mistake. There was also a lack of foresight.
Durant would eventually add muscle and even height, allowing him to play power forward, making him the perfect fit for the changing NBA. Had they not made those mistakes, Durant might have been a Blazer instead of heading to the Seattle Supersonics.
NBA Draft Mistake #4: Washington drafting Kwame Brown over Pau Gasol.
The aforementioned 2001 Draft is largely remembered as the Kwame Brown Draft, despite featuring eight future all-stars. Brown, who was picked by Washington, certainly wasn’t among those eight standouts, even though he was the number-one pick. Brown was taken straight out of high school and was actually one of the few “preps to pros” players who failed to have a good career.
While he did play 12 years, he only ranked 17th in the 2001 NBA Draft class in win shares with 20.8. Compare that to Pau Gasol, who had 144.1 over his career. Even without the benefit of hindsight, Gasol had three seasons of professional experience and won the Euroleague Finals MVP at just 20 years old before he was drafted third.
The Wizards ignored that and almost immediately regretted it. Gasol won Rookie of the Year by averaging roughly 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. Compare that to Brown, who averaged just 14.3 minutes a game as a rookie and, even in his best season in his four years in Washington, averaged only 10.9 points and 7.4 rebounds. Big mistake by the Wizards.
NBA Draft Mistake #3: Memphis drafting Hasheem Thabeet over Steph Curry.
The “Grit and Grind” Memphis Grizzlies were one of the better teams of the 2010s, but their ceiling remained limited after whiffing on a couple of high lottery picks. Most notably, 7’3 center Hasheem Thabeet. Thabeet was taken second in the 2009 NBA draft, ahead of future stars James Harden, Steph Curry, and DeMar DeRozan.
Landing any one of those players would have set the Grizzlies up to dominate the West, particularly had they drafted Curry, who terrorized Memphis as a member of the Golden State Warriors. Instead, they took Thabeet, who was a major project after having never played basketball until the age of 15. Even after three years at UConn, he was still relatively unpolished, though he had a knack for blocking shots.
Unfortunately, he never amounted to the defensive stopper that they hoped he could be, even after being sent to the G-League. That was a bad sign since he was the first top-three pick to ever be reassigned to the G-League, and it didn’t help. He lasted 113 games with Memphis before being traded for a real defensive stopper in Shane Battier.
In fact, they were so desperate to get off of Thabeet that they attached a first-round pick to move him. That was chasing a bad decision with another, and it cemented the Thabeet pick as one of the worst ever.
NBA Draft Mistake #2: Detroit drafting Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, and Dwayne Wade.
The 2003 NBA Draft is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever. In fact, five of the first six picks made at least one NBA all-star team, and four of them will all likely make the Basketball Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, the Detroit Pistons were the sole team with a high lottery pick that failed to come away with an all-star caliber player after they infamously gambled on Darko Milicic.
With an influx of talented international players such as Gasol and Parker, the Pistons chose to gamble on the unknown in hopes of finding their next star post-Grant Hill. They bet wrong and passed up on Carmelo Anthony, who had just led Syracuse to a national championship in his only season there, as well as Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade.
The Pistons’ blunder didn’t appear to hurt them in the short term, considering they won a championship in 2004 and lost in Game 7 of the NBA Finals in 2005. They also had the best record in the NBA in 2006, en route to a third of six consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances. Then again, had they gone with the far safer option in Anthony, they would have added a highly gifted scorer to a team known for their defensive prowess.
That might’ve put them over the top in at least some of their Eastern Conference Finals series, and maybe they would have won more than one championship with those Bad Boy Pistons II teams. That might have convinced Melo to stay put in Detroit rather than demand a trade to the New York Knicks.
That would have dramatically changed NBA history, including the 2023 NBA Finals, with Denver using the pick swap received in the Carmelo Anthony trade to draft Jamal Murray. Ultimately, had Detroit not made the mistake of drafting Milicic, they could have won more championships than they did and avoided the 15+ year hangover since their last deep playoff run.
NBA Draft Mistake #1: Minnesota drafting Johnny Flynn and Ricky Rubio over Steph Curry and DeMar DeRozan.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have had a shaky draft history since the year 2000, despite selecting in the top six 10 times in that span. Of those 10 selections, only Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, and Ricky Rubio have panned out.
Even then, they passed up future two-time MVP Steph Curry, not once but twice, in 2009 by selecting Rubio and Jonny Flynn fifth and sixth, respectively. While Rubio became an above-average starting point guard, he certainly wasn’t Curry, and neither was Flynn, who lasted just two years in Minnesota before being traded.
Former GM David Khan received flack for drafting three point guards in the first round, including Ty Lawson with the 18th pick, who was moved to Denver soon after. Unfortunately for Minnesota, he managed to overlook Curry, who was coming off a sizzling season at Davidson in which he averaged 28.6 points and 5.6 assists. He also failed to pick future six-time all-star DeMar DeRozan, who was taken 10th.
Had Khan and the Wolves selected either, they probably wouldn’t have missed the playoffs for the first eight seasons following the 2009 draft and 11 of the last 14 seasons overall. Needless to say, they absolutely regret passing over Curry, who has led Golden State to four championships, thus making it the most painful NBA Draft pass-up since 2000.