Every NBA Team's Biggest Draft Day Regret
NBA teams don't always get it right. We run down every squad's biggest draft day mistake since 2000 that still has fans shaking their heads.
A general view during the 2016 NBA Draft on June 23, 2016 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Every NBA team has at least one regret in their draft history—some obviously more than others. Fans love to complain about how their team “could have had that guy” or that they “shouldn’t have drafted this guy.” Hindsight is especially 20-20 when it comes to the NBA Draft.
Some of these pass-ups serve as mere footnotes in the history of otherwise-successful franchises, whereas others serve as glaring, painful reminders of what could have been for fans who rarely if ever see their team win. What if the Pistons took Dwyane Wade instead of Darko Milicic? What if the Blazers took Kevin Durant instead of Greg Oden?
These are just a few examples of how much one selection—or in these cases, non-selections—can change the course of NBA history for decades. There will probably be at least one such non-selection on Thursday night, especially with a draft as loaded with talent as this one. So just for kicks, Complex is going to look into an alternate reality: a reality in which your team made the right choice. One do-over for all 30 teams. The do-overs included only players who feasibly could have been drafted at their respective pick. Obviously, nobody would have drafted Isaiah Thomas in the first round in 2011—even the Kings waited until the last overall selection to take him. Also, no player was used more than once in this list (with one exception; you’ll see why later). So with that said, here’s one draft do-over for every NBA team since 2000.
With the 2nd Pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Marvin Williams
Who They Should Have Picked: PG Deron Williams
The Ramifications: Marvin wound up having a solid career with the Hawks, routinely averaging in the low double figures as a starting small forward from 2005-2012. Deron, on the other hand, became one of the best point guards in the NBA for the Jazz and Nets. Although his career has tapered off quite a bit recently, Deron would have been the better of the two Williams’ to take in 2005.
With the 30th Pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: G J.R. Giddens
Who They Should Have Picked: C DeAndre Jordan
The Ramifications: The Celtics will now have ample opportunity to right this wrong since they have all of the Nets’ draft picks for the next 30 years. And to be fair, everyone else passed on Jordan, too.
With the 3rd Pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Brooklyn Nets Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Derrick Favors
Who They Should Have Picked: C DeMarcus Cousins
The Ramifications: Speaking of the Nets…since this was a list of draft pick do-overs, “Don’t trade all of your picks to the Celtics,” wasn’t an option here. So instead, they should have taken Cousins instead of Favors.
Favors never did much at all for the Nets; he was the centerpiece of the trade that brought Deron Williams to New Jersey (where they still played at the time) midway through his rookie year in 2011. And he never materialized into a superstar after that, though he has had some decent seasons with Utah recently.
Still, the Nets probably would have been better off drafting Cousins here—although trading Favors for Williams was not the worst deal.
With the 3rd Pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Adam Morrison
Who They Should Have Picked: G Brandon Roy
The Ramifications: Morrison was perhaps the most heralded player to come out of college in 2006. He was fresh off leading the NCAA in scoring, was co-National Player of the Year, and had just taken Gonzaga to the Sweet 16.
The NBA was a totally different story for Morrison. He lost his starting job midway through his rookie season and lasted just three seasons with the Bobcats,. In total, he played only 161 games in the NBA—making him one of the biggest busts in recent memory.
Roy was taken three picks later by the Blazers, and although his career was unfortunately cut short due to knee injuries, he emerged as one of the game’s best scorers from 2007-2010, averaging at least 19.1 points every year. Even this short window of dominance would have been better for the Bobcats (now the Hornets) than Morrison.
With the 2nd Pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: PF Tyrus Thomas
Who They Should Have Picked: PF LaMarcus Aldridge
The Ramifications: The Bulls actually drafted Aldridge with the second-overall pick in 2006, only to immediately trade him to Portland for fellow draftee Tyrus Thomas and Blazers forward Viktor Khryapa.
Though he may have played just well enough to avoid the “bust” label, Thomas never really panned out for the Bulls. Khryapa played just 42 games for the Bulls over two seasons, and never even made a start. It’s safe to say that Aldridge would have probably helped the Bulls a little more than Thomas and Khryapa.
With the 1st Pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Anthony Bennett
Who They Should Have Picked: F Otto Porter
The Ramifications: Bennett might just be the worst first overall pick in major pro sports history. Granted that the 2013 Draft wasn’t exactly a strong one—so far, Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only All-Star from that draft class—Bennett basically did nothing in the NBA. He couldn’t even crack a LeBron-less Cavs starting lineup, which is kind of unheard of for a No. 1 overall pick.
Bennett averaged 4.2 points per game as a rookie, and was sent to the Timberwolves with Andrew Wiggins as part of the Kevin Love trade. Cavs GM David Griffin was smart to cut his losses here, since Bennett was waived by the Nets.
Pretty much anyone would have been a better pick here. Otto Porter is not LeBron, but he’s emerged as a solid player capable of helping the Wizards win games.
With the 13th Pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the Dallas Mavericks Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: C Kelly Olynyk
Who They Should Have Picked: G Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Ramifications: Nevermind drafting Giannis, keeping Kelly Olynyk would have been a fine move here for the Mavs. Dallas traded Olynyk for center Lucas Nogueira and two future second-round picks during the 2013 Draft. Nogueira was later traded to the Hawks for the 18th overall pick, who became guard Shane Larkin.
Giannis and Rudy Gobert stand out as the only two true stars to come out of the 2013 Draft so far. Olynyk has become a solid starting big man for Boston, so they have to still feel happy about getting something out of this draft—and screwing over the Mavs royally in this trade.
With the 5th Pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, the Denver Nuggets Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Nikoloz Tskitishvili
Who They Should Have Picked: F Amar'e Stoudemire
The Ramifications: The Nuggets took a gamble on Tskitishvili, an unproven star out of Georgia (the country, not the state). In taking this gamble, Denver lost big time; Tskitishvili started just 16 games in his NBA career—all as a rookie—and averaged just 2.9 points per game over four NBA seasons.
During his rookie season Stoudemire scored more than double the points Tskitishvili scored in his entire career, and he was a perennial All-Star for both the Suns and the Knicks for the better part of a decade. He was taken four picks after Tskitishvili was taken by Denver.
With the 2nd Pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Darko Milicic
Who They Should Have Picked: G Dwyane Wade/F Carmelo Anthony/F Chris Bosh
The Ramifications: You probably already knew about this one. There isn’t much to add here.
But imagine how good the mid-2000s Pistons would have been if they had had Wade, ‘Melo, or Bosh? We’re talking about a team that made seven straight conference finals without them, so they probably could have been a dynasty with them. It’s hard to think of a team in the Eastern Conference at that time who could have hung with a starting five of Chauncey Billups, Dwyane Wade, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Ben Wallace.
With the 9th Pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Ike Diogu
Who They Should Have Picked: F Danny Granger
The Ramifications: Today’s Golden State bandwagoners probably don’t even know this, but there was a time where it seemed like the Warriors couldn’t get a draft pick right.
Long before they struck gold with Steph, Klay, and Dray, they were stuck drafting guys like Ike Diogu in lottery spots. There’s a reason Golden State made the playoffs just once from 1994-95 through 2011-12, and it’s not because they were a good drafting organization.
With the 14th Pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Marcus Morris
Who They Should Have Picked: F Kawhi Leonard
The Ramifications: Morris, the 14th overall pick in the draft, played in just 71 games for the Rockets, making just 17 starts. Leonard, the 15th overall pick, has become a top-five player in the league—and perhaps the biggest mid-round steal in recent memory.
With the 17th Pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Shawne Williams
Who They Should Have Picked: PG Rajon Rondo
The Ramifications: Williams is best known for being engaged to Love & Hip Hop’s Jessica Dime, whereas Rondo is actually known for doing things on the basketball court.
With the 8th Pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Al-Farouq Aminu
Who They Should Have Picked: F Gordon Hayward
The Ramifications: The Clippers have a reputation for choking in the playoffs, but there was a 30 or so year period where it was unfathomable to even think the Clippers would make the playoffs. Aside from guys on the current Clippers team, can you name one star that the team ever had?
No, you probably can’t. That’s because they routinely burnt high draft picks on guys like Al-Farouq Aminu from the '80s up until the totally-not-rigged NBA vetoed the Chris Paul to the Lakers trade.
With the 27th Pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Lakers Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Chris Jefferies
Who They Should Have Picked: PF Carlos Boozer
The Ramifications: Up until very recently, the Lakers have made few mistakes with their high draft picks. After all, we’re talking about the team that wound up with Jerry West, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kobe Bryant on their respective draft days.
2002’s No. 1 pick, Chris Jefferies, stands out as an exception. Jefferies was actually traded the day of the draft, along with Lindsey Hunter, to the Raptors for Tracy Murray, Kareem Rush, and a future second-round pick, which became Luke Walton.
Instead of trading this pick away for three players who never really amounted to much for the Lakers, Alaska’s own Carlos Boozer was taken just eight picks later by the Cavs. Boozer ended up playing for L.A. at the back end of his career, but having him at the front end could have possibly deterred the team from making ill-fated moves to acquire Karl Malone and Gary Payton for the 2003-04 season.
With the 2nd Pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Memphis Grizzlies Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: C Hasheem Thabeet
Who They Should Have Picked: G James Harden
The Ramifications: The Grizzlies could have had James Harden. They could have had Stephen Curry. They could have had DeMar DeRozan. Heck, they could have had Brandon Jennings. Jennings would have been exponentially better than Thabeet.
Pretty much anyone else would be an improvement over Hasheem Thabeet. Thabeet didn’t even last two seasons in Memphis before they shipped him out of town—he was traded to Houston midway through his second year. Thabeet’s career average of 2.2 points per game makes him one of the biggest busts in recent memory, and the fact that so many great players were taken after Thabeet makes this pick look even worse.
With the 2nd Pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Michael Beasley
Who They Should Have Picked: G Russell Westbrook
The Ramifications: Imagine a LeBron-Wade-Bosh-Westbrook team. Think they could beat the Warriors?
Despite his off-the-court troubles and love of marijuana, Beasley actually had a decent NBA career. He showed some promise in his first two seasons with the Heat, but was traded to the Timberwolves in 2010 to clear cap space for free agency. We all know what happened next.
So even if the Heat had drafted Westbrook, they probably still would have had to trade him early in his career to clear cap space for LeBron and Bosh. But imagine what could have been if they didn’t…
With the No. 1 Pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Milwaukee Bucks Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: C Andrew Bogut
Who They Should Have Picked: PG Chris Paul
The Ramifications: Bogut is the most decent first overall pick in NBA history. He’s definitely not a bust, but he’s not a star, either. Had the Bucks taken Chris Paul, they could have wound up with a franchise-changing point guard capable of taking the team to the playoffs year in and year out.
With the 6th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Minnesota Timerbwolves Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: G Johnny Flynn
Who They Should Have Picked: G Stephen Curry
The Ramifications: Johnny Flynn, who has not played in the NBA since 2012, was taken one pick before Stephen Curry. Those two names really speak for themselves in terms of how bad of a blunder this was.
And that wasn’t the only time the Timberwolves passed on Curry in the 2009 Draft. They also took Ricky Rubio with the No. 5 overall pick. Curry was taken seventh overall.
With the 6th Pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, the New Orleans Pelicans Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Nerlens Noel
Who They Should Have Picked: G C.J. McCollum
The Ramifications: The Pelicans traded Noel to the Sixers for Jrue Holiday, which ended up being a pretty fair trade. Noel is a decent center—albeit no star—and Holiday is a solid player in his own right. But McCollum is far better than both of them.
With the 8th Pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Jordan Hill
Who They Should Have Picked: G DeMar DeRozan
The Ramifications: Despite their awful recent history, the Knicks haven’t actually passed up on a lot of big names in the draft—because they almost never have a first-round pick. The team has picked in the first round just four times since 2009.
That said, the Knicks would love to have a guy like DeRozan right now. He and Carmelo Anthony would be such a lethal scoring duo.
With the 28th Pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: SF Perry Jones III
Who They Should Have Picked: PF Draymond Green
The Ramifications: Although I highly doubt any Thunder fan wants to be reminded about the Warriors, the Thunder—along with every other team—passed up on Draymond Green in 2012.
So get this, Thunder fans: You could have had Kevin Durant AND Draymond Green. On the same team. Instead, they took Perry Jones III, a backup guard who never averaged more than 4.3 points per game in a season.
With the 15th Pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: C Steven Hunter
Who They Should Have Picked: PF Zach Randolph
The Ramifications: Hunter turned out to be nothing more than a lifetime backup center. There’s nothing wrong with that, but Randolph has low-key had a borderline Hall of Fame career. Since 2004, he’s averaged >18.1 points and 10 rebounds per game. You probably didn’t even realize Randolph has been that good for that long.
Had he had a chance to play on Magic teams with Tracy McGrady or even Dwight Howard, he could have maybe put them over the top and made them legitimate contenders.
With the 2nd Pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: G Evan Turner
Who They Should Have Picked: F Paul George
The Ramifications: Sam Hinkie would not have approved of this selection.
Turner was a consensus top-two pick, so it was not particularly surprising that the Sixers took the Ohio State standout this high. But Turner never became the star in the NBA that he was in college. He’s had some good years, but never a great one. Had the Sixers taken Paul George, maybe they would not have had to have The Process happen in the first place.
WIth Their Picks in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 NBA Drafts, the Phoenix Suns Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: F Luol Deng, G Nate Robinson, G Rajon Rondo
Who They Should Have Picked: F Luol Deng, G Nate Robinson, G Rajon Rondo
The Ramifications: The Suns actually drafted Luol Deng, Nate Robinson, and Rajon Rondo in these three drafts. That’s pretty good drafting, right?
The only problem is that none of the three actually ever played for the Suns; they were all traded on draft day. In 2004, the team took Deng seventh overall, but traded him to the Bulls for forward Jackson Vroman and a future first-rounder. Vroman played in 10 games for the Suns.
That future first-rounder became the 21st pick in the 2005 draft, which in turn became Nate Robinson. Robinson was then traded to the Knicks with Quentin Richardson for Kurt Thomas and the rights to Dijon Thompson. Thomas played two lackluster seasons at center and Thompson played just 16 games in the NBA.
Then, in 2006, the Suns traded Rondo with forward Brian Grant for cash considerations for a future first-rounder. That first-rounder became Rudy Fernandez, but they traded him too.
With the 1st Pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Portland Trailblazers Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: C Greg Oden
Who They Should Have Picked: F Kevin Durant
The Ramifications: This is easily the worst one on the list. Not much you can even say here. This is also coming from the same franchise that took Sam Bowie over Michael Jordan.
With the 7th Pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: C Bismack Biyombo
Who They Should Have Picked: G Klay Thompson
The Ramifications: Biyombo would have been an OK pick, but the Kings didn’t even get him—he was traded for Jimmer Fredette. Klay Thompson obviously would have been the best choice though; he was taken 11th overall by the Warriors and became the potent scorer and lethal shooter that Jimmer was supposed to be. Had the Kings taken him, it’s reasonable to think Sacramento would have made the playoffs at some point in the last decade.
Oh, speaking of Jimmer: He averaged 37.6 points per game in China this year. He could become the new Stephon Marbury.
With the 29th Pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: G Cory Joseph
Who They Should Have Picked: G Jimmy Butler
The Ramifications: Even Gregg Popovich, the greatest basketball mind of his generation, makes some mistakes. But it’s not like this has stopped the Spurs from making the playoffs 20 straight seasons or anything.
With the No. 8 Pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: C Rafael Araujo
Who They Should Have Picked: G Andre Iguodala
The Ramifications: Araujo played only two seasons for the Suns, and averaged 2.8 points per game in three NBA seasons. Iguodala is still going strong in his 13th NBA season, pulling in an All-Star nod in 2012 and a Finals MVP award in 2015.
With the 3rd Pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: C Enes Kanter
Who They Should Have Picked: G Kemba Walker
The Ramifications: Kanter has emerged as a solid starting center for the Thunder, but he was not nearly as potent a scorer or defender in his first few seasons with the Jazz. He definitely isn’t the worst player you could end up with, but Kemba Walker would obviously be a much better fit—he’s averaged over 20 points per game in each of the last two seasons.
With the No. 1 Pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, the Washignton Wizards Should Have Selected...
Who They Picked: C Kwame Brown
Who They Should Have Picked: PF Pau Gasol
The Ramifications: Michael Jordan took a huge gamble in his first big move as an executive, taking an unproven high schooler named Kwame Brown first overall. Brown became a total bust for the Wizards, and the pressure put on him in the second act of his career didn’t help much either. According to an excerpt from When Nothing Else Matters: Michael Jordan's Last Comeback by Michael Leahy, which was published in SB Nation, Jordan tried to toughen up Brown by “"ritually [reducing] Brown to tears in front of the team."
A litany of players taken after Brown would have been much better for the Wizards—Jordan’s harassment notwithstanding. Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Jason Richardson, Shane Battier, and Joe Johnson were all taken after Brown.