NBA Free Agency: 5 worst contracts of 2015
By Brad Rowland
“In 2015, there is no such thing as a bad NBA contract.”
The above sentiment is accurate … to a point. Yes, the NBA has a unique climate with regard to the 2015 free agency period, simply because there is an unprecedented influx of cash coming into the equation very soon. Current salary cap projections for 2016 and 2017 estimate that the league’s cap (and luxury tax) threshold will nearly double over the course of 24 months, and as a result, players signed to lucrative contracts under the “old” system will almost certainly be considered underpaid in a matter of years.
However, several teams have taken the mantra of “no bad contracts” as something of a challenge.
It should be noted that every contract looks worse than it probably is, especially considering that middle-tier free agents command eight-figure salaries without the benefit of star-level production. Still, there remain instances where teams and players agreed to, essentially, comical deals.
Today, we will explore the five worst contracts handed out by NBA teams since free agency opened on July 1, with the caveat that, yes, we do understand the context of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement and all that it entails. Without further delay, let’s take a look at the deals (in alphabetical order), explaining why they land on this ugly list.
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