10 biggest North Carolina basketball NBA Draft busts of all time

North Carolina basketball NBA Draft bust No. 6: Brandan Wright (2007: Round 1 Pick 8)

After brilliant work during his younger days in Tennessee, Brandan Wright made his way to Chapel Hill back in 2006 and was a significant figure in the Tar Heels’ frontcourt. One of the top recruits in the nation, he’d spent just a single season at North Carolina, but it was quite the season.

He’d average 14.7 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, winning ACC Rookie of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP, and leading the conference in field goal percentage. Wright declared for the draft after his freshman season.

Wright had the intangibles for professional success and became the 8th pick of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, though he was soon traded to the Golden State Warriors. Wright would spend over a decade in the NBA but never developed into the type of player many expected from this 5-star recruit.

Wright put up decent numbers early with the Warriors but missed an entire season with a shoulder injury and would bounce around for the rest of his career. He spent a significant chunk of time in Dallas, but even then he wasn’t an impact player for the Mavericks.

He certainly wasn’t the biggest bust in 2007 (Greg Oden was 1st overall), but Joakim Noah was selected right after Wright and he certainly had a much more impactful NBA career. Wright stuck around for a number of years but never became that impactful weapon that many expected earlier in his basketball career. He was dynamic in that one year for the Tar Heels but just didn’t find his way in the NBA.