The worst trade in the Milwaukee Bucks' NBA Draft history

What trade sent shockwaves through the Milwaukee Bucks, and why will it always be remembered for all the wrong reasons?

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Every team in the NBA has, at some point or another, made a head-scratching move. As advanced analytics and the scouting of college players have become more complex, luck or lack of it still plays a role in the draft. The Milwaukee Bucks were no exception to this when they made one of the biggest blunders in NBA Draft history.

Trading away Dirk Nowitzki for Robert “Tractor” Traylor

The appeal to acquire Robert “Tractor” Traylor was there. After all, the former Michigan Wolverines star averaged a robust double-double in his final year playing college ball, averaging 16.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

In contrast, Dirk was a relatively unknown player from Wurzburg, Germany. And so, the Bucks pulled the trigger on a draft-day trade that sent Traylor—who was selected sixth overall by the Dallas Mavericks—to Milwaukee in exchange for the draft rights to Dirk—who was picked ninth by the Bucks—and forward Pat Garrity.

Biggest mistake in Bucks history?

Traylor struggled with weight and heart issues, playing just seven seasons in the NBA and averaging 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He eventually passed away in 2011 at the young age of 34 due to a heart attack in Puerto Rico, where he was playing at the time.

Meanwhile, Dirk would go on to become one of the greatest players in league history. He would go on to have a distinguished 21-year career where he was an All-Star 14 times, a member of the All-NBA team 12 times, a league and Finals MVP, and an NBA champion in 2011. Dirk finished his career with averages of 20.7 points and 7.5 rebounds, along the way redefining the power forward position as a deadly outside shooter.

Given these outcomes, it's safe to say that acquiring Traylor at the expense of Nowitzki was one of the biggest mistakes in Bucks history. The team could have had two future Hall of Famers on their roster at the same time and, who knows, maybe even some championships if they had taken Dirk instead.