30. Jimmy Butler (2011)
After three solid years at Marquette, Butler was taken by the Bulls with the last pick of the first round. He quickly became a star for the Bulls, and has averaged greater than 20 points in four of the last five seasons. Butler has twice since requested trades, bouncing to the Timberwolves and 76ers and is currently part of a young core that could have the Sixers as playoff contenders for years to come. A four-time All-Star, he stands out as the Bulls best draft pick of the decade, even if his time with the franchise came to a sudden end.
Nearly every player drafted after Butler hasn’t amounted to much in the NBA, with Isaiah Thomas the only later pick that has made an All Star team. The Bulls grabbed Butler over names like Kyle Singler, Shelvin Mack, and Justin Harper, who all went within the next few picks. There were some solid players taken early in 2011, but the Bulls decision to grab and develop Butler into a star athlete is one of the franchise’s few bright spots in the last ten years.
Honorable mentions: David Lee (NYK – 2005), Anderson Varejao (ORL – 2004)
29. Josh Howard (2003)
There haven’t been an overwhelming amount of success stories with the 29th pick, but the Mavericks selection of Howard in 2003 is the real standout. Howard was an All-Star in 2007 and was a solid scorer during this six and a half seasons in Dallas. He averaged a career high 19.9 ppg during the 2007-08 season. The former Wake Forest standout ended his NBA career with brief stints with the Wizards, Jazz, and Timberwolves. He wasn’t a double-double machine and he didn’t hit a lot of outside shots, but he was a very serviceable scorer for the Mavericks, though he wasn’t still around for their title run in 2011.
Current Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton was taken just three picks after Howard, but it’s clear that the Mavericks made a wise selection. Names like Maciej Lampe, Jason Kapono, and Jerome Beasley never amounted to as much success in the NBA. He was the last forward taken in the 2003 Draft that made an All-Star team.