SALT LAKE CITY**—Entering the heart of NBA Draft season, the Utah Jazz are once again hoping to find the next young face of the franchise while avoiding saddling the franchise with a draft bust.
Though the Jazz have made several excellent draft selections in John Stockton, Karl Malone, Deron Williams, Donovan Mitchell, and Rudy Gobert, they also have their fair share of draft busts.
With no further ado, here are the biggest draft busts in Utah Jazz history.
Utah Jazz Biggest Draft Busts
Kirk Snyder – SF – Nevada – 16th Pick in 2004
Kirk Snyder was the second of two mid-first-round draft picks the Jazz made in 2004, neither of whom lasted long in Utah.
After making the playoffs for 20 straight seasons, the Jazz narrowly missed the postseason in the 2003-04 season, and had the opportunity to transform the franchise with the 14th and 16th picks.
With the 14th pick, the Jazz drafted ill-fated Kris Humphries, who lasted only two years in Utah, which is somehow twice as long as Snyder.
Kirk Snyder jumps over Von Wafer for the dunk! (2006) pic.twitter.com/hWaFaCMT9F
— ThrowbackHoops (@ThrowbackHoops) June 30, 2022
Notorious for failing to read the scouting report, Snyder appeared in just 68 games for the Jazz before he was traded to New Orleans for aging veteran Greg Ostertag.
Snyder would play just three more seasons before legal trouble ended his NBA career.
Notable names drafted after Snyder: Josh Smith, JR Smith, Jameer Nelson, Anderson Varejao, Trevor Ariza.
Curtis Borchardt – C – Stanford – 18th Pick in 2002
With Stockton and Malone entering the final years of their careers, the Jazz needed a new face of the franchise, and when standout Stanford center Curtis Borchardt slipped on draft night, the team jumped at the opportunity to draft him.
Unfortunately, that might be the last time the words Borchardt and jump were used during his Jazz tenure.
The seven-footer struggled with injuries throughout his playing career, and missed his entire first season with the Jazz due to a broken foot.
In total, Borchardt averaged 3.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in 83 appearances for the Jazz before injuries ended his NBA career.
Notable names drafted after Borchardt: Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Matt Barnes.
Udoka Azubuike – Center – Kansas – 27th pick in 2020
It’s difficult to label any player drafted in the last 20s as a bust, but an exception can be made for Udoka Azubuike.
The Jazz entered the 2020 draft with the 23rd overall pick, but traded back to 27, knowing Azubuike was a reach at any point in the first round.
He is no 𝐃𝐎𝐊‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/vCpcno8IdZ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) August 13, 2021
Just days after making a massive reach to select the fourth-year center from Kansas, the Jazz signed Derrick Favors to play backup minutes behind All-Star center Rudy Gobert, essentially eliminating all of Azubuike’s playing time.
Azubuike suffered two significant injuries while playing for the Jazz’s G-League affiliate, and wound up playing just 68 games over three seasons in Utah at a time when the Jazz’s only pathway to improve was through the draft.
Notable names drafted after Azubuike: Jaden McDaniels, Desmond Bane, Isaiah Joe
Luther Wright – Center – Seton Hall – 18th Pick in 1993
With Mark Eaton’s career coming to an end, the Jazz needed a new big man to patrol the paint behind Stockton Malone and looked to Seton Hall center Luther Wright to fill the void.
However, Wright’s tenure in Utah was a true disaster, appearing in just 15 games before a late January arrest led to the end of his career.
Related: The Best Fifth Overall Picks In NBA History
Wright’s ill-fated night began with calls to the police at a hotel where he worked as a part-time DJ, moved to a party at his home where he brandished a gun to a dozen teenagers, before he was eventually arrested at gunpoint after smashing garbage cans and breaking the window of the sedan he was driving.
The Jazz allowed Wright to seek treatment for his issues, but waived the center on the eve of his second season, ending his troubled NBA career.
Notable names drafted after Wright: Ervin Johnson, Sam Cassell, Nick Van Exel
Enes Kanter Freedom – Center – Kentucky – Third Pick in 2011
Though Kanter Freedom wound up having a somewhat productive 11-year career, he was a roaring disappointment in Utah.
After moving up in the draft lottery for the first and only time in franchise history, the Jazz selected the Turkish center in hopes that he’d pair with Derrick Favors to create the frontcourt of the future.
It is good to have Enes Kanter back in town. The Jazz went right at him. pic.twitter.com/yBckDANcMC
— David James (@DavidDJJames) February 27, 2020
Instead, Kanter Freedom’s lackadaisical effort and low basketball IQ led to limited minutes and a public trade request midway through his third season in Utah.
Though he didn’t have the worst career of any player on this list, Kanter Freedom’s failure as a top-three selection was an enormous setback in the Jazz’s rebuild.
Notable names drafted after Kanter: Kemba Walker, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard
Honorable Mention
Morris Almond – SG – Rice – 25th Pick in 2007
With Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer already on the roster, the Jazz needed a go-to third scorer to space the floor, and looked to Rice guard Morris Almond to fill the role.
Despite shooting an outstanding 43 percent from three in college, Almond knocked down just 28 percent of his attempts with the Jazz over two seasons and never carved out a role on either end of the floor.
In total, Almond played a total of 34 games for the Jazz, scoring just 105 points in nearly 300 minutes of basketball.
Notable names drafted after Almond: Aaron Afflalo, Carl Landry, Marc Gasol.
Raul Lopez – PG – Spain – 24th pick in 2001
Knowing they needed to find John Stockton’s replacement, but not wanting to bring a player from Europe over right away, the Jazz selected Raul Lopez late in the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft.
After spending an extra year developing for Real Madrid, Lopez signed with the Jazz, but missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL.
Injuries would continue to plague the talented guard who would play just 113 games during his two-year career with the Jazz.
Notable names drafted after Lopez: Gerald Wallace, Tony Parker, Gilbert Arenas
Dante Exum – PG – Australia – Fifth Pick in 2014
After tanking games in hopes of landing a top pick in the highly touted 2014 draft, the Jazz fell to the fifth selection in the lottery and wound up selecting Dante Exum out of Australia.
Sign up for the new Utah Jazz Notes newsletter! Receive game updates, exclusive analysis and chances to win Jazz tickets.
Exum has salvaged a very respectable NBA career with the Dallas Mavericks, but a bizarre cacophony of injuries and poor intel before the draft led to a disappointing five-year run in Utah.
Notable names drafted after Exum: Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Nikola Jokic
Trey Burke – PG – Michigan – Ninth Pick in 2013
The 2013 NBA Draft was billed as one of the worst in NBA history before Anthony Bennett was selected with the top overall pick, but even by those standards, the Jazz had a rough go in the lottery.
The front office traded the 14th and 21st picks to move up to acquire Trey Burke with the ninth pick after an impressive Final Four run at Michigan.
However, Burke’s size and inefficiency ended his Jazz career after just three seasons.
Notable names drafted after Burke: CJ McCollum, Steven Adams, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect, give us a follow @kslsports .
Download the new & improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. You can stream live radio, video and stay up to date on all of your favorite teams.
Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone . Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.