Every NBA Draft has misses, but a select group of picks changed franchises for all the wrong reasons.

The 2026 NBA Draft is set for Tuesday, June 23, and Wednesday, June 24, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The first round on Tuesday begins at 8 p.m. ET and will be televised on ABC and ESPN and streamed on the ESPN app. The second round on Wednesday starts at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN app.

MORE: 6 reasons 2026 NBA Draft will choose chaos in real time

The Washington Wizards own the first pick and are expected to select BYU star AJ Dybantsa.

This list looks at the all-time biggest busts in NBA Draft history, weighing draft slot, expectations at the time, who was passed over and how little value the player actually delivered compared to that investment.

1. Darko Milicic, No. 2 pick in 2003

The defining modern draft bust is Darko Milicic going second overall in 2003, sandwiched between LeBron James and a run of future Hall of Famers. The Pistons chose Milicic over Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in what is widely considered one of the greatest drafts ever.

Milicic stuck around the league for several seasons as a role player with six teams. But his career averages of 6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game never came close to justifying his slot or the talent left on the board. His selection did not derail Detroit, which still won a title in 2004, but it probably cost the franchise a decade of star-level talent on the back end of that era.

2. Anthony Bennett, No. 1 in 2013

Anthony Bennett might be the purest bust on this list. The first pick in 2013 out of UNLV, Bennett was a surprise choice and quickly looked overwhelmed. He struggled with conditioning, confidence and finding any consistent role in the league.

Within four seasons and four teams he was out of the NBA, which is almost unheard of for a recent top overall selection. The 2013 class did not have a LeBron-level sure thing, but the Cleveland Cavaliers still had better options than a player who would not even reach solid-rotation status. Bennett finished his career averaging 4.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

3. Sam Bowie, No. 2 in 1984

Sam Bowie is the classic cautionary tale about drafting for positional need over transcendent talent. The Portland Trail Blazers took Bowie second overall out of Kentucky in 1984, one pick after Hakeem Olajuwon and one pick before Michael Jordan. Bowie had a skill set that teams coveted in a big man, but chronic leg injuries limited him and turned the pick into a historical reference point for front-office regret.

Bowie had some productive stretches when healthy, but he will always be remembered as the player taken instead of Jordan. He played 10 years in the league with three teams, averaging 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Bowie is proof that sometimes a bust is as much about who you are not as who you are.

4. Greg Oden, No. 1 in 2007

Greg Oden is the most sympathetic name here. By talent and college dominance at Ohio State, he deserved the hype as a franchise center when Portland took him first in 2007. Injuries stole almost his entire career before it ever started.

What pushes Oden toward the top of bust lists is the context. The player taken right after him was Kevin Durant, a future MVP and one of the best scorers in league history. Oden’s body never let him show what he might have been, but in draft-history terms, Portland’s choice was devastating. Oden wrapped up a 105-game career with Portland and the Miami Heat averaging 8 points and 6.2 boards.

5. Kwame Brown, No. 1 in 2001

Kwame Brown had a 12-year career as a physical big, but that resume never matched the expectations placed on the first high schooler taken No. 1 overall. Drafted by the Washington franchise in 2001, Brown became a symbol of how hazardous it can be to project teenagers into franchise-cornerstone roles.

He carved out years as a rotation big, yet the combination of his draft position, the market and the pressure of playing early in his career next to Jordan turned him into one of the league’s most famous disappointments. Brown played for seven teams, recording 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.

6. Hasheem Thabeet, No. 2 in 2009

Hasheem Thabeet was taken second overall out of UConn by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2009 largely on the strength of his size and shot-blocking potential. The league was already shifting toward more mobile, versatile bigs, and Thabeet never caught up. He struggled to adapt defensively away from the rim and did not offer enough on offense to compensate.

What makes the pick so painful is that the Grizzlies passed on future stars like James Harden and Stephen Curry. Even in a deep draft, they landed on a player who could not secure a consistent rotation role. Thabeet averaged 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds during a five-year career with four teams.

7. Adam Morrison, No. 3 in 2006

UConn’s Adam Morrison entered the 2006 draft out of Gonzaga as one of the most talked-about college scorers in the country. The Charlotte Bobcats took him third overall, hoping his shooting would translate immediately. Instead, he struggled with the speed and physicality of the NBA game and later had injury issues that wiped out key development time.

Morrison won titles as a deep reserve with the Los Angeles Lakers, but his own trajectory never approached what the Bobcats envisioned when they invested such a premium pick in his offense. Morrison averaged 7.5 points per game in three seasons with Charlotte and Los Angeles.

8. Jay Williams, No. 2 in 2002

Jay Williams is another case where tragedy, not talent, defined the bust label. Drafted second overall by Chicago in 2002, the Duke star showed flashes of being a dynamic point guard as a rookie, averaging 9.5 points and 4.7 assists per game. A serious motorcycle accident the following summer effectively ended his playing career.

From a cold draft-value standpoint, the Bulls got almost nothing from a No. 2 pick. From a human standpoint, this is one of the toughest stories in league history.

9. Michael Olowokandi, No. 1 in 1998

Michael Olowokandi became the face of a struggling Los Angeles Clippers era. Taken first overall in 1998, the 7-footer had the physical tools that front offices coveted in big men of that time. The problem was that his skill development and feel never caught up.

The Clippers passed on multiple future All-Stars, including Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce, at the top of that draft, and Olowokandi’s uneven play compounded the perception that the franchise could not get the big decisions right. Olowokandi stuck around for nine years, averaging 8.3 points and 6.8 rebounds for three teams.

10. Markelle Fultz, No. 1 in 2017

Markelle Fultz is a more complicated, ongoing case. As a prospect, he had the size, shooting and pick-and-roll ability to justify being the top pick in 2017. After the Philadelphia 76ers traded up to select him, his shot suddenly broke down, injuries mounted, and his confidence clearly suffered.

The fact that Jayson Tatum went third overall, after being on the board when Philadelphia traded down and back up in the process, makes the miss more glaring. Fultz rebuilt parts of his game in later stops, but relative to his draft slot and the player taken behind him, he remains on any serious bust list. He played in five games for the Raptors in 2025-26. Fultz is averaging 10.5 and 4.3 points over nine years and four teams.

11. Derrick Williams, No. 2 in 2011

Derrick Williams went second overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2011 after a breakout run at Arizona. He offered size and athleticism at the forward spots, but his game never fully translated. He bounced around the league as a tweener without a clear identity, never locking in as a starter on a good team.

In a draft that produced Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Jimmy Butler and others, using the second pick on a player who topped out as a role piece lingers as a missed opportunity. Williams played seven years for six teams, turning in averages of 8.9 points and 4 rebounds.

12. Jonathan Bender, No. 5 in 1999

Jonathan Bender was one of the original “unicorn” ideas, a 7-footer with perimeter skills. The Indiana Pacers traded for him on draft night in 1999, betting that his combination of length and shooting would eventually reshape their offense.

Persistent knee injuries limited him to short flashes and never allowed him to log heavy minutes consistently. Bender’s talent was obvious, but the Pacers never got the payoff they hoped for from such a high-upside swing. In eight seasons, Bender averaged 5.5 points and 2.2 boards.

13. Marvin Williams, No. 2 in 2005

Marvin Williams had a respectable 15-year career as a starter and rotation forward, so by pure production he does not fit the traditional bust mold. What puts him on lists like this is context. The Atlanta Hawks took the North Carolina product second overall in 2005, ahead of All-Star point guards Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

On a team that badly needed a lead guard, passing on two of the era’s defining floor generals for a complementary forward is the kind of decision that echoes for a decade. Marvin became a solid pro on the wrong team at the wrong draft slot. He finished his career averaging 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds for four teams.

14. Tyrus Thomas, No. 4 in 2006

Tyrus Thomas rocketed up boards after a strong NCAA Tournament showing with the LSU Tigers, and the Bulls acquired him at No. 4 in a draft-night deal in 2006. He had elite-level athleticism and shot-blocking timing, but the offensive polish never followed.

Thomas showed flashes as an energy big, yet his development plateaued quickly. Chicago and later Charlotte invested starter minutes and money trying to unlock more, but it never fully arrived, leaving that high pick feeling wasted. Thomas averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds for three teams during an eight-year career.

15. Nikoloz Tskitishvili, No. 5 in 2002

Nikoloz Tskitishvili was a pre-NBA-ready stretch forward experiment before the league fully embraced that archetype. The Denver Nuggets grabbed him fifth overall in 2002 on the promise of size and shooting. He struggled on both ends from the moment he arrived and never carved out a steady rotation role.

His selection became a shorthand example of how risky it can be to draft based on workouts and theoretical upside, especially with limited high-level game tape available. Tskitishvili recorded just 2.9 points and 1.8 rebounds over four seasons with four teams.

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