Trading Scottie Pippen for Olden Polynice (1987)
Let's start this off with the first of two trades on this list. In the 1987 NBA Draft, the Seatle SuperSonics used the #5 overall pick to select Scottie Pippen out of Central Arkansas. However, they then decided to trade Pippen to the Chicago Bulls for the #8 overall pick Olden Polynice. That would end up being a big mistake.
Polynice's career wasn't terrible, but it wasn't worth trading away their pick for him. Polynice had career averages of 7.8 points & 6.7 rebounds per game while shooting 50%. He spent the majority of his career bouncing around the NBA, playing on five different teams during his fifteen-year career. While not the worst player, it was certainly the wrong choice to swap picks with another team to get him.
Scottie Pippen, on the other hand, was a great addition to a Chicago Bulls team that would go on to win six NBA Championships with him on the roster. Pippen has career averages of 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2 steals a game while shooting 47% from the field and 33% from three point range. Pippen was also one of the best defenders of his day, making the All-Defensive 1st Team 8-times and the All-Defensive 2nd Team an additional two times. Those stats & accomplishments earned him a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Pippen played the Robin to Michael Jordan's Batman for the majority of his career, helping Jordan and the Chicago Bulls make their way to six NBA Championships and two separate three-peats. Pippen might not have been able to lead a team himself, but he still had a better career than Polynice.
Drafting Hasheem Thabeet over James Harden (2009)
Hasheem Thabeet really, as Kobe Bryant would say, wet the bed didn't he? In the 2009 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies used the #2 overall pick to select the 7 ft 3 Thabeet out of Connecticut. In doing so, they ended up passing on James Harden, who went to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the #3 overall pick right after Thabeet got picked. Needless to say, that was a bad decision.
Thabeet's NBA career was nothing short of abysmal. He holds career averages of 2.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and .8 blocks per game. That's right, Hasheem Thabeet was 7 ft 3 and couldn't rebound or block. That's...incredible incompetence. After only five years in the NBA, Thabeet was out of the league.
Meanwhile, James Harden has gone on to cement himself as one of the best players in the NBA and was almost unarguably the runner-up for the MVP last season. Harden currently has career averages 22.9 points, 5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 44% from the field and 36% from three point range. Additionally, Harden is a five-time all-star, a three-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and is a former Sixth Man of the Year.
Thabeet's NBA career was nothing short of abysmal. He holds career averages of 2.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and .8 blocks per game. That's right, Hasheem Thabeet was 7 ft 3 and couldn't rebound or block. That's...incredible incompetence. After only five years in the NBA, Thabeet was out of the league.
Meanwhile, James Harden has gone on to cement himself as one of the best players in the NBA and was almost unarguably the runner-up for the MVP last season. Harden currently has career averages 22.9 points, 5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 44% from the field and 36% from three point range. Additionally, Harden is a five-time all-star, a three-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and is a former Sixth Man of the Year.
Drafting Anthony Bennett (2013)
As a Cleveland Cavaliers fan, seeing & hearing Anthony Bennett's name still stings a little bit. Or a lot. That's because Anthony Bennett is almost undoubtedly the worst player ever selected with the #1 pick in the NBA Draft. In 2013, the Cavaliers ended up making the terrible decision of selecting Bennett with the #1 overall pick. Many questioned the decision, as many mock drafts had Bennett going anywhere from #7 to #10. However, Anthony Bennett proved them wrong...they rated him way too high.
Bennett spent four years in the NBA. That's it. He currently holds career averages of 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 39% from the field and 26% from three. He played so poorly that, while on the Toronto Raptors, he became the first #1 pick in NBA history to play in the D-League. Unless Bennett makes some kind of miracle return, it looks like his career in the NBA is over. While Bennett's draft class wasn't the strongest (the only All-Star to come out of it so far is Giannis Antetokounmpo) he is still easily one of, if not the biggest draft busts in NBA history.
Bennett spent four years in the NBA. That's it. He currently holds career averages of 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 39% from the field and 26% from three. He played so poorly that, while on the Toronto Raptors, he became the first #1 pick in NBA history to play in the D-League. Unless Bennett makes some kind of miracle return, it looks like his career in the NBA is over. While Bennett's draft class wasn't the strongest (the only All-Star to come out of it so far is Giannis Antetokounmpo) he is still easily one of, if not the biggest draft busts in NBA history.
Trading Dirk Nowitzki for Robert Traylor (1998)
Similar to the Pippen-Polynice trade, this trade saw a team draft a future Hall of Famer, only to trade him away for a future scrub. In the 1998 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks drafted Robert Traylor out of Michigan with the #6 overall pick. However, they then made the decision to trade Traylor to the Milwaukee Bucks for the #9 overall pick in the draft, a German prospect named Dirk Nowitzki. Unlike the SuperSonics with Pippen & Polynice, trading down in the draft ended up being very beneficial.
Traylor ended up having a short, lackluster career in the NBA. In his seven year career, Traylor averaged only 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 47% from the field. While a good defender, he was completely unreliable on offense and after bouncing around four different teams, he was out of the NBA at the age of 28. His NBA career was so uneventful that his Wikipedia page sums up his NBA career in two paragraphs.
Meanwhile, Dirk Nowitzki has gone on to have a Hall of Fame career. Nowitzki holds career averages of 21.7 points and 7.8 rebounds while shooting 47% from the field, 38% from three point range, and 88% from the free throw line. Nowitzki impressive shooting ability has established him as one of the best shooting big men in NBA history, even winning the Three Point Shootout in 2006. On top of all that, Nowitzki is a 13-time all-star, a 12-time member of All-NBA teams (1st four times, 2nd five times, 3rd three times), and a former MVP. Nowitzki truly cemented his legacy as one of the greats when he led the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Championship over the Miami Heat in 2011, earning the Finals MVP in the process.
Not Drafting Ben Wallace (1996)
This is a unique mistake, as it's a mistake that not just one team made, but every team during the 1996 NBA Draft made. In that draft, 58 players were selected. None of them were Ben Wallace, a 6-9 center out of Virginia Union University. Maybe it was because he was undersized to play the center position or because he came out of a small school, but either way, he was passed up for players like Ronnie Henderson & Darnell Robinson, two players who would never play a single NBA game. However, the Washington Wizards decided to give Wallace a chance. A chance he made the most of.
Wallace, despite not being a strong scorer, went on to become one of the better centers in the NBA during his 16-year career. He holds career averages of 5.7 points and 9.6 rebounds while hitting 47% of his shots. On the defensive end, Wallace was unbeatable and is easily one of the best defenders in NBA history. Holding career averages of 1.3 steals and 2 blocks a game, Wallace racked up 70.6 defensive win shares over his career and holds a career 5.5 defensive plus-minus rating, stats that got him a record four Defensive Player of the Year Awards and on the All-NBA Defensive First Team five times. And on top of all that, Wallace is a 4-time NBA All-Star, a three-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, and was a key factor in the Detroit Pistons 2004 NBA Championship win.
And to think, every team in the NBA passed on him.
Drafting Ricky Rubio & Johnny Flynn over Stephen Curry (2009)
I still can't wrap my head around these picks, and not just because Steph Curry is as great as he is. Why would anyone draft two players at the same position back to back in the same draft? Well, that was David Kahn's method for the 2009 NBA Draft, as his Minnesota Timberwolves selected Spanish player Ricky Rubio and Syracuse's Jonny Flynn with the #5 & #6 overall picks. Right after that, the Golden State Warriors also took a point guard with the #7 overall pick... Stephen Curry.
Rubio's career has been fairly solid, but nowhere near what Curry has done. He currently holds career averages of 10.3 points, 8.5 assists, and 2.1 steals while shooting 36% from the field 32% from three point range. While not great, Rubio has still developed into a pretty solid player. Jonny Flynn...not so much. Flynn had a solid rookie season, but that was pretty much for him. After only three years in the league, Flynn was done in the NBA and played overseas.
Needless to say, Stephen Curry has gone on to have a much better career than Rubio and especially Flynn. Curry has cemented himself as one of the best players in the NBA today, leading the Golden State Warriors to two NBA Championship wins. For his career, Curry holds averages of 22.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 48% from the field, 44% from the field, and 90% from the free throw line. Additionally, Curry is a 4-time all-star, a two-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and a two-time MVP, one of which he won unanimously, the first ever to do so. And David Kahn passed on him...twice. It's no wonder Timberwolves released him from his contract in 2013.
Rubio's career has been fairly solid, but nowhere near what Curry has done. He currently holds career averages of 10.3 points, 8.5 assists, and 2.1 steals while shooting 36% from the field 32% from three point range. While not great, Rubio has still developed into a pretty solid player. Jonny Flynn...not so much. Flynn had a solid rookie season, but that was pretty much for him. After only three years in the league, Flynn was done in the NBA and played overseas.
Needless to say, Stephen Curry has gone on to have a much better career than Rubio and especially Flynn. Curry has cemented himself as one of the best players in the NBA today, leading the Golden State Warriors to two NBA Championship wins. For his career, Curry holds averages of 22.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.8 steals while shooting 48% from the field, 44% from the field, and 90% from the free throw line. Additionally, Curry is a 4-time all-star, a two-time member of the All-NBA First Team, and a two-time MVP, one of which he won unanimously, the first ever to do so. And David Kahn passed on him...twice. It's no wonder Timberwolves released him from his contract in 2013.
Drafting Darko Miličić over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Kaman (2003)
You know what's worse than drafting a bust? Drafting a bust right before an all-star gets picked. And you know what's worse than that? Drafting a bust right before 2 all-stars get picked. And you know what's worse than that? Drafting a bust right before 3 all-stars get picked. And you know what's worse than that? And you know what's worse th-I think you get the point. In the 2003 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons selected Darko Miličić with the #2 overall pick. Following him, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Kaman were selected, in that order.
Miličić's career was nothing short of underwhelming. For his career, he averaged 6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 46% from the field. Needless to say, the players picked after him had much more successful careers. Carmelo Anthony holds career averages of 24.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals while shooting 45% from the field and 35% from three. Along with that, Anthony is a 10-time all-star and has never had a season where he's averaged less than 20 points per game. Chris Bosh has career averages of 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and a block a game while shooting 49% from the field and 34% from three point range. On top of that, Bosh was an all-star 11 times and a two-time NBA Champion in his 13-year career. Dwyane Wade holds career averages of 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field. On top of that, Wade is a 12-time all-star, a two-time member of the All-NBA First Team twice, a three-time NBA Champion, and a former Finals MVP. Chris Kaman holds career averages of 11.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 49% from the field and is a former all-star.
Picking Darko Miličić has to be one of the biggest draft mistakes in NBA history. Not just because he played poorly, but because there were so many players selected right after him that did so much better.
Miličić's career was nothing short of underwhelming. For his career, he averaged 6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 46% from the field. Needless to say, the players picked after him had much more successful careers. Carmelo Anthony holds career averages of 24.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals while shooting 45% from the field and 35% from three. Along with that, Anthony is a 10-time all-star and has never had a season where he's averaged less than 20 points per game. Chris Bosh has career averages of 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and a block a game while shooting 49% from the field and 34% from three point range. On top of that, Bosh was an all-star 11 times and a two-time NBA Champion in his 13-year career. Dwyane Wade holds career averages of 23.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field. On top of that, Wade is a 12-time all-star, a two-time member of the All-NBA First Team twice, a three-time NBA Champion, and a former Finals MVP. Chris Kaman holds career averages of 11.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 49% from the field and is a former all-star.
Picking Darko Miličić has to be one of the biggest draft mistakes in NBA history. Not just because he played poorly, but because there were so many players selected right after him that did so much better.
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