NBA Draft: Every NBA team’s worst draft pick
By David Rouben
28. Oklahoma City Thunder – Cole Aldrich (2010)
It wasn’t so much the pick itself, which was actually made by the New Orleans Hornets, but the trade to get him that makes this a bust. The Thunder gave up Quincy Pondexter, Eric Bledsoe, and Craig Brackins for the 11th overall pick. When you give up that much for a prospect, then you’d better put a lot of faith into him. But Aldrich spent more time in the D-League than in Oklahoma City for the two seasons that he was there.
He could’ve provided a decent backup option to Kendrick Perkins, but they had more faith in 33-year-old Nazr Mohammed to fill that role. It’s not like Aldrich was a terrible player – in college, he flourished in his sophomore year, grabbing the first triple-double in Kansas Jayhawks history while averaging a double-double throughout most of the season. They also could’ve easily picked Hassan Whiteside, but everybody slept on him. Even the Raptors let go of him in Summer League, keeping Greg Stiemsma instead.
But letting go of Bledsoe and Pondexter, two players who have flourished on different teams, could’ve played significant roles in subsequent playoff runs – at least more so than the cup of coffee Cole Aldrich had while he was there. We’ll never know where OKC would be had they held onto those two.
Next: 27: Boston Celtics