NBA Draft 2024: 10 biggest lottery "busts" from the past 10 years

1. Dragan Bender – Phoenix Suns (2016: Pick 4)

Although originally born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bender moved to Croatia at a young age and played in the Croatian league early in his life. His size and talent developed after beginning his pro career as a teenager, developing into a widely-known NBA prospect just a few years later. The 7-footer was considered one of the top available pieces in the 2016 NBA Draft but it wouldn’t be the storybook that was anticipated.

Bender was the 4th pick of that draft and was taken by the Phoenix Suns. Though he was seen as a talent big man and shooter, he never developed into a solid NBA player. He’d spent three years with the Suns and just didn’t take that step forward, hitting a ceiling of 6.5 points per game in year two. He would then split time in Milwaukee and Golden State but was out of the NBA by 2020 after just 187 career games and barely 1000 career points.

There’s no shortage of better players that the Suns could have drafted in 2016, with both Buddy Hield and Jamal Murray taken just a few picks later and having outstanding NBA careers. Bender is seen as one of the biggest NBA Draft busts in recent memory and just couldn’t catch on at basketball’s biggest level. Injuries have cost him several games and even this past season, but it’s still very disappointing to see this young talent fail to live up to those sky-high expectations.

Was there somebody else from the past decade that was a bigger bust or more disappointing of a draft pick? There were other names considered, but we’ve identified those players with short-lived careers or minimal impact whose selections were among the biggest mistakes since 2014. Will any team repeat this kind of history in 2024?