History of NBA Reclamation Projects: Can Mavericks Revive Zaccharie Risacher's Career?

The Dallas Mavericks took a huge swing last weekend when they traded Ryan Nembhard and their final tradeable second-round pick as part of a three-team deal to acquire former first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher.

When a team is as limited on assets as the Mavericks are, these are the types of trades you make: acquiring talented players who have already overstayed their welcome.

It's a shrewd business move by the Mavs, but how often do moves like these actually pay off? We'll take a look back at former top-3 picks since 2010 who have been traded within the first three years of their career to determine whether this is the worthy gamble many think it is, or if Risacher is already a lost cause. The only caveat is this doesn't include trades before their first game as a player, so Andrew Wiggins going to Minnesota or Jayson Tatum going to Boston will not be included.

Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher (10) warms up before game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

James Wiseman, 2nd Overall, 2020

James Wiseman was a former 5-star prospect, but only played three games at Memphis before being selected second in the infamous 2020 NBA Draft. There was plenty of talent in the draft, but the COVID-19 pandemic really messed with scouting.

He tore his meniscus late in his rookie season, then missed all of his second season rehabbing from it because of some setbacks. In Wiseman's third season, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in a four-team deal, which gave the Warriors Gary Payton II. He has played just five games in the last two seasons with the Indiana Pacers due to injury.

Markelle Fultz, 1st Overall, 2017

Oct 20, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz (20) in action against the Boston Celtics at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Another injury story, Markelle Fultz had some shoulder issues that really cost him his potential, and he only played 33 games in his first two seasons.

In the 2019 offseason, he was traded to the Orlando Magic for Jonathan Simmons, a 2019 second-round pick, and a 2020 first-round pick, which would be used on Tyrese Maxey.

He turned into a decent player in Orlando with multiple double-digit scoring seasons, but he also had multiple seasons with fewer than 20 games played.

Lonzo Ball, 2nd Overall, 2017

Lonzo Ball had an iffy start to his career with the Lakers before he was included in the Anthony Davis trade, but he was starting to become a really good player in New Orleans and Chicago.

Then, a catastrophic knee injury in Chicago basically cost him the rest of his career. He missed nearly three seasons straight and hasn't played more than 35 games since the 2020-21 season.

D'Angelo Russell, 2nd Overall, 2015

This was a unique situation. D'Angelo Russell was productive with the Lakers, scoring 15.6 PPG in his second season. However, the infamous snitching incident with Nick Young occurred, and the trust was broken in the locker room.

The Lakers shipped him to the Brooklyn Nets with Timofey Mozgov during the 2018 Draft for Kyle Kuzma and Brook Lopez. A year later, he was an All-Star, averaging 21.1 PPG and 7.0 RPG. It's been a steady decline since then, as he has bounced from the Nets to the Warriors, to the Timberwolves, back to the Lakers, back to the Nets, to the Mavericks, to the Wizards, and now the Grizzlies. He's virtually unplayable now.

Jahlil Okafor, 3rd Overall, 2015

This is probably the most apt comparison for the Risacher situation yet. Jahlil Okafor was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school and was very productive at Duke, where he was named a consensus First Team All-American.

His game just didn't translate to the NBA. Had he been born 20 years earlier, he would've been a perfect fit in the late 90s/early 2000s. However, Okafor did have a great rookie season on a horrific 76ers team, but it was a quick downfall after that.

Early in the 2017-18 season, he was traded along with Nik Stauskas and a second-round pick for Trevor Booker. He never averaged more than 9 PPG after his second season in the NBA.

Anthony Bennett, 1st Overall, 2013

Sep 30, 2013; Independence, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anthony Bennett poses for a portrait during media day at Cavaliers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Eric P. Mull-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Arguably the worst player taken first overall in the modern draft era, Anthony Bennett was a bad pick from the moment the selection was made. Bill Simmons' infamous "Woah!" when Bennett was selected will live forever and was a sign that his career wouldn't go well, and it didn't.

Bennett played just four seasons for four different teams: Cleveland, Minnesota, Toronto, and Brooklyn. After his lone season with the Cavs, he was included in the Kevin Love trade, and he never averaged more than 5.2 PPG.

The top of the 2013 NBA Draft was legendarily bad, which is the only reason people don't make fun of this selection more.

Derrick Williams, 2nd Overall, 2011

A lot of people were high on Derrick Williams coming out of Arizona, even if I never saw the potential there. He went second overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2011 and struggled to carve out a role alongside Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love.

Midway through his third season, Williams was traded to the Sacramento Kings straight up for Luc Mbah A Moute. That shows you what kind of career he was having, and he never really made much of an impact anywhere else.

Derrick Favors, 3rd Overall, 2010

Derrick Favors was traded as part of the package for Deron Williams to go to the Nets, so these are unique circumstances. Favors had a fine career, even if he never panned out as well as people projected when he was selected third overall.

From 2013 to 2019, he averaged 13.3 PPG and 7.7 RPG for some mostly competitive Jazz teams. Those are reasonable numbers, but probably not good enough for third overall.

Older Success Stories

Dec 18, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Detroit Pistons shooting guard Chauncey Billups (1) shares a laugh with teammates during the fourth quarter of Detroit's 107-106 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

These picks in the last 15 years don't leave room for a lot of optimism, but that's okay. If we go back throughout the years, there are some examples that do pan out.

This doesn't fall under the same circumstances, but Elton Brand was drafted first overall by the Chicago Bulls in 1999 and won Rookie of the Year, but Jerry Krause decided to move him after two years to build the twin towers of Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry in the 2001 NBA Draft. He should've just kept Brand, as he was a consistent 20 and 10 for the better part of a decade.

The best possible outcome the Mavericks could hope for is Chauncey Billups, who was drafted third overall by the Boston Celtics in 1997, but was traded to the Toronto Raptors midway through his rookie season for Kenny Anderson in a large trade package. They traded him to Denver that offseason, and after two underwhelming seasons with the Nuggets, he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he started to turn his career around with Kevin Garnett.

After two seasons in Minnesota, he signed with the Detroit Pistons and fully broke out, averaging 17.0 PPG and 6.3 APG over the next six seasons, made four All-Star Games in that time, and won Finals MVP in 2004.

Jason Kidd was also traded midway through his third season with the Mavericks, but those were special circumstances with locker room drama and all sorts of things. Kidd clearly had talent.

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