7 All-Stars Dallas Mavericks painfully passed on in NBA Draft

4. Kobe Bryant and Seth Nash 1996 NBA Draft (13th and 15th overall)

Mavericks selection: Samaki Walker (9th overall)

The Mavs were arguably the worst team in the NBA in the 1990s, and they were searching for answers by 1996. Dallas finished with the sixth-worst record in the league, but they decided to trade back to ninth to add another 1997 first-round pick from the Celtics. Boston took Antoine Walker, who turned into a three-time All-Star and helped Miami win a championship in 2006 over the Mavericks.

Dallas selected Samaki Walker with the ninth pick, and he never averaged more than 25 minutes per game. The draft bust spent just three seasons with the Mavs, where he put up 6.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 17.9 minutes per game. Walker played a decade in the NBA, but he was mostly used as a reserve big man. The 6’9 forward did help the Lakers win a title in 2002.

Dallas Mavericks draft Samaki Walker over two legends in 1996

The 1996 NBA Draft is a historic one with four players from the NBA 75 and 10 future All-Stars taken. Dallas passed on both Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash to take Walker. Bryant was taken 13th overall before being traded to the Lakers. Nash was drafted 15th by the Suns where he was a backup point guard for two years before being traded to Dallas on draft night in 1998.

The Dallas Mavericks would love a do-over of the 1996 draft as five future All-Stars were still on the board when they selected ninth overall.