10 Huge Draft Moves That Didn't Come Close to Working out
The Los Angeles Rams will have the No. 1 pick in the upcoming 2016 NFL draft after trading up from No. 15 to acquire it from the Tennessee Titans. The Philadelphia Eagles moved up from No. 8 to grab the No. 2 pick from the Cleveland Browns, giving up a haul in the process.
Will either or both of these moves prove disastrous? Time will tell, but for reference, let's take a look back at 10 draft moves across the NFL, NBA and NHL that absolutely did not work out. Not even close.
Here, "draft moves" involve trades, either before or at the draft. They are not, for example, simply trades including picks, a la the October 1989 deal that sent Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings. No, these moves happened right around draft time.
This is also not simply a draft-bust list. Instead, it's a compilation of terrible strategic maneuvers—calculated, involved and highly publicized risks that did not pay off.
These aren't just draft failures. They are draft failures that cost a lot. What has been the biggest miscalculation of all time?
Sorry in advance, Ryan Leaf.
Honorable Mentions
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There have been many ill-advised draft moves over the years. Below are four that obviously didn't work out swimmingly for one side, but they also weren't as egregious as some of the others on the list:
The O.J. Mayo and Kevin Love swap: In 2008, the Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves executed a blockbuster draft trade that involved eight players but, in its purest form, was a swap—shooting guard O.J. Mayo for power forward Kevin Love. Love was the better player but still never made the playoffs in Minnesota.
Broncos trade up for Tim Tebow: In 2010, the Denver Broncos sent a second-, third- and fourth-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in order to secure the No. 25 pick, with which they took quarterback Tim Tebow. In retrospect, this wasn't a great move, but Tebow did get them a playoff win.
Nordiques take Eric Lindros: This one gets an honorable mention because it didn't involve a trade. Instead, the Quebec Nordiques took a risk by drafting a player who had publicly stated he had no interest in playing for them. And he never did play for them—he refused to sign and was eventually traded.
Charlotte Hornets trade Kobe Bryant: Understatement alert: The Los Angeles Lakers made off better in the Kobe-for-Vlade Divac swap in 1996. Still, word is, Bryant's agent had L.A. on the brain all along, in which case it would be tough to condemn the Hornets to draft-move purgatory.
Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer wrote, "[Then-Lakers general manager Jerry] West wanted Bryant and he also wanted to create enough space under the salary cap to sign center Shaquille O'Neal as a free agent. He ended up with both, reinvigorating the Lakers. The Hornets were more or less pawns in all this."
Thrashers Maneuver to Get Patrik Stefan
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When it comes to draft busts, former NHL center Patrik Stefan is up there.
The Atlanta Thrashers took him at No. 1 in the 1999 entry draft, but only after engaging in a series of trades that sent twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin to the Vancouver Canucks and, ultimately, goalie Dan Cloutier to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
At the time, Stefan said, per Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer: "I just want to think about the future. I was surprised [at the trading of the pick]. It was my dream to be No. 1. Atlanta can be a great team."
Stefan lasted six seasons in Atlanta and one more in the NHL overall. He scored just 64 career goals and 188 points.
Knicks Trade for Antonio McDyess
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During the 2002 NBA draft, the New York Knicks selected center/forward Nene Hilario at No. 7 and then made a monster trade to get forward Antonio McDyess.
The Knicks sent Marcus Camby, Mark Jackson and Nene to the Denver Nuggets for McDyess, the 25th pick in 2002 and a second-round pick in 2003.
McDyess had an All-Star season with Denver in 2000-01, but he also struggled with injuries. He missed all of the 2002-03 season with a knee injury and was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2004 as part of another big deal that didn't totally work out for the Knicks.
All told, McDyess played just 18 games in a Knicks uniform.
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Browns Move Up to Get Trent Richardson
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The Cleveland Browns don't exactly have a stellar history with draft moves (although their 2016 pre-draft trade with the Philadelphia Eagles looks smart so far).
In 2012? Not so much. The Browns sent a fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings to move up from No. 4 to No. 3. With that pick, they selected Alabama running back Trent Richardson.
Then-Browns coach Pat Shurmur said, per the Associated Press (via NFL.com): "He's passionate. He's productive. He's durable and he's the kind of runner we feel is going to help us get our offense together to score the points that we need to win the games that we're going to win."
Richardson ran for 950 yards his rookie season but was traded to the Indianapolis Colts in 2013. (The Colts gave up the first-round pick the Browns later used on Johnny Manziel.)
For their part, the Vikings ended up with three starters, including Pro Bowl offensive tackle Matt Kalil.
SuperSonics Trade Scottie Pippen
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No offense to Olden Polynice, but he was no Scottie Pippen.
During the 1987 NBA draft, the Seattle SuperSonics and Chicago Bulls worked out a deal that would land Pippen in Chicago. The Sonics took the University of Central Arkansas forward at No. 5, and the Bulls took the 6'11" center Polynice at No. 8. In addition to Polynice, the Bulls conceded a second-round pick and the option to swap first-round picks in 1988 or 1989 to get their man.
This did not work out well for the Sonics. Polynice forged a respectable 15-year NBA career playing with five different teams, but he averaged just 7.8 points and 23.5 minutes per game and never made an All-Star team.
Pippen's line was 16.1 points and 34.9 minutes per game, plus he, you know, won six titles and became a Hall of Famer.
Washington Trades Up for RG3
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Before the 2012 NFL draft, the haul Washington gave up to get Robert Griffin III seemed like a lot but also seemed worth it. Griffin was a Heisman Trophy winner and a top pro quarterback prospect, after all. And yet, hindsight is 20/20.
Washington traded up from the No. 6 pick, sending three first-rounders and a second-rounder to the St. Louis Rams to secure the No. 2 overall pick.
The Rams ultimately ended up with eight players as a result of the trade: defensive tackle Michael Brockers, cornerback Janoris Jenkins, running back Isaiah Pead, offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins, linebacker Alec Ogletree, wide receiver Stedman Bailey, running back Zac Stacy and offensive tackle Greg Robinson.
In four years in Washington, RG3 made a total of 35 starts. Three of the aforementioned players made more individually, and combined those eight players made 209 NFL starts.
Griffin's first year was good enough to win him the Offensive Rookie of the Year, but overall the trade ended up a bust.
Rangers Trade Up for Pavel Brendl
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In 1999, the New York Rangers traded up to snag the No. 4 pick in the NHL entry draft from the Tampa Bay Lightning. They gave up starting goaltender Dan Cloutier, forward Niklas Sundstrom and a first and third-round pick in 2000.
With that No. 4 pick, the Rangers selected hot prospect Pavel Brendl. To say it was not worth it would be a drastic understatement.
Michael DiFranco of the Hockey Writers wrote, "Brendl reported to camp out of shape, refused to learn the coaches tactics or play any defense. He also didn't score enough to compensate for the lack of defensively play or physical shape."
Though his play did improve, Brendl was later traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Eric Lindros, without ever having played a single game for the Rangers.
Rams Draft Lawrence Phillips, Trade Jerome Bettis
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The Jerome Bettis trade definitely worked out for the Pittsburgh Steelers—not so much for the St. Louis Rams.
In 1996, the Rams sent the talented young running back and a third-round pick to Pittsburgh, receiving a second- and fourth-round pick as compensation.
Teresa Varley of Steelers.com explained, "The Rams had just drafted running back Lawrence Phillips, who spent only two seasons with them, in the first round and felt Bettis was expendable."
Bettis went on to a Hall of Fame career, rushing for over 10,000 of his 13,662 career yards in his 10 years with the Steelers.
Phillips, on the other hand, who wasn't directly involved in the trade but was clearly a factor, played less than two full years in St. Louis and offered little in the way of on-field contribution.
The other two players the Rams ultimately received—tight end Ernie Conwell and guard Ryan Tucker—had solid but somewhat forgettable NFL careers. And even so, it's clear betting on Phillips to outperform Bettis ended up being a severe miscalculation on the Rams' part.
Saints Trade Entire Draft Haul for Ricky Williams
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The New Orleans Saints gave up a lot to get running back Ricky Williams out of the 1999 NFL draft—like, a lot.
Specifically, they traded every single 1999 pick, plus their 2000 first- and third-rounders, to Washington in order to move up from No. 12 to No. 5 and secure the Heisman Trophy winner.
The odds of this going well for them were, let's face it, slim. In April, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com wrote, "Nearly 20 years later, the stunning trade still stands as one of the most ridiculed in NFL history."
Williams had three decent seasons in New Orleans, including two 1,000-plus-yard rushing years, but he saved his best for the Miami Dolphins in 2002, when he ran for a league-leading 1,853 yards.
Washington didn't exactly build a dynasty out of the picks, but they did get cornerback Champ Bailey, who would go on to have an All-Pro career.
Islanders Take DiPietro, Ditch Luongo
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In 1997, the New York Islanders drafted goaltender Roberto Luongo at No. 4 in the NHL entry draft.
Three years later, they took goalie Rick DiPietro at No. 1 overall and shipped Luongo off to the Florida Panthers. They also sent goalie Kevin Weekes to the Tampa Bay Lightning, really putting all their eggs in the DiPietro basket.
"We're hanging a lot of reputation on this kid," then-Islanders general manager Mike Milbury said, according to CBC Sports. "It's gutsy, and maybe crazy ... but we think he's a really special player."
He added, per Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "In the end, we thought the quality that DiPietro will bring is just a notch above Luongo. If we're wrong, we may have made an unbelievable mistake."
Spoiler: It was an unbelievable mistake. DiPietro was plagued by injuries and started just 108 games in 11 seasons with the Islanders. He is generally regarded as one of the league's major draft busts.
Luongo, on the other hand, is seventh on the NHL's all-time win list and might very well be headed to the Hall of Fame.
Chargers Trade Up for Ryan Leaf
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Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf takes a lot of heat, even now, but he must be mentioned on a list like this.
In 1998, the San Diego Chargers traded up one spot to get the No. 2 pick from the Arizona Cardinals, which they eventually used on Leaf. (Peyton Manning was taken No. 1 overall by the Indianapolis Colts.)
For that one spot, the Chargers gave up two players (kick returner Eric Metcalf and linebacker Patrick Sapp), two first-round picks and one second-round pick (defensive end Andre Wadsworth, wide receiver David Boston and safety Corey Chavous).
Regardless of how those players turned out for Arizona, that's quite the haul just to move up one spot. Unfortunately for the Chargers, Leaf was a draft bust of historic proportions. He started 18 games in two years in San Diego and crashed out of the NFL completely after just three seasons.
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