Though the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame does not include any players drafted and developed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, there have been numerous memorable names in the NBA drafted by the Land. Additionally, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are undeniably guaranteed to enter the Hall of Fame after their careers conclude.
For every one Mark Price or LeBron James, though, the Cavaliers have had plenty more draft choices that for one reason or another did not work out. Drafting the right talent is no easy feat for any team’s scouting department. The type of player that succeeds in the NBA is far separate from any other level of play. The best collegiate basketball talents might be nothing more than an end of rotation guy in the Association.
What makes a player a draft bust is different than a player simply not having a 15-year NBA career. A draft bust has to have relatively high expectations entering the league and never come close to those draft day comparisons. A bust is usually reserved for prospects taken in the first 10 selections, though any selection in the first round is expected at least to become a rotational piece in the NBA.
Since the 2000 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers have had their fair share of misses over the years. While Cleveland drafted hidden gems in the second round such as Carlos Boozer and Danny Green, other lottery picks have led to frustrating results and underwhelming seasons.
These 10 players came to the Cavaliers with serious potential but quickly faded into obscurity. Since 2000, they are the biggest busts in Cleveland.
Cleveland Cavaliers draft busts Nos. 10-8
10. Shannon Brown, 2006 – Rd 1, Pick 25
While draft busts are usually reserved for lottery picks, Shannon Brown drew comparisons to Gilbert Arenas as an incredible athlete in every category. Brown ended up having a 12-year career, averaging 7.6 points and 1.1 assists per game. Though Brown managed to last in the Association for more than a decade, he undoubtedly fell short from the expectations. The Cavaliers gave up on Brown’s development and traded him in his second season, sending him to Chicago where he began jumping to a different team constantly.
9. J.J. Hickson, 2009 – Rd 1, Pick 19
J.J. Hickson was another failed draft prospect that departed Cleveland relatively fast. In the 2009 Draft, Hickson was viewed as a steady defender with a versatile offensive game that was continually improving. His sturdy 6-foot-9 frame gave Hickson a physical advantage among his peers, and his supposed upside made him an ideal target for the Cavaliers in the middle of the first round.
Unfortunately, Hickson could not stay consistent enough to impress coaches. Hickson was traded to the Sacramento Kings in 2012 due to his frustrating inconsistencies, but Hickson’s career never found stable footing in the NBA. His replacement was already in Cleveland, as well, in the form of longtime Cavalier and key contributor in the 2016 NBA Finals run Tristan Thompson. In the summer of 2016, Hickson left the NBA to play professional basketball overseas.
8. Sergey Karasev, 2013 – Rd 1, Pick 19
Drafted in the middle of a dark, unimpressive era of Cavaliers basketball, Sergey Karasev became a one-year experiment in Cleveland. He was not viewed as an upcoming legend of the game, but after averaging only 1.7 points and less than one rebound per game, Karasev’s Cavaliers tenure ended abruptly after his rookie season, playing for Brooklyn two more years until he was entirely out of the NBA.
There is little comment to offer to Karasev’s career, as he never had any real moments to define his career one way or another. He was not a lottery pick or highly sought after prospect, so a short career is nothing jaw dropping. His inability to perform at any level on two franchises desperate for any breath of life suggests that Karasev was not fit for the NBA’s style of basketball, unfortunately.
7. Dylan Windler, 2019 – Rd 1, Pick 26
Dylan Windler may be the biggest “What If” selection in the modern Cavaliers era. Windler has all the makings of a prototypical, high value 3-and-D forward. Sadly, his career was immediately sidelined by recurring injuries, leaving Windler only to appear in a total of 84 NBA games spanning over three seasons. When he did manage to step on the court, his potential and talent was undeniably present. His shooting was solid, and his defense was above average.
But, whether or not Windler can reach his potential will probably never be realized. This past offseason, the Cavaliers did not extend a qualifying offer to Windler, and no NBA team has offered him a full NBA deal. He did sign a non-guaranteed two-way contract with the New York Knicks eventually, though he is unlikely to spend much time outside of the G-League.
6. DeSagana Diop, 2001 – Rd 1, Pick 8
DeSagana Diop may have the most confusing career on this list. Selected in the top 10, Diop never became more than a last man on the roster. Over his 12-year career, Diop averaged 2 points, 3.7 rebounds, and shot 46.7 percent from the free throw line. His career high points average was 2.9 on 16.4 minutes per game in the 2007-08 season. Even with his disappointing numbers, Diop managed to stick around in the Association for over a decade, albeit on small contracts with half a dozen rosters. Staying in the NBA at all, however, is something many others on this list could not accomplish.
The 7-foot center could not contend in the league at all, and the Cavaliers surely regret the selection, considering the amount of incredible talent selected after him. Zach Randolph, Gerald Wallace, Tony Parker, and Gilbert Arenas were all still available when Cleveland chose Diop. Only in dreams can the world consider what would have transpired for the Cavaliers if they had chosen Tony Parker only to draft LeBron James two years later. The missed potential not only for Diop, but the entire franchise, makes for a horribly depressing thought.
5. Christian Eyenga, 2009 – Rd 1, Pick 30
Following a similar thread with many others, Christian Eyenga entered the NBA nearly as quickly as he exited. Eyenga was not considered a fully realized prospect in 2009, but his defensive prowess as a quick shot blocker and decent offense made Eyenga an eye-catching prospect to pair alongside LeBron James. At this point, the Cavaliers were consistently competing with the top teams in the East in the playoffs. They were unlikely to find a second star in the latter parts of the draft, but they failed even to find a steady role player most times.
Once again, the Cavaliers could have done much better in the draft but made mistakes. Other than Patrick Beverly, there were not many options in the draft decidedly better that the Cavaliers skipped. They did, however, draft eventual three-time NBA champion Danny Green in the second round only to trade him near instantly. The constant blunders by Cleveland in the first LeBron era makes it no wonder that he eventually left.
4. Dajuan Wagner, 2002 – Rd 1, Pick 6
Dajuan Wagner entered the 2002 NBA Draft after a terrific college season in Memphis, averaging 21.9 points per game. The young shooting guard was praised for his athleticism and offensive potential, even with his shot selection and 3-point consistency needing work. As a team struggling to find any real success, the Cavaliers chose Wagner sixth overall only to see his career quickly fall apart due to injury and health problems.
Wagner never played more than 47 games in a season and only averaged more than 10 points per game in his rookie season. In the 2004-05 season, Wagner appeared in only 11 games. Falling sick and missing the entire next season, he never returned to Cleveland. While Wagner was a bust, the causes of his short NBA career were not entirely under his control.
3. Luke Jackson, 2004 – Rd 1, Pick 10
One year after drafting the 2003-04 Rookie of the Year in LeBron James, the Cavaliers had another top 10 pick and selected Luke Jackson out of Oregon. Jackson was expected to be an instant 3-point threat in the NBA. Paired alongside another rising star forward, he was expected to thrive in Cleveland. Jackson entered the 2004 NBA Draft after a full collegiate career, scoring 21.4 points per game in his final season.
ESPN viewed Jackson as a fantastic passer at the forward position, but his defensive weaknesses did not go unnoticed. The hope was that his offensive versatility and shooting would make up for his failures. Unfortunately, he never met these expectations. Jackson shot a career 36 percent from deep on very low volume, and Jackson fizzled out of the league after only four seasons.
Cleveland’s failure with Jackson was an early mistake in their flawed attempts to build around LeBron in his early years.
2. Dion Waiters, 2012 – Rd 1, Pick 4
Shortly after LeBron’s first departure from Cleveland, the Cavs selected another future All-Star in Kyrie Irving first overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. His talent was instantly realized, and Irving looked to be the perfect leader for the next era in Cavaliers basketball. The mission then shifted to finding his running mate.
In the following draft, the Cavaliers took another short guard at fourth overall in Dion Waiters. Did Waiters project to become a future Hall of Fame small shooting guard like Dwyane Wade, at least? No. Waiters was clearly a role player, while other future stars such as Damian Lillard (sixth overall) and Draymond Green (35th overall) were still available. Obviously, hindsight is not present in the moment, and the heights which other prospects would reach could not be predicted then.
Waiters was not a horrendous NBA player and did succeed as a journeyman for a while. In Cleveland, though, his pairing next to Irving was clunky and hurt the team the following season more than it helped. Waiters was traded to the OKC Thunder in his third season, making him another failed prospect.
What makes Waiters worse than others ranked lower is how early he was selected and the fact scouts already recognized his lower ceiling than others in the draft. It was a poor decision by the Cavaliers that was easily avoidable.
Finally, the Cavs might have the worst draft bust of the 21st century only one year later. Perhaps selecting a better option than Waiters could have prevented this.
1. Anthony Bennett – 2013 – Rd 1, Pick 1
The vast majority of NBA fans, especially Cavs fans, would have easily predicted this final selection. Coming out of UNLV, Bennett had tremendous athleticism and seemed primed to endure the physical play of the NBA. Bennett dropped 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game at UNLV, and the Cavaliers were excited to select him first overall as a forward pairing with Irving and Waiters.
In Summer League, Bennett looked like he was going to change the trajectory for the club. An instant success, SB Nation compared Bennett’s ceiling to NBA legend Larry Bird. The level of hype surrounding Bennett was reminiscent of LeBron James, something that surely enticed the Cavaliers. Their choice to draft Bennett was justified, especially by his domination in Summer League.
Everything quickly went downhill once opening night arrived. Bennett was still shocking, but in polar opposite fashion. On opening night against the Brooklyn Nets, Bennett logged only 15 minutes off the bench, going 0-of-5 from the field. He ended with two points scored from four free throw attempts. That season, Bennett’s confidence seemed to disappear. He averaged 4.2 points and shot 35.6 percent from the field (24.5 percent from 3-point range).
Like his predecessors, the Cavaliers gave up on Bennett after one season, sending him to Minnesota in an attempt to erase him from their memories. After one season in Minnesota, Bennett spent a year with Toronto, a year with Brooklyn, and then left the NBA after four seasons.
As aforementioned, for every LeBron James or Kyrie Irving, the Cavs draft a fair share of busts. Bennett’s career was an indicator that hype does not always translate, and his story might be the definitive example of an NBA bust.
In recent years, the Cavaliers have done much better in the draft, drafting Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. No front office will be perfect in draft predictions, making every success story that much more memorable and worthy of appreciation.