NBA free agency: Worst contracts of 2016

9. Jeff Green – Magic (1 year, $15 million)

Paying $15 million for a one-year rental of what Jeff Green could potentially be makes sense in theory. For the entirety of his NBA career, Green has been the poster-child as the player that has all of the physical tools and has even shown flashes of potentially being a mid-level star in this league. However, the term potential is key there because the biggest note on Jeff Green is the fact that he’s not that player that he could be and at this point looks like he never will be.

And that’s why the Orlando Magic going out and signing him to this contract, even if it’s only for one year, is so befuddling. Sure, you could argue that the one year deal opens up $15 million in cap room again next summer when the salary cap jumps again and then gives Orlando more flexibility then while getting them to the salary floor now and the Serge Ibaka trade earlier in the offseason is further evidence of that with him becoming a free agent next summer. But does that really excuse giving this money to Jeff Green rather than taking a gamble on a younger player?

Frankly, no it doesn’t. We know who Jeff Green is as a basketball player and it’s definitively not the player that many people have always said he could be. He’s a role player that will win you a handful of games when he explodes and will lose you others when you try to rely on him. As such, this deal is just ludicrous no matter what it does for next summer.

Next: No. 8 Solomon Hill