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When people think of blowing the draft, Portland usually comes up. First they picked LaRue Martin #1 in 1972 when Bob McAdoo and Julius Erving were available.
Later, Portland wanted a big man and took the injury-plagued Sam Bowie ahead of Michael Jordan.
Finally, Greg Oden was the #1 pick in the 2007 draft but his career was stopped cold by injuries, which was really a shame because he could have been great.
In years to come, people are going to add Atlanta and the draft night trade of Luka Dončić to the list.
When he was drafted in 2018, Atlanta had the third pick, following Phoenix and Sacramento, both of whom followed traditional thinking and picked big. Phoenix picked Deandre Ayton out of Arizona and Sacramento picked Duke’s Marvin Bagley.
Dallas had the fifth pick and traded up to get Dončić, sending Atlanta Trae Young and giving up a pick in the 2019 draft that the Hawks used on Cam Reddish.
Things have worked out okay for Atlanta, which is almost certain to make the playoffs, but Dončić has turned into a major star who is drawing comparisons with Larry Bird.
Take Wednesday night’s game against Memphis. With the game on the line and 1.8 left on the clock, Grayson Allen inexplicably didn’t follow Dončić out and when he got the ball, he did something that’s hard to describe, so if you haven't’ seen it, take a look. It’s a spectacular game-winning play.