Milwaukee Bucks (2013-14, 15-67, -8.41 SRS)
The 2013-14 Milwaukee Bucks didn’t know they had a future superstar on their hands with rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo but what they did know is they had the worst team in their franchise’s history.
Milwaukee had a horrendous year in head coach Larry Drew’s one and only season at the helm. The Bucks coupled a league-worst defensive rating with a bottom half offensive rating, a bad recipe for any team. After finishing a respectable 38-44 the prior year, things fell apart fast in Milwaukee.
In the offseason, Milwaukee looked to re-tool their roster bringing in players like O.J. Mayo, Gary Neal and Zaza Pachulia.
Monta Ellis—acquired from Golden State for Andrew Bogut—opted out of the final year of his contract while emerging scorer Brandon Jennings was sent to the Detroit Pistons for Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton.
Breakout performer Larry Sanders was rewarded with a huge new contract and Caron Butler was brought in to add a veteran presence. The revamped roster looked great on paper.
Then the games started.
The Bucks started out flat and things got worse in a hurry. In December, Sanders was sidelined for 25 games after hurting his thumb in a nightclub altercation. Mayo appeared in a career-low 53 games due to issues with his conditioning. In February as things had spiraled out of control, Butler was bought out.
Middleton and Antenekompo emerged as potential building blocks for the future but 2013-14 was quickly a lost year. Ultimately, Milwaukee finished the season a franchise-worst 15-67.