Fansided

NBA free agency: Worst contracts of 2016

By Cody Williams

Jan 25, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) advances the ball as Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 25, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) advances the ball as Boston Celtics guard Evan Turner (11) defends during the first half at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 11
Next
Apr 13, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) speaks to a referee during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2016; Boston, MA, USA; Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) speaks to a referee during the second half of a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Luol Deng, Timofey Mozgov – Lakers (4 years, $72 million/4 years, $65 million)

The Los Angeles Lakers entered 2016 NBA free agency with more cap room than anyone, with what essentially amounted to a small young core and roughly an entire roster to fill. As such, Lakers fans were excited about the potential of what their favorite team would be able to do in free agency. So its reasonable that they were at least a bit upset at Mitch Kupchak and the front office handing out four-year deals to two veterans in Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov.

What’s interesting about both of these deals is that the reason that I can’t stand them honestly doesn’t have that much to do with the money these players were given. While those are indeed some big cap numbers to give to those guys, that’s truly market value for Deng and for a center who was simply in a terrible fit and has the ability to contribute in the NBA.

However, the fact that the Lakers are handing out long-term deals to a 31-year-old Deng and a 30-year-old Timofey Mozgov is simply absurd. This is a team whose optimism for the future is predicated on their young assets like D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, and No. 2 overall pick in 2016 Brandon Ingram. By locking up Deng and Mozgov for four years each, you’re throwing unnecessary tension into the locker room and making it harder for the team to transition into the future by adding mid-to-upper-tier veterans for the foreseeable future. That’s not a winning recipe and the length of these contracts could haunt the Lakers sooner rather than later.

Next: No. 6 Austin Rivers

Home/Los Angeles Clippers