NBA Draft: Every NBA team’s worst draft pick

8. Dallas Mavericks – Samaki Walker (1996)

While the Bucks saved the Mavericks from making an awful draft choice in Traylor, they wouldn’t be so lucky with Samaki Walker. By using their ninth overall pick on Walker, they passed up on guys like Peja Stojakovic, Steve Nash, and Kobe Bryant. And to add insult to injury, Walker would later join the Lakers and win a championship with Bryant.

The Mavericks already had a good core in Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson, and Jamal Mashburn (otherwise known as the Three J’s). It’s understandable if they didn’t want to mess with this group, which is why they chose someone as young as Walker. However, the Three J’s weren’t going to last forever, and they should’ve picked someone who could learn under one of them before someday taking their place.

Samaki Walker was thrust into the starting power forward role and immediately proved he wasn’t up to the task. His average of 8.9 points per game and 7.4 rebounds in his second season remained his most productive season, and he mostly filled the role as an injury replacement to top guys. Even in his lone championship-winning season with the Lakers, he was acquired after Horace Grant left and only saw significant time when Shaq got injured. When the team was largely healthy in the playoffs, he only started five of 19 games.

Walker retired from the NBA once the Pacers released him in 2006. He bounced around Russia, Syria, Lebanon, South Korea, and China before finally calling it quits in 2011. Walker could never become a productive player, but as long as he has his ring, he’s not complaining.

Next: 7: Houston Rockets