In free agency, teams can overlook one bad season in the NBA. Everyoneās optimistic, thereās hope around the franchise, yada, yada, yada.
Have two bad seasons, and immediately, some teams back away. Is there a trend forming? Is it just a bad situation? Is the player done?
Add injury problems on top of two bad seasons in the NBA, and most teams will stay away from a player, especially if theyāre getting up there in age. Have two bad seasons in a row, injury problems, and are aging very poorly, then thereās virtually no chance for most players to continue in the NBA. The obvious exceptions are the without-a-doubt Hall-of-Famers who stick around in the league too long, like Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett, and Michael Jordan (Wizards edition).
Thereās always one player that makesĀ you think, āWhy isnāt anyone going after him?ā And, for that one player, thereās also a handful of players that make you think, āWhy is anyone going after him?ā Itās a give and take relationship for us fans.
Because this same scenario happens season after season, Iāve ranked the top-7 players in the NBA with the most to lose this season for a variety of reasons. Injuries are a main concern, and obviously, ageĀ factors into the equation, as well.Ā But, there are plenty of other variables that play into these decisions. Iāll get to those shortly.
Oh, and of course, when I use the word ālose,ā Iām referring to the money a player is losing. I just wanted to clear that up in case someone thought this was a like an NBA Biggest Loser-type column. Iām definitely going to do that at some point, but today letās talk about contracts, free agency, and players who have the most to lose next season.
All seven ranked players are going to be in contract years, meaning their current contract expires at the end of this season, and all seven are in make-or-break situations with their careers.
When the stakes are the highest, who is going to rise to the occasion? Thatās what weāll find out with these seven players in 2014-15.