May 21, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; NBA team owner Michael Jordan announces that the Charlotte Bobcats will change their name and branding to the Charlotte Hornets starting in the 2014 2015 season at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Basketball is a game, the purpose of which is winning. The National Basketball Association, on the other hand, is a business, the purpose of which is making money. Needless to say, these goals do not always overlap.
In this year’s free agency we have already seen a proliferation of questionable contracts. Typically, these contracts overvalue one-dimensional roleplayers on the wrong side of 30. Depending on contract structure, salaries may actually increase annually even as their production slips. A few are young enough that that they are being paid for their potential, but their projected roles do not justify the expense
Not all bad contracts are created equal—they range from merely head-scratching to gag-inducing, especially if your team will sign the checks. Based on length and amount of the contract, age at the end of the contract, similarly compensated peers, expected rank on the depth chart, last year’s salary and last year’s statistics, these are the 10 worst contracts handed out this offseason (so far, anyway.) Note: the average NBA salary in 2012-2013 was $5.15M.
(Salaries courtesy of DraftExpress.com)