The NBA Draft day is just 10 days away from us and a lot of news has been floating around that suggests a few big moves could be made leading up to it.
Desmond Bane being traded by the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony, four first-round picks and a pick swap is just an example.
Kevin O’Connor also suggested that the New Orleans Pelicans could trade up in pursuit of Ace Bailey.
There are a lot of exciting players in the draft, which is why all of these deals are being explored.
Whether they are all able to fulfill their potential is something only time will tell. Being picked in the lottery is a huge honor for the players, but not all of them turn out to be special.
In this article, we take a look at the five busts from the NBA lottery.
Top Five NBA Busts5] Michael Olowokandi [1st pick by the LA Clippers – 1998]
Michael Olowokandi was drafted into the NBA as the number one pick ahead of Hall of Famers like Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce.
This was because the LA Clippers were impressed with his draft workout and performance in college.
However, he did not help the Clippers massively and also had problems with the coaching staff there, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was an assistant coach with the Clippers for a while.
Olowokandi averaged more than 10 points only twice in his career and although he showed signs of brilliance at times, he was not able to live up to the hype of being the number one pick.
4] Sam Bowie [2nd pick by the Portland Trail Blazers – 1984]
Sam Bowie had a wonderful college career with Kentucky and was expected to be a major prospect in the stacked draft class of 1984.
The Houston Rockets picked Hakeem Olajuwon with their first pick, while the Trail Blazers also wanted ‘The Dream,’ they were left with no other option but to pick Bowie who was also a center.
This meant he was picked ahead of Michael Jordan and that put the added pressure on Bowie.
His stint with Portland was not all that great as he suffered a lot of injuries.
However, he revived his career by going to teams like the New Jersey Nets and the LA Lakers.
While Olajuwon and Jordan became rivals and won championships, Bowie ended his 11-year NBA career with no major honors.
3] Hasheem Thabeet [2nd pick by the Memphis Grizzlies – 2009]
Hasheem Thabeet was the first Tanzanian player in the NBA, but he was not able to live up to the expectations people had on him after a good stint with UConn.
Thabeet’s 7.3 feet height and defensive presence was what the Grizzlies wanted, but he did not justify being picked ahead of Steph Curry and James Harden.
The Grizzlies traded him before he could even play two full seasons with the team.
Thabeet played more than 10 minutes only in his rookie season, eventually after five seasons, he saw his NBA career end.
2] Kwame Brown [1st pick by the Washington Wizards – 2001]
Kwame Brown is the only player on this list who came into the NBA straight out of high school.
He had a big reputation in his time at the historic Glynn Academy, where he recorded great numbers to gain national attention.
Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images
Brown initially had plans to play for the University of Florida, but later decided to go into the NBA as the Washington Wizards decided to pick him as the first pick in the draft.
He had underwhelming rookie season numbers and did not put up great numbers in his time with the Wizards, aside from his third year, when he averaged 10.9 PPG and 6 RPG.
The Wizards offered him an extension, but he decided to refuse it, and after four years in Washington, Brown moved to the Lakers.
The 43-year-old did not enjoy a great stint in LA as well, further damaging his reputation.
Brown then moved to teams like the Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats and the Philadelphia 76ers, but failed to find momentum.
1] Anthony Bennett [1st pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers – 2013]
Anthony Bennett had arguably the shortest NBA career for a number one pick as he played in the league for only five years.
He was selected as the number one pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but played only one year with them.
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Bennett came into the NBA after an impressive stint in college, where he shot well from the three-point range as well.
However, his NBA career was marred by injuries and inconsistent performances.
He did not record a field goal until his fifth NBA game.
The Canadian had spells with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets, but played only 151 games in total before moving his career to Europe.