While there is plenty of blame for both sides involved in the current NBA labor dispute, one thing is for certain – if the NBA really is losing money as they claim, they can point the finger at the boatloads of NBA owners/GMs who regularly hand out ridiculous free agent contracts to undeserving players. In that vein, here are the five worst NBA free agent signings last season (to check out the five best signings and to read how we determined these rankings, click here). And remember – the average free agent last season cost his team $1.1 million per win share earned.
(Only players earning at least the NBA average salary – around $5 million – are included)
5) (tied) Rudy Gay – Memphis
Salary: $13.6 million
Weight Win Share total: 5.5
Cost/Win: $2.47 million
Obviously the main reason Rudy Gay makes it on this list is due to him being injured for the last quarter of the season – he ended up only playing 54 games and none in the playoffs. But before the ink on his contract was dry skeptics were panning the deal, one that will pay him another $68 million over the next four years. And when you consider how well the Grizzlies did on the court with Gay sitting on the bench with his arm in a sling, the deal looks even more ominous.
5) (tied) Joe Johnson – Atlanta
Salary: $16.3 million
Weight Win Share total: 6.6
Cost/Win: $2.47 million
Another deal that had the critics howling was the Hawks signing of Joe Johnson last summer. It was widely thought that Atlanta paid Johnson way more than any other team would have, and he did nothing to prove the critics wrong last season by having his worst statistical year since 2003/04. And considering he just turned 30 years old, it’s only going to do downhill from here. Lucky he’s only owed another $107 million over the next five years!
3) Drew Gooden – Milwaukee
Salary: $5.8 million
Weight Win Share total: 1.8
Cost/Win: $3.22 million
The soon-to-be 30-year-old Drew Gooden only made it on the court 35 times for the Bucks last season, and is due another $27 million over the next four. While he is a decent role player, you have to wonder why he’s played on nine teams already in just nine seasons. Not exactly the type of player you want to sign to a large five year contract.
2) Tyrus Thomas – Charlotte
Salary: $6.6 million
Weight Win Share total: 1.8
Cost/Win: $3.67 million
By his fourth season in the league, it was quite apparent that Tyrus Thomas wasn’t going to live up to his high draft position in the 2006 NBA Draft. But that didn’t stop Michael Jordan from overpaying him and locking him up long term. Thomas responded by only playing in 41 games last season.
1) Travis Outlaw – New Jersey
Salary: $7 million
Weight Win Share total: 0.8
Cost/Win: $8.75 million
This signing was obviously bad right from the get-go (at least I felt it was at the time – I wrote so in Athlon’s NBA preview magazine before last season). You don’t almost double a guy’s salary who is coming off a season where he only played in 34 games due to injury. Outlaw responded to his big raise and increased role in New Jersey by having the worst shooting season of his career. And the Nets still owe him another $21 million over the next three years.
