NBA Draft: 13 times the LA Clippers left stars on the board

3. 2013 NBA Draft

Clippers Select: Reggie Bullock (25)

Still on the Board: Rudy Gobert (27)

It seems like the 25th pick is unlucky for the Clippers as this is the second time on our list the team missed out on a star taken just two slots after they held this draft position.

The Denver Nuggets selected Rudy Gobert 27th overall in 2013, and immediately traded him to the Utah Jazz for guard Erick Green and cash. The French big man has spent his entire career protecting the rim in Utah against would-be attackers, and excelling at his task.

Gobert is a two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, three-time All-Defense Team member, two-time member of the All-NBA team, and has been selected to play in one All-Star game. He is a shot-blocking machine, averaging 2.2 blocks-per-game over the course of his seven year career, leading the league in the 2016-17 season with a total of 214 blocks in 81 games played.

He also, of course, has the less admirable distinction of being the first player in the NBA to test positive for COVID 19, leading to the suspension of this year’s season. His reported carelessness around this time has lead to an alleged dispute with teammate Donovan Mitchell, which Gobert has since spoken out about publicly.

Should Gobert and Mitchell’s relationship actually be unfixable, the Clippers could have a shot at trading for the big man after passing on him in the 2013 NBA Draft to select Reggie Bullock, the six-foot-six swingman out of North Carolina.

Bullock played limited minutes in parts of two seasons with the Clippers before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in the deal that landed Austin Rivers in Los Angeles. He’s since spent time in the D-league, found some success with the Detroit Pistons, been traded to the Lakers, and signed with the New York Knicks last offseason.