3. Wayne Simien
There is an unfortunately long list of standout college basketball players who were taken out of the league mostly by bad luck. Wayne Simien is one of those players.
A freakishly athletic forward/center who played four years at Kansas, winning the Big 12 Player of the Year award as a senior and notching three Big 12 titles as well, Simien looked well on his way to having a long and healthy NBA career.
The Heat took him 29th overall in 2005 after a run to the Eastern Conference Finals as they looked to add some athleticism to their frontline to combat the Detroit Pistons. While Simien would play on the 2006 championship team and win a title, he wouldn’t contribute.
A salmonella infection forced him out of the team’s 2006 Summer League and limited his ability to contribute that season, appearing in just eight games. In 2007 as a part of a major franchise reconstruction in the wake of a title, Simien was dealt to Minnesota with Antoine Walker and Michael Doleac. He was waived by the Wolves and his career would never recover.