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The NBA Draft is always unpredictable, and the 2012 draft has shown to be no different. Although the number one pick, Anthony Davis, has gone on to fulfill his potential as the most talented player in the draft class, many other lottery picks ended up flopping with other late picks ending up as All-Stars.
Recently, we took a look at four teams who would love to change their choices in the 2017 NBA Draft which you can check out here. But now moving back to the 2012 draft, we look at three teams who would love to pick again.
#3 Brooklyn Nets
Before the Brooklyn Nets somehow managed to secure the signings of two elite players in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they were often the laughing stock of the league. Looking back in hindsight the then-New Jersey Nets had potential to draft two future All-NBA players in the 2012 NBA Draft but instead, they traded them away for minimal assets back.
On March 15, 2012, the New Jersey Nets gave up Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and the pick which would eventuate into the 6th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, Damian Lillard, in exchange for Gerald Wallace. Once an All-Star caliber player, Wallace was getting old at that point in his career. He would end up injured, only managing 16 games in his first season with the Nets, before moving on to Boston after two seasons.
It is no secret that Damian Lillard has become an incredible player, and one of the top point guards in the NBA today, most recently making the All-NBA First Team and hitting one of the craziest game-winners in playoff history. Lillard has been the face of the franchise for years now, helping them reach the playoffs for the past six years, and most recently leading them to the Western Conference Finals.
For a team that was dying for an elite point guard to run their offense for much of the 2010s, this is definitely a move the Brooklyn Nets wish they hadn't made.
#2 Brooklyn Nets, again
The next move could've not only changed the destiny of the New Jersey Nets, but NBA fans could have also potentially missed out on the Golden State Warriors dynasty.
The New Jersey Nets gave up Troy Murphy and the pick for Draymond Green in exchange for Brandon Wright and Dan Gadzuric. While Brandon Wright went to move on from the Nets after just one season and 16 games, Draymond Green fought his way into the Golden State starting lineup to become one of the integral pieces in an incredibly dominant dynasty.
The Nets gave up a future Defensive Player of the Year and 3-time champion in Draymond Green for basically nothing. While nobody could have possibly predicted what Draymond Green, the 35th pick, would eventually become, there is no doubt that if the Nets had their time over, there is no chance they would willingly make this move.
#1 Charlotte Hornets
Pick 2: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (SF)
Pick 3: Bradley Beal (SG)
The Charlotte Hornets have unfortunately been largely irrelevant for most of their history, and have never quite been able to build a contending team despite many high-end first-round draft picks.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist never quite lived up to the hype, only averaging over 10 points per game twice with one of them being in the 2015-16 season where he only managed 7 games due to injury. While he has still managed to be involved in the past 7 seasons with the Hornets, he has now been reduced to a bench role only starting 3 of his 64 games played last season.
On the other hand, just a pick later, the Hornets could have had Bradley Beal. Beal is a multiple-time All-Star and the perfect two-way guard that could fit in any team.
Although the Washington Wizards have failed to find success with Beal leading the team thanks to a horrible injury to John Wall, perhaps if the Hornets had picked up Beal over Kidd-Gilchrist he could have built a winning relationship with longtime Charlotte player Kemba Walker. This could have also prevented Kemba from leaving for the Boston Celtics.
Guess the Lakers players!
