There’s a reason why a given NBA team has a pick early in the draft. They were either one of the worst teams in the league the preceding year, or they were lucky enough to acquire the draft pick of one of the worst teams in the league that year. Regardless, the lottery is where teams try to take players that will change the fortune of their franchise.
That being said, it is far from a given that teams will make the right decision. For every superstar taken in the lottery, there is also a bust. Here are the five worst draft day decisions since the turn of the century.