My favorite bust is Robert Traylor, draft #6 in 1998
My favorite bust is Robert Traylor, draft #6 in 1998.
Not just because he was drafted so high and sucked so hard, but because of one of the worst draft day trades in NBA history. Traylor was draft #6 by the Dallas Mavericks but was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft day for #9 pick Dirk Nowitzki, but not just Dirk, because that wasn’t enough for a talent the level of Robert Traylor, so #18 pick Pat Garrity was also part of the deal.
Not only did the Milwaukee Bucks trade away future MVP and multiple All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, they also gave away Pat Garrity who, while not being a star by any measure, also had a more successful career than Traylor. More importantly, Garrity served as the centerpiece of a deal the Mavs then made with the Phoenix Suns in which the Mavs acquired Steve Nash for Garrity and a future 1st round pick.
Those deals amounted to one of the biggest turnarounds in NBA history, taking the Mavericks from the worst franchise in professional sports to a perennial playoff team and sometime contender. All for Robert “Tractor” Traylor and a draft pick*.
*to be fair to the Suns, they used that pick (which turned out to be #9) on Shawn Marion, a multiple All-Star.