5 times the Chicago Bulls missed on a superstar in the NBA Draft

The Milwaukee Bucks weren’t actually the team to originally pick the former Texas A&M Aggies 6-foot-7 shooting guard/small forward and Charleston, SC, native Khris Middleton in the 2012 NBA Draft. Middleton was a sleeper second round pick of the Detroit Pistons (39th overall). He didn’t rise to prominence immediately.

But after the Pistons traded Middleton to their divisional foe, the Bucks, in 2013, his career would take off. The trade would also wind up being very one sided toward the Bucks to help them assemble their current core between Middleton and the 2018-19 NBA MVP winner and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Middleton was traded for a return that mainly included point guard Brandon Knight. Oh how that was a mistake for the Pistons.

Up to this point, Middleton is a two-time NBA All-Star selection. There are likely to be many more All-Star selection on the way for Middleton. So far this season, Middleton is averaging 21.1 points per game, 6.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 0.9 steals, while shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 41.8 percent from beyond the arc.

In the 2012 NBA Draft, the Bulls wound up selecting former Kentucky Wildcats point guard Marquis Teague with the 29th overall pick. There was a legitimate chance for them to draft Middleton (who would be selected less than 10 picks later). Teague would wind up finishing his NBA career with -0.9 win shares compared to 38.3 thus far for Middleton.