The draft is a crapshoot. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. And sometimes, you trade players who go on to be great for other teams.
LaMarcus Aldridge
The best big men in 2006 were Texas forward LaMarcus Aldridge and LSU forward Tyrus Thomas. The Chicago Bulls, with the second pick, took Aldridge. The Portland Trail Blazers, with the fourth pick, took Thomas. But wound up sending Thomas and Viktor Khyrapa to the Bulls for Aldridge and a second-round pick. Instead of having Aldridge, who has been a long-time star, the Bulls had Thomas, who only played for the team for two-and-a-half seasons before being shipped to Charlotte.
Jon Barry
Coming out of Georgia Tech, Barry was selected by the Boston Celtics in 1992, but he refused to sign a contract. The Celtics decided to trade Barry’s rights and the shooting guard went to Milwaukee.
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant was selected by the Charlotte Hornets 13th overall in 1996. His rights were traded to the Lakers for Vlade Divac.
Vince Carter
Vince Carter was drafted fifth overall in 1998 by the Golden State Warriors, who traded him to the Toronto Raptors for Antawn Jamison.
Steve Francis
Steve Francis was drafted second overall by Vancouver in 1999. He refused to report to the team. The Grizzlies didn’t have any other choice and traded him to the Houston Rockets before the 1999-00 season in a three-team deal.
Pau Gasol
Selecting third overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001 draft, Pau Gasol was instead traded soon after the choice to the Memphis Grizzlies along with Lorenzen Wright and Brevin Knight in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi Leonard was drafted by the Indiana Pacers 15th overall in 2011. Leonard never had the chance to play for the Pacers because he was traded the night he was drafted for George Hill, who played for the Pacers between 2011-16.
Kevin Love
Kevin Love was chosen fifth overall in 2008 draft by Memphis, which sent him to Minnesota for O.J. Mayo.
Stephon Marbury
The Milwaukee Bucks seemed to have their star guard in Stephon Marbury after selecting him with the fourth overall pick in 1996. However, Marbury was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves right after he was chosen, for the rights to Ray Allen.
Dirk Nowitzki
Milwaukee selected Dirk Nowitzki ninth in 1998. Before Nowitzki had a chance to try on his jersey, he and Pat Garrity were traded to Dallas for Robert Traylor, who averaged 4.8 points per game in a six-year career.
Billy Owens
As a 6-foot-8 small forward/shooting guard from Syracuse, Billy Owens (pictured, left) was selected by the Sacramento Kings in 1991. However, after Owens remained a holdout beyond the start of the regular season, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for high-scoring guard Mitch Richmond.
Scottie Pippen
At the 1987 NBA draft, the Sonics traded Scottie Pippen, who they had selected with the fifth overall pick, to the Chicago Bulls for Olden Polynice and future draft picks. The Bulls got a Hall of Famer for Polynice, who averaged seven points per game in his career.
Bill Russell
Boston had the No. 3 selection in 1956, but wanted Bill Russell. St. Louis, at No. 2, took Russell, and then traded him to Boston for Ed McCauley and Cliff Hagan for Russell. McCauley went on to have a Hall of Fame career. Russell, though, won 11 championships, five MVP awards and was a 12-time All-star.
Kiki Vandweghe
Kiki Vandeweghe was drafted 11th overall in 1980 by the Dallas Mavericks, but refused to play for Dallas and demanded a trade. He got his wish and was traded to Denver on Dec. 3 of that year.
Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins was taken first overall in 2014 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He never played for them, being traded weeks after when LeBron James returned to the Cavaliers. Wiggins went to Minnesota in a deal for Kevin Love.
Dominique Wilkins
Dominique Wilkins was drafted by Utah third overall in the 1982 NBA Draft. However, Wilkins was not willing to play in Utah. At the same time, the Jazz were reeling from cash flow problems. As a result, the Jazz traded Wilkins to the Atlanta Hawks several months after the draft for John Drew, Freeman Williams and $1 million in cash.
NFL: Cornelius Bennett
Cornelius Bennett was the second overall pick in the 1987 draft, was considered the best linebacker in his class. The Colts’ efforts to sign him failed. On Halloween, the Colts, Bills and Rams agreed on one of the most massive trades in NFL history. It involved four players and six total draft picks. Cornelius Bennett wound up in Buffalo, and Eric Dickerson, in a holdout of his own, came to Indianapolis.
Bruce Clark
The Green Bay Packers selected Bruce Clark, a Penn State defensive end, with the fourth pick in 1980. Clark decided to play for Toronto in the CFL, which lasted a pair of seasons. The Packers eventually traded his rights to the New Orleans Saints. He earned a Pro Bowl spot with 10.5 sacks in the 1984 season. Clark spent one year in Kansas City after his seven with New Orleans.
Tom Cousineau
The Bills traded O.J. Simpson to the 49ers in March of 1978 for five draft picks over the next three drafts, including what turned out to be the No. 1 selection in 1979. With that pick, Buffalo selected Ohio State linebacker Tom Cousineau. He took more money to play with the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL. Cousineau wished to return to the NFL after three years. The Houston Oilers gave him a three-year $1.5 million deal. Buffalo still owned the rights and matched Houston’s offer sheet. The front office then shipped the linebacker to the Browns for future draft picks.
Ernie Davis
Washington took Ernie Davis, a Syracuse running phenom and 1961 Heisman Trophy winner, with the first overall pick, in the 1962 draft. Davis refused to play for the organization. The team traded him to the Browns for another African American halfback, Bobby Mitchell. Together with Jim Brown, Ernie Davis had the potential to form the most lethal backfield in football history. Sadly, he fell ill. Davis began experiencing nosebleeds, sluggishness and swollen glands. Doctors diagnosed him with an incurable case of leukemia. He succumbed to the disease in 1963.
John Elway
The 1983 NFL Draft saw the Baltimore Colts draft John Elway, who wanted no part of the franchise. Elway held a news conference and declared his intention of playing baseball for the New York Yankees. The Colts couldn’t afford to call his bluff. They sent the future Hall of Famer to Denver in exchange for OL Chris Hinton, QB Mark Hermann, and a future pick, which the team used to draft OL Ron Solt.
Rich Gannon
The New England Patriots drafted Rich Gannon in the fourth round in 1987. The Pats planned to use Gannon, from Delaware, at a position other than quarterback. Gannon refused to report to mini-camp. The Patriots responded by trading him to the Minnesota Vikings.
Bo Jackson
Tampa Bay had the No. 1 pick in the 1986 draft and selected Bo Jackson against his wishes. Jackson never came close to signing. He played baseball for the Kansas City Royals, instead. The Raiders took a chance and drafted Bo Jackson in the seventh round of the next year’s draft. Al Davis convinced him to play football (in-between baseball) for Los Angeles.
Eli Manning
The Chargers selected Eli Manning first overall in 2004 and he pulled an Elway, saying he did not want to play for them. The Bolts gave in to his demand and sent him to the New York Giants for fourth overall pick Philip Rivers, the Giants’ third-round pick in 2004 along with their first and fifth-round selections in the 2005 draft.
Philip Rivers
See Manning, Eli.
Kelly Stouffer
The St. Louis Cardinals selected Kelly Stouffer with the sixth pick in 1987. Stouffer hoped for a four-year, $3.2 million deal while the Cardinals were only willing to offer $2.8 over five years. Instead of settling for less, Stouffer chose to sit out the entire season. St. Louis eventually traded his rights to Seattle two days before the ’88 draft.
