Top 10 Draft-night blunders in Utah Jazz history
By Ryan Aston
3) The Dominique Wilkins Debacle (1982)
Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins is a bona fide Hall of Famer and was one of the most electrifying scorers and impressive dunkers in NBA history. However, he spurned the Jazz while on his path to superstardom.
Back in ’82, the Jazz had some solid pieces in Adrian Dantley, Rickey Green and Darrell Griffith. On the whole, though, they were still one of the worst teams in the league, earning the No. 3 pick in that year’s draft as a result.
They went with Wilkins, a can’t-miss prospect from the Georgia Bulldogs. The only problem there is that he had no desire to play for the franchise. Later that summer, the Jazz dealt Wilkins to the Hawks for cash, John Drew and Freeman Williams.
It remains one of the most lopsided trades in league history. Williams played just 18 games in a Jazz uniform, while Drew called it quits three years later.