5 biggest 2016 NBA contract extension mistakes
By Greg Patuto
The NBA free agent contracts were outrageous all summer and it is continuing into the season. These are the five biggest contract extension mistakes of the year so far.
The salary cap for NBA teams increased and people knew that players would get a little more money. But no one could have expected what happened this summer. Teams gave players contracts that would look large in MLB.
Guys like Mike Conley, who signed a 5-year, $152 million deal to stay in Memphis, cashed out in a big way. Timofey Mozgov, who could barely sniff the court for the Cavs a season ago, was given $64 million over four years by the Lakers. It was a crazy free agency to say the least.
That craziness has continued so far to begin the 2016-17 season. Teams are starting to give their players contract extensions and the money is just downright nuts. Here are the five biggest contract extension mistakes of the year so far.
5. Dennis Schroder
With the Atlanta Hawks dealing Jeff Teague to the Pacers, they were in need of a replacement point guard. After signing him to a four-year, $70 million extension, they made it clear that Schroder is their guy.
The point guard from Germany has shown signs of being a solid NBA point guard but was this the right call for the Hawks? This is a guy who has played 209 NBA games in three years-plus but has only started 19. He is averaging 9 PPG and 3.7 assists over his career. So, safe to say this was a desperation move by the Hawks and they have the power to do this because of the salary cap increase.
This Hawks team won 60 games two years ago and was the one-seed heading into the playoffs. They want to return to that form again this year. They signed Dwight Howard in the offseason and already have Paul Millsap, a very underrated forward in the league.
Even after winning 60 games, you can just tell that Atlanta was not a championship team. And quite frankly, Schroder is not a point guard who can lead a team to an NBA championship. The last three point guards to win a titles were Tony Parker, Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving. The NBA is turning into a league where point guards are very important. So, why sign a career bench player to an expensive extension? This does not seem like a move towards a championship for Atlanta and can hurt them in the long run.