The Worst Draft Mistakes In Portland Trail Blazers History

The Portland Trail Blazers were founded in 1969 and made their NBA debut in 1970. Just 7 seasons later, they would win their first and only NBA championship when Bill Walton led them to victory in 1977. Aside from that championship run, the Trail Blazers have come close to losing Finals series in 1990 and 1992 but have yet to capture another coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy. They have a track record of drafting exceptional talents such as Bill Walton, Damian Lillard, Clyde Drexler, and LaMarcus Aldridge but have yet to put all of the pieces together to win another championship.

The Trail Blazers, much like every other team in NBA history, have also missed on some of their draft picks over the years. They haven’t had many picks that we could classify as mistakes, but the ones they have missed could have brought multiple championships to the City of Portland. The Trail Blazers have missed out on generational talents, squandering their choices at the top of a few different drafts as well as their chances to take home more than 1 NBA championship. Teams have made more mistakes, but I am not so sure there have been much more impactful than Portland’s.

These are the worst Draft Mistakes in Portland Trail Blazers history.

LaRue Martin (1972 NBA Draft) – 1st Overall Pick

Better Available Picks: Bob McAdoo – 2nd Overall Pick, Julius Erving – 12th Overall Pick

The first mistake the Trail Blazers ever made as a drafting franchise was back in 1972 with the 1st overall pick. Their choice was LaRue Martin, a 6’11’’ center out of Loyola Chicago who showed real promise coming into the league. However, Marting would last just 4 seasons in the NBA altogether before stepping away in 1976 at 25 years old. Martin’s best season with the Trail Blazers came in 1975 when he averaged 7.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG in 81 appearances. Martin left the NBA just 1 year before Portland won its first NBA title.

What Portland didn’t know is how great the talent pool was outside of Martin that season. With the 2nd pick, the Buffalo Braves took Bob McAdoo out of UNC. McAdoo would be the Rookie of the Year as well as a 3-time scoring champion, 2x NBA champion, 5-time All-Star, an MVP, and a 2-time All-NBA Team selection. Also looming in the draft was one of the greatest players in NBA history, Julius Erving. Now, Erving spurned the Bucks, who picked him 12th for the ABA, so it is unclear if he would have stayed had he been drafted to Portland. Wouldn’t that still have been a better option than the guy who lasted 4 years?

Wally Walker (1976 NBA Draft) – 5th Overall Pick

Better Available Picks: Adrian Dantley – 6th Overall Pick, Robert Parish – 8th Overall Pick

It took just 4 years for the Trail Blazers to make their next bad decision on draft night. In 1976, the Trail Blazers selected Wally Walker as the 5th overall pick. Walker was a 6’7’’ small forward out of Virginia who wound up playing for the Trail Blazers for a total of 75 games. In those 75 games, Walker averaged 5.1 PPG and 1.7 RPG. He would be traded in 1977 to the Seattle SuperSonics for 2 draft picks and would spend 4 and a half seasons with them and 2 with Houstons before retiring in 1984. Walker’s career-highs for a season were 9.9 PPG and 4.4 RPG in 1982 with Seattle.

The 1976 draft saw the Trail Blazers miss out on multiple star players after selecting Walker. The first of these players was a prolific scorer and perennial All-Star, Adrian Dantley. The original AD played for 15 seasons in the NBA and won 2 scoring titles, and was selected to 6 All-Star games. He was also the 1977 Rookie of the Year and a 2-time All-NBA Team member. The other player that Portland missed out on was Robert Parish. During his career, Parish anchored the paint for 3 NBA championship teams in Boston and played 21 seasons in the league. Parish would be named an All-Star 9 times and earn 2 All-NBA Team selections in his career.

Mychal Thompson (1978 NBA Draft) – 1st Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Larry Bird – 6th Overall Pick

When the 1978 NBA Draft came around, the Trail Blazers were rewarded with yet another 1st overall pick. This time, they decided to use it on Mychal Thompson, father of Klay, out of Minnesota. Thompson was solid for Portland even after a leg injury cost him his second season. He peaked at 20.8 PPG and 11.7 RPG in 1982 and was good for 16.7 PPG and 8.9 RPG in his 7-and-a-half seasons with the team. He would go on to win 2 NBA titles with the Lakers in 1987 and 1988 as well. Thompson was not what one would classify as a bust, but he just wasn’t nearly as special as the player who went just 5 picks later.

The Boston Celtics hit the jackpot when they selected Larry Bird out of Indiana State with the 6th overall pick in 1978. Bird would show the other 5 teams just how big of a mistake they made over the course of the next decade-plus. Bird would win 3 MVP awards, 3 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVP awards, and a slew of other accomplishments along the way. He was a trash-talking, do-it-all legend who was primed to do something incredibly special every time he stepped on the court. There is no doubt Portland could have 3 or 4 NBA championships if they had just taken a chance on Bird with the No. 1 overall pick.

Sam Bowie (1984 NBA Draft) – 2nd Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Michael Jordan – 3rd Overall Pick

In one of the most well-documented instances of missing on a draft pick compared to the player selected directly after, Portland selected Sam Bowie with the 2nd overall pick in 1984. Now, in all fairness to Portland, they had just drafted Clyde Drexler the year before and had no need for another shooting guard. Bowie was a 7’1’’ center, and the Trail Blazers were in desperate need of size to add to their squad. Bowie enjoyed 3 solid seasons with the team and in his 3rd season, averaged 16.0 PPG and 6.6 RPG. A leg injury cost him his entire 4th season, and he lasted just one more with the Trail Blazers. He averaged 10.5 PPG and 8.1 RPG overall with Portland and 12.8 PPG and 8.2 RPG with the Nets later on.

Now, Bowie was not a bad pick for the Trail Blazers, but he wasn’t anything close to being as good as the player selected after him. All Michael Jordan did when he was drafted by the Bulls was go on to become the greatest player in NBA history. Jordan delivered 6 NBA championships to Chicago, along with 6 Finals MVPs, 5 MVPs, and a host of other NBA records and accomplishments. Jordan became an icon and helped the game gain notoriety on a global scale like never before. From commercial deals to show deals, Jordan changed the NBA forever and is easily the greatest player in its 76-year history.

Greg Oden (2007 NBA Draft) – 1st Overall Pick

Better Available Pick: Kevin Durant – 2nd Overall Pick

The story of Greg Oden is a hard pill to swallow because of the potential Portland would have if he was just able to remain healthy. Oden was the consensus No. 1 pick coming out of Ohio State as a skilled mountain of a man who was a force to be reckoned with, especially on defense. Oden would be sidelined more with injury than he logged playing time, missing his rookie season with a knee injury, playing 2 seasons with Portland, then missing the next 3 seasons with more knee injuries. When he was on the court, he could help the Trail Blazers win. The problem is he was never on the court. Oden was eligible to play for 7 seasons in the NBA. He played a total of 105 games over that time.

On the complete opposite end of the basketball, spectrum sits the man who was taken No. 2 overall, Kevin Durant. Over the last 16 seasons, we have watched as Durant developed into one of the most talented scorers and offensive players in league history. Durant is a 7’0’’ man with the skills of a guard when it comes to handling the ball and shooting from anywhere on the court. Durant has gone on to win an MVP, 2 NBA titles, 2 Finals MVP awards, 4 scoring titles, and a host of other individual accolades. Durant is still playing at an elite level in 2022-23, averaging over 30.0 PPG for one of the hottest teams in basketball. Durant and Damian Lillard would have been one of the greatest duos of the 2010s and 2020s if Portland played their cards right.

Justin Jackson (2017 NBA Draft) – 15th Overall Pick

Better Available Picks: OG Anunoby – 23rd Overall Pick, Kyle Kuzma – 27th Overall Pick

The final draft mistake for the Portland Trail Blazers was made just a few seasons ago, in 2017. Portland selected Justin Jackson with the 15th overall pick and immediately traded him to the Sacramento Kings for Zach Collins. Neither Jackson nor Collins worked out for the Trail Blazers, as Collins consistently missed time due to injuries. Jackson, on the other hand, has played for 6 teams over the last 6 seasons and has made just 13 appearances in the 2022-23 season, all off the bench. He is averaging 0.5 PPG.

Just a few picks later were a couple of guys who could have been the right picks next to Damian Lillard for the foreseeable future. OG Anunoby was taken by the Raptors with the 23rd pick and has become one of the great two-way players today. In 2022-23, Anunoby is one of the NBA’s best perimeter defenders and has improved greatly offensively especially shooting the ball. Kyle Kuzma is also enjoying personal success in Washington with the Wizards. Kuzma is having an All-Star-level season and is averaging over 20.0 PPG for the first time in 2022-23. He is also an NBA champion with the Lakers in 2020. 

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