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Ranking the 25 Biggest NBA Draft Mistakes of All Time
Every general manager is bound to make mistakes in the NBA draft. There are too many variables to get every decision right.
But if there is one realistic goal, it would be avoiding this list.
Most of the mistakes featured here set their respective teams back for years, sometimes even decades. For the few teams that overcame these mistakes and still won a title soon thereafter, you can only imagine how many more titles they would have won if they got the decision right.
We put extra emphasis on mistakes made with early first-round picks, especially when only one team deserved to be mentioned for its gaffe. Every team that passed on Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, or Nikola Jokić grew to regret it, but they all made the same mistake, making it unfair to single one out here.
We also considered bad draft-day trades. And though this list skews more toward recent times, we have a couple of gaffes from before the 1976 ABA-NBA merger.
25. Hornets Trade Pick Used on Kobe Bryant to Lakers
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Every team picking in the top 13 of the 1996 draft made a huge gaffe by passing on Kobe Bryant. We nearly gave them all a pass, but the then-Charlotte Hornets get singled out for the pre-arranged deal that sent the 13th pick (Bryant) to the Lakers for Vlade Divac.
Divac played just two seasons in Charlotte. He put up decent numbers, but you'd hope to get more than two seasons out of anyone you trade for the 13th pick.
Bryant's agent reportedly told teams ahead of the Lakers that Bryant would consider playing in Italy if they drafted him. If so, you can at least understand getting a starting center for a player whom you were never going to draft.
The problem is that the next picks were Peja Stojaković and Steve Nash.
All that Hornets GM Bob Bass had to do was stay put and pick one of them, but he got tunnel vision for Divac.
24. Pacers Trade Pick Used on Kawhi Leonard to Spurs
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When the Indiana Pacers were on the clock with the No. 15 pick of the 2011 draft, they had two choices.
They could go through with their agreed-upon trade with the San Antonio Spurs for George Hill, or they could scrap the trade altogether and draft Kawhi Leonard.
They chose the former.
In 2013, Zach Lowe reported for Grantland that the Pacers "loved" Leonard and had him in the top six of their draft board. However, Pacers GM David Morway admitted that having wings Paul George and Danny Granger already on the roster "made it a little easier" to make the trade for Hill.
Hill went on to heavily contribute to two Eastern Conference Finals teams with the Pacers. He was more valuable than most 15th overall picks are.
But little did they know that Leonard would become a two-time Finals MVP known as much for his suffocating defense as his efficient offense.
Just about every team picking in the 2011 draft could be featured here for passing on Leonard, but we're singling out the Pacers for loving him and still going through with the trade for a low-end starter.
23. Bucks Trade for 'Tractor' Traylor
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Entering the 1998 NBA draft, the Milwaukee Bucks had the No. 9 overall pick, and they were looking to move up to take Michigan center Robert Traylor.
The Mavericks had the No. 6 pick, and they were looking to move down because they believed their target, Dirk Nowitzki, would fall to them.
So the teams agreed to a trade before the draft started that would send Nowitzki and the 19th pick (Pat Garrity) to the Mavs for Traylor.
Bucks GM Larry Harris explained that the Bucks never considered selecting Nowitzki at No. 6 after the deal went through.
"Had the deal not been done, they (the Mavericks) would have chosen him (Nowitzki)," Harris said.
Even with that context, this was a pretty big gaffe. Traylor played just seven seasons and averaged 4.8 points per game, while Nowitzki became a 14-time All-Star and guided the Mavericks to a championship in 2011.
Making matters worse, Paul Pierce was the 10th pick of the '98 draft. The Bucks could have stayed put at No. 9 and taken him instead.
22. Bobcats Take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
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With the No. 2 overall pick of the 2012 draft, the Charlotte Hornets took a chance on a player who had great athletic gifts but major question marks as a shooter.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist made just 25.5 percent of his threes for Kentucky, but the 6'6" forward was a dominant slasher. Nobody batted an eye when the Bobcats took him.
But Kidd-Gilchrist's perimeter shot never developed enough, which capped his offensive ceiling. He averaged just 8.4 points per game in his eight-year career.
In fairness to GM Rich Cho, the Bobcats had just taken Kemba Walker in the first round in 2011. They probably weren't seriously considering Damian Lillard, whom the Portland Trail Blazers wound up selecting with the No. 6 overall pick.
But Cho could have gone with Bradley Beal, whom the Washington Wizards took at No. 3. Beal developed into a three-time All-Star with a career scoring average of 21.4 points.
21. Clippers Take Michael Olowokandi
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Michael Olowokandi is often considered one of the biggest busts in NBA history. The 1998 No. 1 overall pick shot just 43.5 percent for his career, which is awful for a center.
The Los Angeles Clippers would have been better off with any of the next four players taken.
But the fact that the players taken second (Mike Bibby), third (Raef LaFrentz) and fourth (Antawn Jamison) were also not Hall of Famers is why he ranked well outside the top 10 here.
Still, it was easily Elgin Baylor's biggest draft gaffe in his 22-year tenure as Clippers GM.
20. Cavs Take Anthony Bennett
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Anthony Bennett shares some similarities to Michael Olowokandi.
They are two of the biggest busts in NBA history, but the teams that picked them didn't have Hall of Fame options taken in the next few picks.
The Cavs would have been better off had they selected Victor Oladipo, who went No. 2 overall, but Oladipo had just one year as a star before his career tapered off.
The reason why the Cavs' decision to take Bennett ranks one spot ahead of the Clippers' decision to take Olowokandi is that Bennett was a truly shocking selection and an objectively worse player.
Bennett played just four NBA seasons, averaging 4.4 points per game.
It's since been revealed that GM Chris Grant didn't want him, but the rest of the Cavs brain trust outvoted him. This is the rare case in these rankings when the franchise should have listened to its GM.
19. 76ers Take Shawn Bradley Over Penny Hardaway
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The 76ers came into the 1993 draft in need of a center, and it just so happened this draft had a 7'6" center in Shawn Bradley. Perfect match, right?
Well, not so much.
The concerns with Bradley were well known. He had a thin frame, and he took two years away from basketball to do his LDS mission.
Sixers GM Jim Lynam took him anyway at No. 2 overall even though Penny Hardaway was still on the board.
Bradley struggled mightily on offense, whereas Hardaway was an immediate sensation who finished second in Rookie of the Year voting.
At the end of his second season, Hardaway was helping the Orlando Magic outduel Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Sixers traded Bradley to the then-New Jersey Nets in his third season. They didn't start to turn things around until they took Allen Iverson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1996 draft.
18. Raptors Take Andrea Bargnani over LaMarcus Aldridge
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Andrea Bargnani and LaMarcus Aldridge were similar prospects entering the 2006 draft. Both were lauded for being able to stretch defenses with their jump shots, and Bargnani could even make it rain from beyond the arc.
Perhaps tantalized by Bargnani's range, the Raptors took him with the No. 1 overall pick.
Bargnani made 400 more threes than Aldridge over their NBA careers, but Aldridge was a better player in every other way.
Aldridge's combination of low-post and high-post scoring was devastating for defenses. He accrued seven All-Star nods and five All-NBA selections and averaged 20.8 points in 72 playoff appearances.
Bargnani made just 11 playoff appearances in his career, averaging 8.9 points.
This will not be GM Bryan Colangelo's only gaffe on this list.
17. Hawks Take Marvin Williams Over 2 All-Stars
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The Atlanta Hawks were a 13-win mess in the 2004-05 season. They got the No. 2 overall pick in the 2005 draft and had long-term needs at every position.
They had to choose between athletic and raw forward Marvin Williams and point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams.
They went with Marvin Williams. It couldn't have taken long for GM Billy Knight to regret it.
Deron Williams was a three-time All-Star who led the Jazz to the conference finals in his second season. Chris Paul was a 12-time All-Star who finished second in the MVP race in his third season.
Marvin Williams had a serviceable 15-year NBA career, but his peak was never anywhere close to the two players taken directly after him.
16. Bucks Take Jabari Parker Over Joel Embiid
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With the No. 2 overall pick of the 2014 draft, the Milwaukee Bucks had the choice of power forward Jabari Parker or center Joel Embiid.
They took Parker, which didn't seem like a bad decision for the first two or three years of their careers.
Embiid missed his first two seasons due to a pair of foot injuries. Meanwhile, Parker improved each season, averaging 12.3 points as a rookie, 14.1 points in his second season and 20.1 points in his third year.
But Embiid became an All-Star during Parker's fourth season, and the gap widened from there, as Embiid finished in the top two of MVP voting three years in a row.
What's especially interesting about this pick is that the Bucks had just taken Giannis Antetokounmpo in the previous draft, and Parker essentially played the same position as the Greek Freak. GM John Hammond doubled down on lanky forwards, which ended up being a regrettable choice.
15. 76ers Trade Up for Markelle Fultz
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Leading up to the 2017 draft, the Philadelphia 76ers had the No. 3 overall pick and wanted Markelle Fultz. The Boston Celtics had the No. 1 pick and wanted Jayson Tatum.
Evidently, the Sixers were concerned that the Los Angeles Lakers would take Fultz with the No. 2 pick, so they felt compelled to trade up with the Celtics to get him.
That's what 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo did, giving up an extra first-round pick (2019 No. 14 pick) that became Romeo Langford to land Fultz at No. 1 overall.
Fultz spent two injury-riddled seasons with the 76ers before they pulled the plug and traded him to Orlando. Suffice it to say, he's been a major disappointment. Meanwhile, Tatum has already been named an All-Star six times and won a title with the Celtics.
Tatum and Fultz will forever be linked. But in reality, the framing that the 76ers passed on Tatum isn't quite right.
The Celtics only agreed to this trade because they knew the 76ers would take Fultz. So there was never a scenario in which the Sixers were landing Tatum.
Even with that being the case, this was a major gaffe from the 76ers. They should have stayed put and taken De'Aaron Fox with the third pick.
14. Warriors Take Joe Smith Over 4 All-Stars
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The 1995 draft was loaded, but leave it to Golden State Warriors GM Dave Twardzik to take the one player who didn't pan out in the top five.
Twardzik selected Joe Smith with the No. 1 pick, passing on one-time All-Star Antonio McDyess (second pick), two-time All-Star Jerry Stackhouse (third pick), four-time All-Star Rasheed Wallace (fourth pick) and 15-time All-Star and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett (fifth pick).
Every team in the top four should have taken Garnett in retrospect, but this was the first draft in two decades to have players eligible right out of high school. The fact that Garnett finished sixth in Rookie of the Year voting as a 19-year-old should have ended most high-school-player skepticism, but it did not.
Twardzik could have taken Kobe Bryant (also straight out of high school) with the 11th pick in the 1996 draft, but instead he chose Todd Fuller. Ouch.
Anyway, Smith had a serviceable 16-year career, but compared to the four players taken right after him, he was disappointing.
Twardzik was fired after just two seasons.
13. Wizards Take Kwame Brown Over Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol
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The 2001 draft had four big men taken with the first four picks. In the moment, it would have been difficult to predict how different their careers would be.
The Washington Wizards took Kwame Brown first overall. He played 12 seasons as a rotation big, but he never came close to the potential often associated with a No. 1 pick.
The Chicago Bulls selected Tyson Chandler with the second pick. He was a one-time All-Star and longtime defensive anchor, remembered most for helping the Mavericks win the 2011 championship.
The Memphis Grizzlies took Pau Gasol third overall. He became a six-time All-Star and two-time champion who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023.
The Chicago Bulls then took Eddy Curry fourth overall to be in a center rotation with Chandler. He posted decent scoring numbers, but he never appeared in a single playoff game, partly due to his defensive issues.
In hindsight, Wizards president of basketball operations Michael Jordan should have taken Gasol, but Chandler would have been a solid pick as well.
12. Warriors Take James Wiseman
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Injuries to Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry led to a gap year for the Golden State Warriors in 2019-20 following their run to five consecutive Finals.
They landed the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, giving them a golden opportunity to support their Big Three with a star-level talent.
Despite having played only three games at Memphis, James Wiseman was touted as one of the best players in the class. The Warriors needed a center, so they took him, allowing the Charlotte Hornets to take LaMelo Ball with the third pick.
Wiseman had a decent rookie season before suffering a season-ending injury prior to his second campaign. The Warriors won the championship without him in 2022, and then they gave him a runway to start the 2022-23 season for a breakout.
Instead, he had a disastrous 21-game stretch, leading to general manager Bob Myers trading him for pennies on the dollar.
Had the Warriors taken Ball or 12th pick Tyrese Haliburton (a rumored target), Curry easily could have five or six titles right now instead of four.
11. Mavs Take Sam Perkins Over Charles Barkley
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The 1984 draft is best known for the Portland Trail Blazers selecting Sam Bowie with the second overall pick over Michael Jordan (third overall).
But another massive gaffe that happened minutes later had major ramifications on the league as well.
With the fourth pick, the Dallas Mavericks selected Sam Perkins. With the fifth pick, the Philadelphia 76ers took Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
Perkins had a solid 17-year career. Many GMs would be satisfied with getting his production from the fourth spot in a draft.
But imagine what the Mavs could have done with Barkley starting alongside Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman and Derek Harper.
In 2020, Tim Cato wrote for The Athletic that GM Rick Sund actually tried to trade Aguirre for Jordan on draft night. But the Bulls weren't interested, and the rest is history.
10. Warriors Gift Celtics Hall of Fame Frontcourt
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The 1980 draft positioned the Boston Celtics to win three championships in the ensuing decade.
The Celtics had the No. 1 overall pick, and they knew the Warriors wanted Joe Barry Carroll. The Warriors had the No. 3 pick and were willing to give up Robert Parish to trade up two spots for him and the No. 13 pick.
That's what happened. And with the No. 3 pick, the Celtics took Kevin McHale.
Parish became a nine-time All-Star and was inducted into the Hall of Fame. McHale became a seven-time All-Star and is also a Hall of Famer.
Carroll made one All-Star team.
In hindsight, GM Al Attles should have kept Parish and the third pick. The Celtics probably would have taken McHale first overall, though, so it's not like the Dubs would have had both in any scenario.
9. Grizzlies Take Hasheem Thabeet Over James Harden
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The 2009 draft had two all-time gaffes, with the Timberwolves' Stephen Curry mistake having gotten more attention over the years.
But in some ways, this one was more puzzling.
The Memphis Grizzlies had just seen center Marc Gasol have a solid rookie season, yet with the No. 2 pick, they chose to take...another center.
Hasheem Thabeet was the most dominant defensive center in college basketball during his three seasons at UConn. But with no offensive skill outside of the paint, he was never going to fit well with Gasol.
The Oklahoma City Thunder took advantage of Memphis' mistake by taking shooting guard James Harden with the third pick.
Perhaps Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace didn't want Harden because 2-guard O.J. Mayo was coming off a strong rookie season.
But Mayo eventually fell off, while Harden is an 11-time All-Star and one-time MVP.
8. Blazers Take LaRue Martin Over Bob McAdoo
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If you're a Portland Trail Blazers fan, look away.
The Blazers are in the top 10 of these rankings three times for passing on a legend. Each time, it happened with a top-two pick.
In 1972, the Blazers took LaRue Martin with the No. 1 pick, allowing the Buffalo Braves to take Bob McAdoo with the second pick.
Martin played just four NBA seasons, averaging 5.3 points per game.
McAdoo won scoring titles in his second, third and fourth seasons, and he was named league MVP in 1974-75. The five-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion has been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Despite the all-time gaffe, Blazers GM Harry Glickman and chief scout Stu Inman made amends two years later by taking Bill Walton with the first pick of the 1974 draft. The Blazers went on to win their franchise's only title in 1977.
7. Sonics Trade Pick Used on Scottie Pippen to Bulls
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Scottie Pippen should have been the second pick of the 1987 draft after David Robinson went first. But for our purposes, the team that made a prearranged draft-day Pippen trade gets singled out for making a huge gaffe.
The Seattle SuperSonics took Pippen with the fifth pick, only to trade him to the Bulls for the eighth pick (Olden Polynice), a 1988 second-round pick and an option to exchange a 1988 or 1989 first-round pick.
Polynice had a long career as a fringe starter, whereas Pippen won six titles and made seven All-NBA teams.
Sonics GM Bob Whitsitt actually had a promising tenure, crafting the roster with Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp that took Seattle to the NBA Finals in 1996. But they ran into Pippen, Michael Jordan and the Bulls, which was a postseason death sentence.
Who knows what the 1990s NBA would have looked like if the Sonics had chosen to draft Pippen for themselves?
6. Suns, Kings Pass on Luka Dončić
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The 2018 draft was a disaster for the teams with the first three picks.
We're giving the Atlanta Hawks a pass for taking Luka Dončić and then trading him because they at least got Trae Young and a future first-round pick.
The Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings get no such pass.
With the first overall pick, Phoenix GM Ryan McDonough took center Deandre Ayton, who played his lone season of college basketball at nearby Arizona. He had a decent five-year tenure with the Suns, but he was never an All-Star.
Sacramento GM Vlade Divac took power forward Marvin Bagley III with the second pick. He's been a decent rotation big, but nothing more.
Meanwhile, Doncic has averaged 29.2 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game across his eight-year career. The six-time first-team All-NBA selection already has four top-five and six top-10 MVP finishes.
What makes this so strange is that Dončić was the EuroLeague MVP in 2018 as a 19-year-old. He clearly had the most potential of any player in the draft. And the Suns hired Igor Kokoškov, his former head coach, as their new head coach a month before the draft.
But the Suns already had a star guard in Devin Booker, and the Kings also had a star guard in De'Aaron Fox. Both GMs fell victim to drafting need over ceiling.
5. Pistons Take Darko Miličić Over 3 Hall of Famers
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The Pistons had won 50 games in consecutive seasons before they landed the No. 2 pick in a loaded 2003 draft class. If they hit on it, they would have had a chance at a dynasty.
Instead, they left three Hall of Famers on the board to take Darko Miličić.
Miličić was nowhere ready to play in the NBA, and the 7'0" Serbian was traded by the Pistons 2.5 years into his career.
Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony (third pick), Chris Bosh (fourth) and Dwyane Wade (fifth) made the All-Rookie team before becoming dominant, multi-time All-Stars.
The Pistons went on to win the 2004 Finals, and they made the 2005 Finals and the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Eastern Conference Finals. Had they taken any of the three superstars instead of Miličić, they likely would have won at least one more title.
4. Blazers Pass on Kevin Durant
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It was widely accepted that the Portland Trail Blazers could do no wrong with the 2007 No. 1 pick as long as they selected Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.
General manager Kevin Pritchard chose Oden. He did very wrong.
Oden's career was riddled with injuries. The 7-footer played just 82 games in his Blazers tenure before retiring after a short stint with the Heat in 2014.
Meanwhile, Durant won an MVP with the Oklahoma City Thunder before signing with the Golden State Warriors and earning Finals MVP twice. He's considered one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.
Had the Blazers taken Durant, he would have joined Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge to form a terrifying trio with championship potential.
Instead, the Roy-Aldridge Blazers got bounced in the first round of the playoffs three years in a row before injuries prematurely ended Roy's career.
3. Wolves Take 2 PGs over Stephen Curry
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David Kahn would like a do-over.
The Timberwolves president of basketball operations had two chances to take point guard Stephen Curry in the 2009 first round. Instead, he took point guards Ricky Rubio with the fifth pick and Jonny Flynn with the sixth pick.
Flynn lasted just three seasons in the NBA, while Rubio had a solid 12-year career.
Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors took Curry with the seventh pick, and they've since won four championships. Curry has two MVPs and is considered the greatest shooter of all time.
In fairness to Kahn, Rubio was often projected to go ahead of Curry in mock drafts, and Flynn was often in the same range as Curry. Flynn didn't feel like a massive reach, as it wasn't clear how Curry would handle the size and speed of the NBA with his slender frame and average athleticism.
Regardless, missing on him twice is the third-biggest gaffe in NBA draft history.
2. Royals Pass on Bill Russell
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The Rochester Royals and St. Louis Hawks both made big gaffes in the 1956 draft.
With the first overall pick, the Royals passed on Bill Russell to take Si Green. In nine seasons, he averaged just 9.2 points per game.
The St. Louis Hawks took Russell with the second pick and then traded him to the Celtics for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan.
It's not as big of a gaffe for the Hawks because a) they won a title two years later and b) Hagan had a Hall of Fame career with the Hawks.
Still, Russell went to win five MVPs and lead the Celtics to 11 championships in 13 seasons.
The bottom line is Celtics head coach and general manager Red Auerbach fleeced Hawks owner and GM Ben Kerner.
But that wouldn't even have been possible if Royals GM Lee Harrison had taken the best defensive center in NBA history with the first pick.
1. Blazers Pass on Michael Jordan
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Going into the 1984 draft, the NBA was still mostly dominated by centers.
Larry Bird and Magic Johnson might have been slowly changing the tune, but still the best teams in NBA history had Hall of Fame centers such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone.
So when the Portland Trail Blazers got on the clock with the No. 2 overall pick, they chose to pair Clyde Drexler with the highest-potential center available in 7'1" Kentucky star Sam Bowie.
That allowed the Chicago Bulls to take Michael Jordan with the third pick.
Jordan is often lauded as the greatest player of all time, and the Bulls won six championships with him. Bowie had a productive 10-year career, but the bottom line is the Blazers haven't won a championship since 1977.
Blazers general manager Stu Inman resigned a year after making this pick.
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