Every NBA team has that one guy that they drafted that they regret and he turned into a draft bust. For some teams, they picked a mediocre player in the top five when there were future stars for the taking. Other teams picked players they thought would pan out but didn’t. And other teams picked straight-up bums.
A bust in the NBA is a player a team picked early on that turned out to be a complete waste of a pick and a terrible player in the NBA, or at least for the team that picked them. Let’s take a look at all 30 NBA teams’ biggest draft busts in their team’s history.
Which draft bust was selected for your favorite NBA team?
Atlanta Hawks – Sheldon Williams
Williams was a great player for the Duke Blue Devils for four years. This great college career earned him the fifth overall selection in the 2005 NBA Draft. That was pretty much the only highlight of his NBA career. This is because in only 117 games with the Atlanta Hawks and averaged 5 points and 5 boards his rookie year. He was traded after his rookie year and bounced around the league until he left to play in China in 2012.
Boston Celtics – Jerome Moiso
Moiso was only in Boston for his very disappointing rookie year campaign. He was picked 11th overall in the 2000 NBA Draft. The Celtics traded him as soon as they could just because they wanted him off their NBA team that bad. Moiso played 35 games for Boston and averaged just 2 points in his NBA career. The Celtics drafted the 6’10 Frenchman because of his potential, which never panned out.
Brooklyn Nets – Dennis Hopson
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The Brooklyn Nets do not have a very good track record with draft picks. Either they don’t have a pick because they made a terrible trade, or they pick the wrong guy. In the 1987 NBA Draft, they swung and missed badly by picking Dennis Hopson with the 3rd pick. Hopson went to the then-New Jersey Nets and only played there for 3 rough seasons. Hopson was selected before many Hall of Fame talents in Scottie Pippen, Reggie Miller, and Kevin Johnson.
Charlotte Hornets – Adam Morrison
Morrison failed tremendously as the 3rd overall pick in 2006 for the then Charlotte Bobcats after an amazing career as a Gonzaga Bulldog. He started off pretty good, averaging 12 points in his first season with the Bobcats. This earned him a spot on the All-Rookie first NBA team. However, he missed the whole next season with a knee injury and then was moved to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was out of the league after 4 short seasons after riding the bench for the Lakers.
Also read: All 32 NBA Teams’ Biggest Point Guard Busts Of All-Time
Chicago Bulls – Tyrus Thomas
The Bulls have not had much luck with the 4th overall pick, selecting the likes of Eddy Curry, and Marcus Fizer, and recently, some Bulls fans would argue Patrick Williams. Their 2006 4th overall pick was the worst of them all. Tyus Thomas had a very solid year at LSU, averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers. The year at LSU made him seem like he was ready for the NBA. That was not the case. Thomas averaged 7 points a game and did nothing with Chicago.
Cleveland Cavaliers – Anthony Bennett
There is no bigger draft bust in the whole NBA than Anthony Bennett. With the first pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Anthony Bennett. To be fair, the 2013 Draft class didn’t have a clear best player going in. Obviously, Giannis is the best from that class, but no one knew that going in. Nevertheless, Bennett was a terrible option. He played just 52 games for Cleveland in his rookie year before he was shipped to Minnesota the following offseason. He never succeeded there and later became the first NBA number 1 pick to go to the D League.
Dallas Mavericks – Bill Garnett
Garnett was selected 4th overall in 1982 and played just 4 seasons in the NBA and only 2 with Dallas. In 155 games with Dallas, the 4th overall pick averaged just 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist a game. He didn’t do anything special in his time with the Mavericks making him a huge draft bust.
Denver Nuggets – Nikoloz Tskitishvili
The Nuggets do a great job picking international players. At least they got Nikola Jokic in the second round. Going with an international player can have the highest highs or the lowest lows. Nikoloz was a huge low. The Nuggets were super high on Nikoloz and thought he’d turn into the next international sensation. That was very far from what happened. In his 2 and a half seasons in Denver, Nikoloz averaged a very bad 3 points a game. He was selected 5th overall in 2002.
Detroit Pistons – Darko Milicic
Milicic was picked 2nd overall by the Pistons in 2003. Selected one pick after LeBron James, Milicic was nowhere near LeBron. Milicic had a lot of potential being a 7 footer who
could shoot. However, he never panned out and became known as the bust that was picked between LeBron and Carmelo Anthony. Milicic averaged just 6 points a game and a lousy 4 rebounds for a 7-footer.
Golden State Warriors – Joe Berry Carroll
Picking a guy first overall and having him not care at all about the game of basketball will certainly make it a big bust. Picking Carroll at 1 is already bad enough, but the Warriors traded up to get him. They traded the 3rd pick and Robert Parish to get him. The Celtics got Parish and ended up selecting the great Kevin McHale with the 3rd pick. That is a tough pill to swallow for Golden State.
Houston Rockets – Eddie Griffin
Griffin was selected 7th in 2001 and had averages of 7 points and 6 rebounds. Griffin was a bucket at Seton Hall, and with his 6’10 frame, many people thought he was going to be a great NBA player. The Rockets traded not 1, not 2, but 3 first-round picks to move up to select Griffin. Those 3 picks turned into Joe Johnson, Richard Jefferson, and Gilbert Arenas/Tony Parker. All those players are legends and significantly better players than Griffin. To make matters even worse, Griffin struggled with a horrible drug and alcohol addiction which led to him not being signed by an NBA team. Griffin unfortunately died in a car accident in 2007.
Indiana Pacers – Jonathan Bender
Many people, including Pacers fans, will tell you that Rick Robey is the biggest bust in their NBA team history. However, Bender has a better case for that title. He averages a very bad 2.7 points a game in his 24 games as a rookie. He battled a ton of knee injuries which made him miss 3 full seasons out of the 6 he played in Indiana. He was traded for a beloved player in the Pacers organization so expectations were high. Bender did not come through. He played one more year in New York before retiring in 2010.
Los Angeles Clippers – Michael Olowokandi
Olowokandi was the first pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. Michael wasn’t a terrible NBA player, averaging 8 points and 7 rebounds. He also played 9 years in the NBA. He had a solid career, but for the number 1 overall pick, not too great, especially when Dirk, Paul Pierce, and Vince Carter were picked after him. Olowokandi was a dominant college player and it’s too bad he didn’t pan out in the NBA.
Also read: 5 NBA Players From The 2023 NBA Draft That Already Look Like Busts…And 5 That Look Like Superstars
Los Angeles Lakers – Lonzo Ball
The Lakers are a very successful franchise, so successful that they really didn’t have a terrible draft bust. Lonzo wasn’t that bad of a bust, he was definitely the right pick for the Lakers. In his Lakers career, he didn’t turn out great with his inconsistency. Ball was made for Hollywood by being a part of the Ball family and going to college at UCLA. The Lakers moved Ball as a part of the Anthony Davis trade. Ball is still out with a knee injury that sidelined him in January 2022. It is April 2024.
Memphis Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet
This is another no-brainer. Thabeet was a 7’3 center who had tons and tons of potential. In his final season at UConn, Thabeet averaged 13.6 points, 10 rebounds, and over 4 blocks a game. He was a project that Memphis thought could turn into their franchise center. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Thabeet was selected before James Harden, Stephen Curry, and DeMar DeRozan. Thabeet was picked 2nd overall in 2009 and averaged just 2 points a game. Thabeet bounced around the league and saw time overseas and in the NBA D League.
Miami Heat – Michael Beasley
Another bad draft bust was selected 2nd overall, this time, in 2008. Pat Riley and the Miami Heat rarely miss on things, but they missed badly here. This was the highest pick the Heat ever had and they swung and missed with Beasley. Beasley dominated college with his 26 points and 12 rebounds in his one and only season in Kansas State. Beasley had a decent career averaging 12 points, but he just didn’t live up to the expectations. Also, the Heat don’t have many early picks and the picks they do have seem to hit good.
Milwaukee Bucks – Jabari Parker
Parker was selected with the 2nd pick in what was looked at as a very stacked draft in 2014. The draft class turned out to be not so stacked with the terrible bust that is Jabari Parker. With Andrew Wiggins going number one, the Bucks made the right pick by taking Parker number 2. When Parker was on the floor, he was a good player who was a 20-point-per-game scorer for Milwaukee. The problem was he could never stay healthy. Parker played in Milwaukee for 4 years and only had one season where he started more than 50 games. Though Parker was the right pick, it would’ve been crazy seeing Joel Embiid and Giannis on the same team.
Minnesota Timberwolves – Jonny Flynn
Flynn was picked 6th in the 2009 NBA Draft, one spot before Stephen Curry. Flynn only lasted 4 years in the NBA. He had a solid rookie year, but after having a bad hip injury the next year, he never was able to get back to the way he was. Flynn was out of the NBA at 23 years
old. After an All-Rookie second-team selection his rookie year, Flynn was dealt after the second year.
New Orleans Pelicans – Cedric Simmons
The Pelicans’ biggest draft bust was selected not even in the lottery at 15th overall in 2006. He was picked when the team was technically called the Oklahoma City Hornets when they were forced to play in OKC because of Hurricane Katrina. Simmons only played one season in New Orleans, starting only 4 games and averaging 3 points the whole season. Simmons was traded the next offseason because his NBA team wanted nothing to do with him anymore.
New York Knicks – Mike Sweetney
Knicks fans are known to boo each and every draft pick, and this one was no exception. In a draft class that saw a lot of talent, the very historic and beloved New York Knicks took Mike Sweetney. Sweetney was a big powerful player who never used his frame and only averaged 6 points in his career. He played 2 seasons in the city that never sleeps. The Knicks traded him to
the Bulls for one of their biggest busts, Eddy Curry.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Cole Aldrich
Since moving to Oklahoma City, the Thunder have had no shortage of great draft picks. Their biggest bust came in 2010 when they selected big man Cole Aldrich 11th overall. Aldrich was drafted to be the Thunder’s franchise center and a great fit next to Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Aldrich barely played for OKC, playing under 44 games and averaging less than 2 points per game.
Orlando Magic – Fran Vazquez
Vazquez was selected 11th overall in 2005. That is the only thing he did for the Orlando Magic. He still has yet to make his NBA team debut. Yes, he never played a game for the team. The Magic still have draft rights to Vazquez, however, at this point, he isn’t playing. The Magic wasted their pick on a guy who never wanted to play NBA basketball and never did. Vazquez was a solid player overseas during the time he should’ve been playing with the Magic.
Philadelphia 76ers – Markelle Fultz
Fultz being on this list makes the 1 and 2 picks in the 2017 NBA Draft being on this list. The 76ers had their second consecutive number 1 pick after picking Ben Simmons the year before. Fultz was terrible for Philly, playing in just 33 games for them. Fultz was traded to
Orlando after 2 seasons and is having a great stint there as a role player. Sixers fans have to be bummed about that. His success in Orlando doesn’t help the fact that he was a complete bust for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Phoenix Suns – Dragan Bender
Bender was taken 4th overall in the 2016 NBA Draft. Bender was looked at to be a great player coming into the draft with his 7-foot frame. He flopped out of the league after 4 seasons, averaging 5 points a game. In 3 seasons with the Suns, Bender never turned out and became a huge bust during a time when Suns fans were looking for a guy to rebuild with Devin Booker.
Portland Trail Blazers – Greg Oden
Greg Oden is the biggest bust in Blazers history, but an honorable mention is in order for Sam Bowie who was selected one pick before the greatest of all time, Michael Jordan. Bowie was a draft bust, but Greg Oden was the biggest bust on the list of busts in Blazers history. Oden was also selected before an all-time great in Kevin Durant. Oden was a decent player, but he was rarely on the floor. Even though Oden was selected before KD, he was still known as the right 1st overall pick at the time. Oden averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds a game.
Sacramento Kings – Thomas Robinson
Robinson was so disappointing in his 51 games in Sacramento that they traded him in the middle of his rookie year. Robinson was selected 5th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft. He was picked one pick before Damian Lillard who the team was going to take, but didn’t and changed their mind last minute. Robinson averaged 5 points and 5 rebounds, nothing closer to what Lillard would’ve done for a franchise that was struggling like the Kings.
San Antonio Spurs – Josh Primo
The Spurs don’t often miss early in the draft, and once again they didn’t with Victor Wembanyama. However, with the 12th pick in 2021, they did. Primo had a great rookie year and looked to be a franchise player for the Spurs. This was derailed by his terrible off-court issues that became too much of a problem and led to the Spurs kicking him off the team. Primo is now on the Clippers after getting back into the NBA. It’s unfortunate for Spurs fans that they won’t get to see how Primo will turn out.
Toronto Raptors – Rafael Araujo
Araujo was selected 8th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft. He averaged a terrible 3 points and 3 rebounds. He made 0 impact on the Raptors in his 2 seasons in Canada. He played a few more seasons back in Brazil before retiring.
Utah Jazz – Larry Knight
Knight was selected 20th which makes him seem not as much of a bust since it was later in the draft. While that may be true, he is a huge bust because he never played. The Jazz drafted him in 1979 and he ended up not making the team before the 1979-1980 season and was waived before the season.
Washington Wizards – Kwame Brown
Brown was picked 1st overall straight out of high school in 2001. Brown actually put together a solid 12-year NBA career as a good role-playing center. However, in Washington, he never panned out. He had huge expectations and never lived up to them with all the NBA teams he played. The Wizards could’ve had Hall of Famer Pau Gasol with that pick instead.
Also read: Looking Back At The 40 Players Drafted Before Nikola Jokic And Where Are They Now
