Dallas Mavericks
1 huge bust: Dereck Lively II
The Dallas Mavericks have had quite an interesting season. Starting the year out with the hope of adding Klay Thompson during the offseason after a strong run to the NBA Finals behind Luka Doncic, the Mavs have now completely pivoted to a completely different build with Anthony Davis. Finding a player who should be considered a bust for the team could be difficult. However, I'd lean toward Dereck Lively II. This is a difficult sell because it probably has not much to do with his overall play.
Instead, the reason why I included Lively on this list is because of the injury situation he currently finds himself in. On pace to play fewer games than he did last year, Lively has left much to be desired as a consistent option at the center position for the Mavs. When healthy and on the court, Lively is a really good player. I don't think there are many arguments against that. However, Lively has simply not been available for the Mavs as much as they probably would've liked so far this season. It may not have been his contract, but it's pretty safe to say that this season has been a bust for Lively.
Denver Nuggets
1 huge bust: Zeke Nnaji
Over the last few months of the season, the Denver Nuggets have finally been playing to the level at which many expected them to heading into this year. However, there are still certainly some underwhelming aspects of how this team has performed this season. One of those "busts" is Zeke Nnaji. Through the first few years of his career, there was hope that Nnaji would emerge as a versatile frontcourt player for the team. However, since signing his four-year contract extension with the team in 2023, Nnaji has done everything but live up to it.
It's been two seasons now that the Nuggets can't help but be disappointed by the production of Nnaji. Specifically this season, Nnaji is averaging just three points per game. He's appeared in 35 games so far this season but is playing less than nine minutes per appearance. That leaves me to believe that Nnaji is simply not a player the Nuggets can trust with extended minutes. Considering they gave him a second contract after his rookie deal, how could Nnaji not be labeled as a bust for the team?