"People are gonna be sorry they didn't draft him" - When Jerry West made a rare draft blunder

Apart from his illustrious playing stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, Jerry West was regarded as arguably the greatest executive in NBA history. After all, he was the one who traded for Kobe Bryant, signed Shaquille O'Neal to L.A., and assembled the Golden State Warriors superteam.

However, West wasn't perfect. Amid all his accomplishments as an executive is one draft blunder: a guard named Patrick McCaw.

Patrick McCaw: Three-peat legend

The Milwaukee Bucks' drafted McCaw 38th in 2016. However, on draft day, the Warriors traded for the UNLV product in exchange for cash considerations, with West raving about what a big steal that move was.

"People are gonna be sorry they didn't draft him," West told KNBR 680, per CNBC .

"We expect him to be on the team," then-Warriors GM Bob Myers said of McCaw. "We expect him to sign a contract with us, and I think that's what we'll end up doing. And we have good expectations for him."

True enough, the Warriors fielded the Missouri native the right away. In his rookie year, he played 71 games, 20 of which were part of the starting lineup, and averaged 4.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.1 assists a night. Still, McCaw's greatest and most recognizable milestone is winning three straight NBA Championships.

Patrick joined the Warriors when Kevin Durant signed, effectively making them unbeatable. After two straight titles with the Dubs, his stint in the Bay ended in 2018 when he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the Wine and Gold waived him after only three games.

McCaw then signed with the Toronto Raptors , where he won his third straight championship. He joined the likes of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in accomplishing a rare feat.

Where is McCaw now?

Patrick last graced the NBA hardcourts in the 2020-21 season. After being waived by the Raptors, the guard joined the Delaware Bluecoats and once again won a championship.

Reports show that the guard is still with the Bluecoats, which means he's still within arm's reach of the NBA. And even though there's a chance he returns to the league someday, it's safe to say no one team in the Association feels sorry for not drafting him.

Related: Jerry West advised the Lakers not to draft Magic Johnson: "He wasn't convinced a 6'9" point guard would function in the fast-paced NBA"