The Milwaukee Bucks had a forgettable 2024 draft, taking AJ Johnson with the 23rd overall pick and Tyler Smith with the 33rd overall pick.

Johnson played just seven games for the Bucks before he was part of a multi-team trade in February 2025 that saw Milwaukee acquire Kyle Kuzma. He’s played a total of 77 NBA games between Milwaukee, Washington, and Dallas.

Smith played 23 games with the Bucks in 2024-25 before he was waived by the team ahead of the 25-26 season. He spent last season with the Mavericks.

2024 could have been a memorable draft for the Bucks had they taken Ajay Mitchell, who ended up going 38th overall.

Speaking on The Young Man and The Three, Mitchell revealed that he was nearly drafted by the Bucks.

“My agent was like, ‘There’s a chance you get picked late first.’ Milwaukee had the 23rd pick. I went in there, they really liked me. My sister lived in Wisconsin,” he said. “My whole family was like, you might be in Milwaukee; this would be great. Adam Silver comes up and says, ‘With the 23rd pick, Milwaukee selects…AJ,’ and everyone in the room is like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and then he says, ‘Johnson,’ and it gets so awkward. I’m trying to be like, ‘It’s all good,’ but in my head I’m like, ‘No way.’”

Mitchell said that it was awkward and that his whole family was pissed.

Not only did they not take him at 23, but they also passed on him at 33.

Mitchell was drafted by the New York Knicks, but ended up on the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He played in 57 games for the Thunder last season, averaging 13.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He finished fifth in Sixth Man of the Year voting and is viewed as an integral part of the Thunder rotation and future.

Obviously, things didn’t exactly work out for the Bucks. Johnson and Smith played a combined 30 games for the team before being traded or waived. Meanwhile, Mitchell is a Sixth Man of the Year candidate coming into this season.

Of course, there is no guarantee that Mitchell would’ve turned into this version of himself had he been drafted by Milwaukee.

The Bucks haven’t shown the greatest development of young players over the years, and the Bucks had Damian Lillard, Kevin Porter Jr., and Ryan Rollins on the roster as offensive ball-handlers and creators.