20 Worst NBA Draft Mistakes Over The Last 20 Years

• The Detroit Pistons missed out on Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Bosh in the 2003 NBA Draft

• The Minnesota Timberwolves missed not once, but twice, on point guard Stephen Curry in 2009

• All 30 NBA teams let Nikola Jokic fall to the middle of the second round during the 2014 NBA Draft

The NBA Draft is one of the biggest attractions of the NBA offseason annually. All 30 teams continuously work throughout the year scouting and evaluating talent while trying to discover the next star who can potentially turn around their franchise. More often than not, a selection is made, and things don’t quite end up as that franchise would have hoped, with that player either failing to live up to expectations or a player that was taken slightly after them turns out to be a superstar while their selection turns out to be a journeyman role player. These are what we refer to as mistakes.

Of course, there are plenty of these occurrences that would not be seen as mistakes at the time. We are looking at these selections after plenty of time has passed, and we can fully evaluate each decision. Since 2003, there seems to be a pattern of at least one team every year that makes a mistake that altered the history of their franchise forever, while another team benefited greatly from their mistake. It is just how NBA history played out. 

Take the 1983 NBA Draft, for example. The Portland Trail Blazers missed out on Michael Jordan by one pick. Portland is still seeking their first NBA championship since 1977, while Jordan blessed the Bulls with six on his way to becoming the GOAT. At the time, barely anyone questioned the pick. Here we are 40 years later talking about it as one of the greatest what-ifs in NBA history. Those are the kind of “mistakes” we will be covering at length below.

These are the 20 biggest NBA draft mistakes over the last 20 years.

2003 NBA Draft

Pistons Make One Of The Biggest Mistakes In Franchise History

The Detroit Pistons Select Darko Milicic Over Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, And Chris Bosh

In the 2003 NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons held the coveted second overall pick behind Cleveland, who were going to be taking LeBron James first overall. With that pick, the Pistons decided to select Darko Milicic, a 7-foot big man out of Serbia. Milicic would go on to win the 2004 NBA championship with the Pistons, although he had about as much to do with it as Chucky Atkins and Hubert Davis did. Milicic would play just 96 games in three seasons with Detroit while averaging 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

Milicic would last in the NBA for 10 seasons with six different teams before retiring at the age of 27. Just behind Darko in the draft, three future Hall of Famers were lurking and waiting to hear their names called. The Nuggets selected Carmelo Anthony with the Third pick, and he went on to become a top 10 scorer in NBA history as well as a lock for the Hall of Fame. The Raptors would take Chris Bosh with the fourth selection, and he would go on to win two NBA championships with the Heat later on in his career.

In the fifth spot, the Miami Heat would wind up taking the greatest player in franchise history, Dwyane Wade, who led them to an NBA championship in 2006 as well as two more in 2012 and 2013. Now, the Pistons didn’t feel the effects of this mistake for a long time, considering they won the NBA title less than a year after the Milicic pick. However, their future would be tainted once the 2004 core group was gone, with nobody to lead their franchise into the next era, not even Milicic. Since 2004, the Pistons have appeared in one more NBA Finals in 2005 and have not returned since.

It is safe to say that this was the costliest draft blunder in the history of the Detroit Pistons franchise.

2005 NBA Draft

Atlanta Misses Out On A Point God

The Atlanta Hawks Select Marvin Williams Over Chris Paul

The 2005 NBA Draft is not one in which NBA fans look back and say, “Wow, what a load of talent!”. As a matter of fact, only five players would ever make All-Star appearances from that draft class, and four of them are likely not heading for the Basketball Hall Of Fame. The Atlanta Hawks owned the second overall pick in the draft and decided to take Marvin Williams, a 6’8’’ forward from the University of North Carolina.

Williams would spend the first seven seasons of his career with the Hawks where he averaged 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, those numbers are decent but far from what a team expects when taking a player with the second overall pick. It is especially painful when you realize that just two picks later, one of the best point guards of the last 40 years would end up going to the New Orleans Hornets.

Chris Paul would take his talents to New Orleans and soon develop into a two-way beast and was ranked among the league’s two best point guards. Paul would barely win an MVP in 2008 with the Hornets while winning two assists titles, three steals titles, and earned four All-Star selections in his first six seasons. Overall, Paul has earned 12 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA Team selections, and nine All-Defensive Team selections, and was named the 2006 Rookie of the Year. Despite playing 15 seasons, Williams would never do any of those things, and the Hawks would not find their next great point guard until 2018.

2006 NBA Draft

The Raptors Take A Gamble On An Italian Phenom

The Toronto Raptors Select Andrea Bargnani Over LaMarcus Aldridge

The Toronto Raptors have only had one time in their franchise history in which they held the first overall pick. In 2006, Toronto held the coveted pick and decided to use it on Italian phenom Andrea Bargnani, a scorer and sharpshooter they desperately needed at the time. Bargnani was talented as evidenced by his 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds in seven seasons with the Raptors. However, many questioned his effort, especially on defense, and whether he really wanted to be in the NBA at all. His defense was less than suspect and his offense began to die out with injuries taking their toll by the time he was 26 years old.

After seven seasons, Bargnani was traded to the Knicks where he would play two seasons as well as one with the Nets before deciding to play in Spain for the 2016-17 season. Right behind Bargnani, the Trail Blazers would select power forward LaMarcus Aldridge with the second pick, a selection Toronto would have welcomed in a heartbeat over Bargnani.

Over the next 16 seasons, most notably with the Trail Blazers and Spurs, Aldridge would develop into one of the best forwards in the game. For his career, he would average 19.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. He would earn seven All-Star appearances and five All-NBA Team selections as well, which completely blew Bargnani’s career out of the water. Would Aldridge have turned the Raptors’ franchise around? Probably not, but it was definitely going to be a better way to begin their rebuild than with Bargnani as their star.

2007 NBA Draft

Portland Makes A Franchise-Altering Mistake

The Portland Trail Blazers select Greg Oden Over Kevin Durant

In 2007, the Portland Trail Blazers owned the No. 1 overall draft pick and had their work cut out for them entirely. The pick was to come down to two players, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, who were easily the two best players in college basketball from the year before. Ultimately, Portland decided to go with Oden which would turn out to be one of the most devastating mistakes in franchise history.

Oden would end up suffering knee and foot injuries that would limit him to just 82 games over the course of six seasons with Portland. Meanwhile, the other pick that Portland was considering developed into one of the most talented offensive players in NBA history. Kevin Durant would go on to win four scoring titles and an MVP in 2014 with the Oklahoma City Thunder then two NBA championships and two Finals MVP awards with the Golden State Warriors.

I think it is fair to conclude that had Portland taken Durant and still ended up with Damian Lillard a few years later, the 46-year championship drought would be long over by now.

2008 NBA Draft

Memphis Goes With A Young Phenom Over The Triple-Double King

The Memphis Grizzlies Select O.J. Mayo Over Russell Westbrook

The Memphis Grizzlies aren’t exactly geniuses when it comes to the NBA Draft as we have seen in their history over the years. One particular mistake stands out above the rest, and it occurred back in the 2008 NBA Draft. With their third overall pick, the Grizzlies opted to go with high school phenom and USC standout O.J. Mayo, a talented guard with a knack for scoring the ball from all three levels.

Mayo’s first two seasons looked tremendous as he played all 82 games both seasons and averaged over 17.5 points per game in each season as well. By his third season, however, Mayo began to come off the bench, and by season five, he was no longer with the team. By the 2015-16 season, Mayo was with his third team, the Milwaukee Bucks, and was suspended for unknown reasons. From that moment until now, Mayo has never played again in the NBA and has served one of the longest suspensions in NBA history.

With the fourth pick in the NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder had a future MVP and Hall of Famer fall right into their laps. Russell Westbrook has had one of the greatest careers ever by a point guard with a trip to the NBA Finals in 2012, an MVP award in 2017, and the all-time NBA triple-double record set by Oscar Robertson so many years ago. While Mayo saw himself exiled from the league, Westbrook began to take it over while willing his teams to multiple wins and playoff appearances. Although he has never won an NBA title, Westbrook would have been a much safer pick for Memphis at the time.

2009 NBA Draft

Memphis Makes Another Colossal Mistake

The Memphis Grizzlies Select Hasheem Thabeet Over James Harden

To no surprise, the Memphis Grizzlies were right back in 2009 with a top-three selection in the NBA Draft. They had a chance to right their wrongs from the year prior but only ended up making an even bigger mistake. This time, instead of a guard, the Grizzlies decided on a big man from UCONN, Hasheem Thabeet with their second overall pick. Thabeet would play 113 games with the team averaging 2.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game before being traded in his second season. He would only last a total of three more seasons in the NBA following the trade.

Just after Thabeet was taken second, the Oklahoma City Thunder once again reaped the benefits of Memphis’ mistake and selected James Harden with their pick. Harden would thrive in Oklahoma City, winning the 2012 Sixth Man of the Year award, and making an NBA Finals appearance the same season. Harden would eventually be traded to the Rockets where he went on to win the 2018 MVP, win three scoring titles with over 30.0 points per game each season, and make nine All-Star appearances.

Would Memphis have been NBA champions with a young Westbrook and Harden running the backcourt? Nobody knows, but we do know they would have had a better chance than O.J. Mayo and Hasheem Thabeet ever did.

2009 NBA Draft

Timberwolves Whiff Not Once, But Twice On The Greatest Shooter Ever

The Minnesota Timberwolves Select Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn Over Stephen Curry

In a rare occurrence, the Minnesota Timberwolves held both the fifth and sixth overall picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. In desperate need of a point guard to run their franchise moving forward, Minnesota opted to go with Ricky Rubio out of Spain and Jonny Flynn from Syracuse University. With Rubio headed back to Spain for two years, Flynn was tabbed with getting the starting job right away. With 13.5 points and 4.4 assists per game as a rookie, it looked like the right choice. However, just two seasons later, Flynn would fall off the face of the Earth and leave the NBA for good at 23 years old.

Ricky Rubio would finally make his NBA debut in 2011-12 with Minnesota, where he would remain for the next seven seasons. In his time there, he averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 8.1 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Unfortunately, while it wasn’t all bad, it didn’t nearly equate to the production coming from the player that was selected right after them in 2009.

Over the last 15 years, we watched as one of the NBA Draft’s biggest question marks turned into one of the greatest players in NBA history. Despite early concerns about his ankle issues, Stephen Curry electrified and changed the game of basketball as we know it with his ridiculous range and efficiency from three-point land. Curry has led the Warriors to four NBA championships, won one Finals MVP award, and two MVP awards, including the NBA’s first and only unanimous MVP ever. Now, I know many think that Curry would have been different in a place like Minnesota, but I am willing to give the greatest shooter ever the benefit of the doubt.

2009 NBA Draft

Knicks Get It Wrong… Again

The New York Knicks Select Jordan Hill Over DeMar DeRozan

Although this draft mistake may not even be one of the worst in New York Knicks’ history, it definitely ranks up there in terms of mistakes over the last 20 years. In 2009, the Knicks would have the eighth overall pick in the NBA Draft, and although they wanted Stephen Curry, they settled on Jordan Hill out of Arizona after Curry went seventh to the Warriors. Hill would end up being a disaster for the Knicks, and they traded him after just 24 games in exchange for an older Tracy McGrady. Hill would remain in the NBA for a total of eight seasons, most notably with the Lakers, averaging 7.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

In true Knicks fashion, they missed on a player who could have elevated their franchise at a time they needed it more than ever. DeMar DeRozan wasn’t one of the most highly-touted prospects in 2009, but he was expected to make an impact rather quickly in the NBA, and that is exactly what he did. Over the course of his 14 seasons in the NBA, DeRozan has averaged 21.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while becoming a deadly mid-range shooter and an all-around two-way threat. He has made six All-Star Teams and three All-NBA Teams in his career as well with the Raptors, Spurs, and Bulls. DeRozan in blue and orange would have been a much-welcomed sight to the Big Apple, where they haven’t appeared in an NBA Finals since 1999.

2011 NBA Draft

The Sacramento Kings Pass On One Of The Greatest Shooters Ever

The Sacramento Kings Select Jimmer Fredette Over Klay Thompson

During the 2011 NCAA season, Jimmer Fredette set the country on fire for BYU as the nation’s top scorer averaging 28.9 points per game as a senior. It was widely speculated that while Fredette was talented, there was no way it was going to translate to the NBA, and those speculations were correct. Fredette would go 10th overall to the Sacramento Kings where he wound up coming off the bench for two seasons averaging 7.0 points per game. Fredette would play in the NBA for just six seasons with five different teams averaging 6.0 points per game for his career.

Little did Sacramento know that one of the answers to all of their issues was chomping at the bit to be selected. Klay Thompson landed in the perfect spot for him to thrive however as he and teammate Stephen Curry went on to change the game as the most prolific shooting duo we have ever seen. Thompson has evolved into one of the most clutch and efficient shooters ever while winning four NBA championships and earning five All-Star selections and two All-NBA Team selections. While many could have never known how important he was going to be to team success, Thompson made sure he made all 11 teams that picked before Golden State regretted their decision.

2011 NBA Draft

Nearly The Entire NBA Missed On One Of A Kind Star

Jimmy Butler Was Drafted 30th Overall

The story of Jimmy Butler’s journey to the NBA is an inspiring one for every NBA fan to enjoy. From homeless couch surfing at friend’s places as a teen to Marquette University to the NBA, Jimmy Butler has never once counted himself out. That attitude became useful as his name slid down the draft board in 2011 all the way to 30th as the last pick of the first round to the Chicago Bulls.

Names like Jan Vesely, Enes Kanter, and MarShon Brooks were all taken before Butler, and all given higher grades as players heading into the NBA Draft in 2011. As it turns out, only Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Klay Thompson have any standing over Butler from that entire draft class. Jimmy Butler has poured his heart and soul into his NBA career, which has earned him six All-Star selections, five All-NBA Team selections, five All-Defensive Team selections, and two appearances in the NBA Finals. At the end of his career, Jimmy Butler is most likely headed for the Hall of Fame. Only the three aforementioned players will earn that honor from this entire 2011 draft.

2011 NBA Draft

A Future Finals MVP Falls To 15th In The 2011 NBA Draft

Kawhi Leonard Was Drafted 15th Overall

To be fair, there isn’t a soul in the world who believed that Kawhi Leonard would peak as one of the best two-way players in the NBA and the catalyst behind two NBA championship teams. Since we are looking at this entire list in hindsight, it is only right to mention that almost half of the NBA passed on him in the NBA Draft.

The amazing thing is the mistakes don’t stop there. The Indiana Pacers, who drafted Leonard with the 15th pick in 2011, would then trade him to San Antonio in exchange for George Hill. This is a move that remains one of the worst mistakes in franchise history. By 2013, Leonard was starting the NBA Finals for the Spurs, while nobody else in his draft class could say the same up until that point. Leonard would go on to win Finals MVP in the 2014 NBA Finals for his defensive efforts against LeBron James and offensive output from Games 3-5 averaging 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds,1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Leonard would go on to win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2015 and 2016 as well. In 2019, Leonard would be traded to the Toronto Raptors where he would lead the team to their first championship in franchise history while winning Finals MVP honors once again. Even with all of the injuries he has struggled with since 2020, I guarantee all 14 teams that chose differently back in 2011 could go back and take Kawhi Leonard.

2012 NBA Draft

SacTown Misses Out On Dame Time

The Sacramento Kings Select Thomas Robinson Over Damian Lillard

Back in 2012, the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers were both in search of the next star who would help carry them into the future. With the fifth overall pick, the Kings decided on Thomas Robinson, a power forward out of the University of Kansas. Robinson would have a short stint with the Kings, making him one of their worst draft picks ever. After 51 games in his rookie season, Sacramento cut ties with Robinson, sending him to Houston in a deal for Cole Aldrich, Toney Douglas, and Patrick Patterson. Robinson would play only five seasons in the NBA with six different teams and averaged 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

The Kings’ problems only got worse when they realized what the sixth overall pick, Damian Lillard, was doing in his rookie season. All he did was go on to win the Rookie of the Year award averaging 19.0 points and 6.5 assists per game. Lillard would then go on to become one of the best point guards in basketball and one of the greatest three-point shooters of all time. Lillard has averaged 25.2 points and 6.7 assists per game over the course of his 11-year career with the Portland Trail Blazers while earning seven All-Star selections and seven All-NBA Team selections. While Lillard may be forcing his way out of Portland soon, there is no doubt he remained loyal for as long as he possibly could, and would have been a perfect fit in Sacramento.

2013 NBA Draft

Cleveland Makes The Biggest Draft Mistake In Franchise History

The Cleveland Cavaliers Select Anthony Bennett First Overall

The Cleveland Cavaliers have had their fair share of hits in the NBA Draft, considering they were able to draft both LeBron James in 2003 and Kyrie Irving in 2011 with the first overall pick. However, it was their fumble of the first pick in 2013 that still gets talked about as if it happened yesterday and is widely considered to be the worst draft mistake in NBA history.

This, of course, is the infamous selection of Anthony Bennett. Although the pool of talent was limited this year, the selection of Bennett was historically bad at the number-one spot. In his rookie season, Bennett would play just 52 games, all off the bench for Cleveland, averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He was gone from Cleveland after just one season and would make appearances with three different teams over the next three years, including the Timberwolves, Raptors, and Nets.

Bennett would finish his career averaging 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game over the course of 151 contests. It is by far the worst output in a career by the first overall pick, and don’t even get me started about some of the players who were more deserving of the selection atop the NBA Draft.

2013 NBA Draft

The Greek Freak Falls To 15th

Giannis Antetokounmpo Is Drafted 15th Overall

One of those players that Cleveland completely whiffed on was Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, they weren’t the only ones, as Giannis was not taken until the middle of the round with the 15th pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. This isn’t just a mistake because of what Giannis is, but rather what the 14 players taken ahead of him never turned out to be.

Out of the 14 players drafted ahead of Giannis in the 2013 NBA Draft, none of them have ever been named an NBA All-Star except for second-overall pick Victor Oladipo. None of them have been an MVP or Finals MVP like Antetokounmpo has though which puts this over the top as a big whiff by half of the teams in the NBA.

Antetokounmpo has been one of the most dominant forces in the NBA since 2018 on both sides of the ball. Along with the aforementioned championship and Finals MVP, Giannis has won two MVP awards and a Defensive Player of the Year award as well. If he isn’t still considered the best player in the game today, he is a lock for the top three as a dominant presence no matter what point of the game it may be or where on the court he is.

2014 NBA Draft

Milwaukee Loses A Chance To Build The Greatest Frontcourt Of All-Time

The Milwaukee Bucks Select Jabari Parker Over Joel Embiid

Back in 2014, Jabari Parker was supposed to be the next big thing coming out of Duke University. Parker was an athletic and skilled point forward with size and speed to match, making him one of the top prospects heading into the NBA Draft. The Milwaukee Bucks decided to use their second-overall pick on him, which ended up costing them large in the long run.

Parker was decent over his first three seasons with the Bucks, averaging 15.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. Unfortunately, toward the end of his third season is when the injury bug bit Parker and it would never let go. Over the next few seasons, Parker would struggle to stay on the court, fighting various issues with his body that left us all wondering what could have been. Still, a healthy Parker isn’t close to the biggest what-f for this draft mistake.

That is because the Philadelphia 76ers were able to select Joel Embiid just one pick after Parker which has probably been their best draft selection since Allen Iverson. It started off rough with Embiid battling foot issues that cost him the first two years of his career. Once healthy though, it didn’t take long for Embiid to come into his own and become one of the best centers in the game. Milwaukee lost out on the chance to pair two MVPs together in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid, which would have undoubtedly won numerous NBA championships by 2023.

Speaking of 2023, Embiid captured his second straight scoring title and first MVP award last season, while Giannis also finished top three in the voting by season’s end. What a pair these two would have been.

2014 NBA Draft

The Entire NBA Misses On The Best Player In The World

Nikola Jokic Is Drafted 41st Overall

We all know the story of 2023 NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic being drafted during a Taco Bell commercial during the 2014 NBA Draft. That is because at the time, not a single franchise understood that a player who could have single-handedly turned their franchise around was lurking deep into the draft.

Every team would pass on Nikola Jokic once during the NBA Draft in 2014, and 10 other teams would pass on him twice. Finally, with the 41st overall pick, Jokic was off the board, but no one was prepared for the storm that was coming next. Over the next few seasons, we watched as Jokic developed into the most lethal offensive player in the game. Standing seven feet tall, Jokic can handle the ball, score any way he wants to, and is the best passer in the NBA. No, not the best big-man passer, the best passer.

Since 2021, Jokic has captured two MVP awards with the Denver Nuggets but saved his best performance for 2023. This past season, Jokic would lead the Nuggets to their first NBA championship ever and win Finals MVP honors averaging 30.2 points, 14.0 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game. I think every NBA franchise knows what they missed out on back in 2014, no need to keep kicking them when they’re down.

2015 NBA Draft

Devin Booker Is Passed Over By 12 Teams

Devin Booker Is Drafted 13th Overall

It is hard to pin this mistake on just one team. That is because I truly believe that Devin Booker is better than all 12 players that were selected before him in the 2015 NBA Draft. Even the better players like Kristaps Porzingis and Karl-Anthony Towns, I believe Devin Booker has already surpassed them in terms of both talent and impact on his team’s success.

Already in his young career, Booker has multiple All-Star appearances, an All-NBA Team selection, and an appearance in the NBA Finals. Booker has averaged 24.9 points per game or better every season since 2017-18 but his best performance yet came just last year in the NBA playoffs. In 11 games, Booker averaged 33.7 points per game on 58.5% shooting which for a shooting guard who takes a lot of mid-range shots and threes, is outstanding. He has proven he can take over games in big moments or be able to take a secondary role to a teammate like Kevin Durant if need be. Will I go as far as to say that Booker should have been the number-one pick in 2015? Well, would I be wrong?

2017 NBA Draft

Philadelphia Fumbles “The Process”

The Philadelphia 76ers Select Markelle Fultz Over Jayson Tatum

During the 2010s, all Philadelphia fans, and frankly NBA fans everywhere, heard from team management and players was to “Trust The Process”. They had a plan to lose enough so they could build through the draft, tanking their way to multiple top picks over the course of the decade. In 2017, they decided to trade their third pick, along with multiple other picks to Boston in exchange for the first pick in 2017.

With that pick, they decided to take Markelle Fultz, a guard from Washington who had gained some momentum heading into the draft. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, Fultz would struggle mightily on the court while struggling to stay on it at all. He would play just 33 games in two years, with the 76ers averaging only 7.7 points and 3.4 assists per game. For a number-one pick, it was almost as bad as it gets.

It gets even worse when you realize that Boston got the better deal. They ended up with numerous draft picks as well as the best player in the draft, Jayson Tatum. Over the last seven seasons for Boston, Tatum has led them to multiple Conference Finals appearances and an NBA Finals in 2022. He is averaging 22.5 points and 7.0 rebounds for his career but is coming off his best season yet in 2023. He averaged 30.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game in 74 games this past season while leading Boston to the Conference Finals once again. The championship may be right around the corner for Boston while Philadelphia continues to trend in a downward direction.

2017 NBA Draft

The Suns Just Miss On Mr. Clutch

The Phoenix Suns Select Josh Jackson Over De’Aaron Fox

The next draft mistake didn’t have the biggest ramifications yet, but there is still time. In the same draft in which the 76ers missed on Tatum, the Phoenix Suns also missed on a future All-Star that would have been vital to their team’s success. In reality, they would take Josh Jackson from Kansas. Jackson had a ton of hype surrounding him entering the draft but before we knew it, that hype was fizzling out in the desert.

Jackson started off his career in decent form with back-to-back seasons of 11.o points per game or better. By the end of his fifth season and fourth different team, Jackson would be calling it quits at 24 years old. Jackson last appeared in a game in 2022 for the Kings which is quite ironic considering the Suns did Sacramento a favor by taking him back in 2017.

That’s because it allowed NBA All-Star and 2023 Clutch Performer of the Year De’Aaron Fox to fall into their laps. Fox is not only one of the speediest players in the NBA, but he is also one of the best when it matters most, as he sits among the league leaders in fourth-quarter points. Fox helped the Kings break their 17-year playoff drought in 2023 and has averaged 20.2 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per game over the last six seasons. Fresh off his first All-Star appearance, I am willing to bet Phoenix wishes they already had Fox rather than spending all of their money on Bradley Beal.

2018 NBA Draft

The Kings Select Size Over Substance

The Sacramento Kings Select Marvin Bagley III over Luka Doncic

This draft mistake is so bad, it almost set back the Kings’ franchise for decades to come. With the second overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Kings decided to take Duke University big man Marvin Bagley III. With Deandre Ayton already headed to Phoenix, Bagley was supposed to be the next-best big man in the draft but was anything but that for the last five years.

Bagley wasn’t terrible with the Kings. He averaged 13.5 points and 7.4 rebounds over the course of three and a half seasons there before being traded to Detroit after a falling-out with Kings management. This isn’t about Bagley, however. This is about the player the Hawks then Mavericks were able to scoop up at number three, Luka Doncic.

From the first week he took the court for the first time, NBA fans knew Luka Doncic was going to be someone special. Over the last five seasons, those fans have been proven right, while the doubters have had to sit back and watch in awe. In five seasons in Dallas, Doncic has averaged 27.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists as one of the best players in the game. He has earned four All-Star selections and four All-NBA First Team selections as well and led Dallas to an appearance in the Western Conference Finals. Within a few years, Doncic will be an MVP and NBA champion, while Bagley may be fighting for a job. 

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