Source: Players, team members and other participants gather to attend the NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago, Illinois, United States on May 12, 2025. (Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images)
With the 2025 NBA Draft‘s order settled, the Houston Rockets will be picking 10th overall in the upcoming draft’s first night on June 25. The Rockets got the pick from a June 25, 2024 trade with the Brooklyn Nets, who received the pick from the Phoenix Suns as part of a four-team, Kevin Durant-centered trade on Feb. 9, 2023.
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The 10th overall pick is toward the back of a lottery, where depending on the draft class in recent years, NBA teams have found some diamonds in the rough. NBA stars like Joe Johnson, Paul George and Paul Pierce have all gone at No. 10. However, the 10th pick has show to be a mixed bag more times than not. The spot has offered several players that hang around the NBA for a decade or more, but has also been a position where teams have taken players that turned out to be major busts.
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In the spirit of the Rocket’s draft position, the first time the team has picked here, we’ve ranked the last 30 NBA 10th-overall picks, from Kurt Thomas in 1995 to Cody Williams in 2024:
1. Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics – 1998
The greatest player to be taken with the 10th pick, Paul Pierce went on to spend most of his 19-year career with the Boston Celtics. The 10-time All Star won the 2008 Finals MVP Award in 2008 after a 4-2 series win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He was a member of the infamous 2013 offseason trade with the Celtics and Nets, with the effects of the trade still benefitting the Celtics and hurting the Nets to this day. He finished out his career as a member of the Nets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers.
2. Paul George – Indiana Pacers – 2010
The sole remaining member of the 2010 NBA Draft Class, Paul George has been one of the NBA’s biggest names of the last 1o years. After wining the Most Improved Player award in 2013, George led the Pacers to a deep postseason run in 2014, falling to the Miami Heat 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals. After a gruesome leg injuring while a member of the Team USA’s 2014 FIBA World Cup team, George returned to superstar form. He wound up third in MVP voting in 2019 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and has since gone on to play with the Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers.
3. Joe Johnson – Boston Celtics – 2001
“ISO” Joe Johnson spent a little over half a season with the Celtics before he was traded to the Suns during his rookie year. He spent the next few seasons in Phoenix developing into a solid role player before blessing into a star with the Atlanta Hawks. He was selected to six All-Star teams in his seven seasons with the Hawks, before making one more All-Star appearance with the Nets as his prime years wound down. He bounced around the league for a few years before finishing the 2017-18 season with the Rockets. He returned to the NBA during the 2021-22 season for one game with the Celtics, scoring a pair of points at the age of 40.
4. Brook Lopez – New Jersey Nets – 2008
Former All Star Brook Lopez has carved out a steady career as a major defensive presence after years spent as the centerpiece of some average Nets teams. In an era where many early 2010s centers fell out of the league before the decade was over, as teams began to heavily favor bigs that could shoot and smaller lineups, Lopez developed a respectable three-point shot and a focus on rim protection. He’s spent the past seven seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, where he won a title in 2021.
5. Caron Butler – Miami Heat – 2002
Caron Butler, a two-time All Star, had a respectable NBA career as a complimentary scorer and solid defender. Part of the trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal to Miami, Butler spent one season with the Lakers before heading to the Washington Wizards where he spent the prime years of his career. He was traded to the Dallas Mavericks during the 2009-10 season, and was part of the championship-winning 2010-11 Mavericks team. However, Butler didn’t play for the team in the Playoffs, as the forward ruptured his patellar tendon and dislocated his kneecap in January of 2011. He went on to play for the Clippers, Bucks, Thunder and Sacramento Kings, last playing during the 2015-16 season.
6. Jason Terry – Atlanta Hawks – 1999
Jason Terry carved a role for himself in the NBA as an All Star-level player that thrived as the first man off the bench. He joined the Mavericks in 2004 after five seasons in Atlanta, winning Sixth Man of the Year in 2009. He was a major contributor in Dallas’ quest for a championship in 2011. He finished out his career in 2018 after playing with the Celtics, Nets, Rockets and Bucks.
7. CJ McCollum – Portland Trail Blazers – 2013
When Damian Lillard took the reins of the Portland Trail Blazer franchise in 2015, CJ McCollum signed up to play the star point guard’s Robin to his Batman. McCollum won the Most Improved Player award in 2016, and has been a 20-plus ppg player ever since. The All Star-level shooting guard was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2021-22 season to become the franchise’s starting point guard.
8. Mikal Bridges – Philadelphia 76ers – 2018
Drafted by his hometown 76ers, Mikal Bridges was traded away from the team his mother worked for to Phoenix. While the two players he was traded for did very little for the 76ers, Bridges blossomed in Phoenix. He was one of the major pieces that led the Suns back to the playoffs after nearly a decade away, but a devastating loss in the 2021 NBA Finals led to the franchise taking more risks in an effort to “win now.” Despite finishing second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2022, Bridges was traded the following season to the Nets as part of the Kevin Durant trade. His scoring took a major jump in Brooklyn, and was then traded to the New York Knicks in 2024, rejoining several of his Villanova teammates.
9. Andrew Bynum – Los Angeles Lakers – 2005
After playing sparingly during his rookie season, Andrew Bynum secured the starting center role on the Lakers the following season, becoming a major piece in the second Lakers Dynasty of the 2000s. After wining back-to-back titles with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, Bynum made his only All-Star team in 2012. Knee injuries limited his impact on the court, so the Lakers sold high by trading him to the 76ers as part of a four-team trade that landed them Dwight Howard. He didn’t play at all the following season – or at all for Philadelphia. He signed with the Cavaliers in 2013. He was traded to the Bulls in January of 2014 and waived the next day. He finished out his career with the Pacers that same season.
10. Kurt Thomas – Miami Heat – 1995
Kurt Thomas carved out a role as solid starting for most of his 18-year career. A bit of a journey man at times, Thomas started the Finals-bound 1998-99 Knicks. Thomas’ first tenure with the Knicks lasted for seven seasons, after which he mostly bounced around the league. He played with the Heat, Mavericks, Suns, Seattle SuperSonics, San Antonio Spurs, Bucks, Chicago Bulls and Trail Blazers before retiring to the Knicks during the 2012-13 season at the age of 40.
11. Brandon Jennings – Milwaukee Bucks – 2009
Brandon Jennings’ career looked very promising, especially for a young Bucks team at the start of the 2010s. His 55-point performance in his seventh game may be what he’s forever remembered for. After four seasons in Milwaukee, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2013. After a couple seasons with the Pistons, he suffered a career-cisrailing injury, and never returned to form. he was later traded to the Orlando Magic, and rounded out his career with the Knicks and Wizards before playing a final 14 games with the Bucks during the 2018-19 season.
12. Erick Dampier – Indiana Pacers – 1996
Erick Dampier hung around the NBA for a respectable 16-year career, mainly spent with the Golden State Warriors and Mavericks. The center also played with the Pacers, Heat and Hawks.
13. Austin Rivers – New Orleans Hornets – 2012
Having arguably the most legendary high school mixtape ever, Austin Rivers’ growth was likely stunted by coaches in New Orleans. Most of his career was spent coming off the bench. He was controversially traded to the Clippers during the 2014-15 season, coached by his father, Doc Rivers. His best years were spent with the Clippers and Rockets. He also played with the Wizards, Knicks, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
14. Elfrid Payton – Philadelphia 76ers – 2014
Traded on draft night by the 76ers, Elfrid Payton’s career started in Orlando. He’d mainly start for the Magic, before being dealt to the Phoenix Suns in 2018. He’d play for the Pelicans, Knicks and Suns again before falling out of the NBA for a couple seasons. He returned with the Pelicans this past season, highlighted by a 21-assist performance on Nov. 11, 2024. He finished the most recent season with the Charlotte Hornets.
15. Spencer Hawes – Sacramento Kings – 2007
Spencer Hawes spent 10 seasons in the NBA, but for mostly on bad teams. He played with the Sacramento Kings, 76ers, Cavaliers, Clippers, Hornets and Bucks.
16. Keyon Dooling – Orlando Magic – 2000
Traded by the Magic on draft night to the Clippers, Keyon Dooling spent his 13 years in the NBA as a backup point guard. He played with the Clippers, Heat, Magic, Nets, Bucks, Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies.
17. Justise Winslow – Miami Heat – 2015
After a promising rookie campaign with the Miami Heat, Justise Winslow appeared to be an important piece of the team’s future in the wake of the “Big Three” era. A few injuries early in his career seemed to stunt his development, and the Miami Heat traded him away to the Grizzlies in 2020. He played for the Clippers and Trail Blazer as well, before falling out of the NBA after the 2022-23 season. He currently plays for the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League.
18. Cason Wallace – Dallas Mavericks – 2023
Cason Wallace is likely to rise up this list as his career goes on after two seasons in and major playing time on the 68-win Thunder.
19. Danny Fortson – Milwaukee Bucks – 1997
Danny Fortson spent 10 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Warriors and twilight years of the SuperSonics. He also played for the Nuggets, Celtics and Mavericks.
20. Jalen Smith – Phoenix Suns – 2020
Jalen Smith hardly broke into the rotation on the Finals-bound Suns, averaging 5.8 minutes over 27 games in his rookie season. He was sent to the Pacers the following season, where he parts of three seasons as a role player off the bench and occasional starter. He continued this role with the Bulls during the 2024-25 season.
21. Jarvis Hayes – Washington Wizards – 2003
Hailing from the legendary 2003 NBA Draft, Jarvis Hayes’ promising career was impacted by a series of knee injuries. After four injury-plagued years with the Wizards, Hayes went to Detroit. After playing all 82 games with the Pistons in during the 2008-09 season, he finished out his final two seasons with the Nets.
22. Zach Collins – Sacramento Kings – 2017
Traded on draft night to the Trail Blazers, Zach Collins’ tenure there was hampered by injuries. He eventually built up some consistency with the Spurs, but his playing time began to decline in the wake of Victor Wembanyama’s rise to stardom. He was traded to the Bulls this past season.
23. Ziaire Williams – New Orleans Pelicans – 2021
Traded by the Pelicans to the Grizzlies on draft night, Ziaire Williams career has gotten off to a bit of a slow start. The Grizzlies traded him to the Nets during the summer of 2024, where the young forward started 45 games for the Nets.
24. Cam Reddish – Atlanta Hawks – 2019
Part of a legendary Duke rookie class with Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish’s career has been pretty disappointing. The forward never found his footing in Atlanta, and bounced to New York and Portland. He spent the last two seasons with the Lakers, later being waived by the team on March 27.
25. Cody Williams – Utah Jazz – 2024
Too early to tell what direction Cody Williams is headed.
26. Jimmer Fredette – Milwaukee Bucks – 2011
There was a lot of hype surrounding college basketball sensation Jimmer Fredette in 2011, especially for Kings fans who hadn’t experienced the Playoffs since 2006 at that time. The hype died before the end of his rookie season with the Kings, and by 2014 his contract was bought out. He played for the Bulls, Pelicans, Knicks and Suns before retiring from professional basketball in 2025.
27. Thon Maker – Milwaukee Bucks – 2016
Luckily for the Bucks, Maker’s lack of development didn’t’t hamper the franchise for too long, but the center was one of the most disappointing busts of the last 10 years. After two-and-a-half seasons in Milwaukee, he spent parts of the next two in Detroit. He last played for the Cavaliers during the 2020-21 season.
28. Johnny Davis – Washington Wizards – 2022
Johnny Davis going 10th out of Wisconsin puzzled some sports media personalities from the moment the pick was announced. Their doubts have been validated so far, as three years in the guard has yet to carve out a meaningful role on one of the league’s worst teams.
29. Luke Jackson – Cleveland Cavaliers – 2004
Seen as a potential “Scottie Pippen” for LeBron James, Luke Jackson could not have been farther from that lofty expectation. Playing less than a full season’s worth of games over four seasons, Jackson was out of the NBA by 2008.
30. Mouhamed Saer Sene – Seattle SuperSonics – 2006
There are many reasons for why the SuperSonics failed to return to form prior to being stolen out of Seattle, and Mouhamed Saer Sene is certainly part of that. The center played in 47 games over three seasons, 41 with the Sonics.
