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General managers play a huge role in a team's success. They focus on the executive side, with those moves affecting a team's on-court performance. Throughout NBA history, there have been many success stories. However, it's also common to see GMs make their fair share of mistakes that often lead to long-term consequences for a franchise. Here are the 10 worst GMs in NBA history, ranked.
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10. Nico Harrison
Nico Harrison drew a lot of heat for his actions as general manager of the Dallas Mavericks during the 2024-25 season. Of course, the Mavs GM was at the center of the attack after orchestrating a move that led to the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis exchange. Let's also not forget when Harrison opted not to re-sign Jalen Brunson.
Given that Harrison can still right his wrongs, he ranks low on this list. However, the pressure is on for Harrison and the Dallas front office to win a championship, especially after selecting Cooper Flagg with the top overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
9. Sam Hinkie
It wasn't long ago when Sam Hinkie was the general manager for the Philadelphia 76ers that kicked off the Process Era. Hinkie's plan was clear as day, stock up on draft capital for elite young players to get to championships.
But while the Sixers did enjoy some lottery picks, nearly all were disappointing. From the likes of Michael Carter-Williams and Elfrid Payton to Jahlil Okafor, Hinkie instead set the tone for the franchise's lottery pick busts with only Joel Embiid as the lone success story. As a result, it wasn't surprising that Hinkie stepped down after just three seasons.
8. Vlade Divac
Vlade Divac was an All-Star big man back in the day. However, he was a terrible general manager. With the assignment to power the Sacramento Kings back into the playoffs in the midst of a record-breaking absence, Divac made some questionable choices, the biggest of which was drafting Marvin Bagley III with the second overall pick, missing out on the likes of franchise-altering players Luka Doncic and Trae Young.
Bagley eventually fell into the bust category. Another costly move was the hiring of Luke Walton, who wasn't ready to be the head coach of a rebuilding squad.
7. Ernie Grunfeld
For several seasons, the Washington Wizards endured several instances of disaster and mediocrity. Ernie Grunfeld was the general manager of the franchise that put together the chaotic Wizards squad led by Gilbert Arenas, Nick Young, Javaris Crittenton, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee.
After an era of antics and shenanigans, while there was some improvement since the selection of John Wall as the top overall pick, Washington was still not a contender. And the drafting of first rounders Otto Porter Jr. and Troy Brown proved to be the last straw.
6. Rob Babcock
For quite some time, the Toronto Raptors went through some pretty dark times. A lot of that had to do with the actions of Rob Babcock. His first move as GM was drafting Rafael Araujo with the eight overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft. However, the biggest fumble as GM was when he traded franchise star Vince Carter for an underwhelming haul. Under his term, the Raptors posted a lowly win-loss record of 47-78.
5. Stu Jackson
While the Vancouver Grizzlies had their challenges as an expansion team, that wasn't an excuse for Stu Jackson to perform as poorly as he did when he took on the role of GM. The Grizzlies rarely won under his term. His winningest season was in 1999-00, when the team posted 22 wins. He collected only 78 victories across five years.
To make matters worse, his questionable draft choices proved to be his downfall as GM. Jackson selected lottery picks like Antonio Daniels, Mike Bibby, and Steve Francis, who didn't even want to play for the franchise.
4. Isiah Thomas
Isiah Thomas was an excellent player. As the point guard of the Detroit Pistons, he delivered back-to-back NBA titles. However, it was a completely different story when he acted as GM for the New York Knicks. Apart from losing seasons, none bigger than the 59 losses in 2005-06, Thomas also made questionable roster moves, including rewarding Eddy Curry with a $60 million contract extension. But to top it all off, the Basketball Hall of Famer was also engaged in a sexual harassment lawsuit that ended his term.
3. David Kahn
The Minnesota Timberwolves were one of the worst NBA teams when David Kahn was the GM. At the 2009 NBA Draft, the Timberwolves had two lottery picks, either could've been used to select the best shooter in NBA history, Stephen Curry. But instead, the team went with Johnny Flynn and Ricky Rubio, both point guards that never lived up to the hype.
To make matters worse, Kahn even dipped his hands in the blockbuster Carmelo Anthony trade that didn't amount to anything. Throw in some underwhelming roster moves and Minnesota was a horrible franchise without a clear direction during his tenure.
2. Elgin Baylor
The Los Angeles Clippers were terrible, especially under owner Donald Sterling. Coincidentally, the GM at that time was the great basketball legend Elgin Baylor. However, Baylor failed to translate his on-court success into the executive role. Under his watch, the Clippers posted a lowly 619-1,153 record. The franchise also wasted many lottery picks, including the selections of busts such as Michael Olowokandi, Al Thornton, and Darius Miles.
1. Billy King
As early as Billy King's tenure as GM with the Philadelphia 76ers, he was already making some eyebrow-raising moves. With the Sixers, King notoriously drafted Larry Hughes with the eighth overall pick over Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce. But on the bright side, King did have a winning record as Sixers GM.
But when he took the reins in Brooklyn, the newly relocated franchise ultimately threw their championship pieces away. In an attempt to make the Brooklyn Nets an immediate contender, King orchestrated miscalculated trades involving draft picks for aging veterans, none of which resulted in a championship.
Some instances include trading for Gerald Wallace in exchange for a draft pick that turned into Damian Lillard. Another was a multiplayer deal with the Boston Celtics to get Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry for draft picks that the Celtics turned into Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
