The Three Worst Signings of 2017 NBA Free Agency

Adam Aaronson
Aug 28, 2017 · 2 min read

The New York Knicks. The Detroit Pistons. The Charlotte Hornets.

These are all teams who are in awful spots, despite having rosters with below-average talent level. And the biggest reason why is that they have given out awful contracts. Think of the Knicks giving Joakim Noah $72M, or the Pistons giving Reggie Jackson $80M. There were so many awful contracts last offseason, that most teams learned to be cautious with their money. However, dumb front offices will be dumb. Here are the three worst signings of the past free agency period.


New York Knicks sign Tim Hardaway, Jr. to 4-year, $72M contract

Entering free agency, THJ was an underrated free agent. He had a very good second half for the Hawks, and looked like he was going to be a very good cheap signing. But then the Knicks gave him $72M. That’s SEVENTY-TWO MILLION DOLLARS. Tim Hardaway Jr.’s career-high for points per game in a season is 14.5.

San Antonio Spurs sign Pau Gasol to 3-year, $48M contract

There is no rationale for this one. Pau Gasol, who is way past his prime and can’t defend anybody or protect the rim, just averaged 12.4 points and less than 8 rebounds per game. So he’s an average scorer and rebounder for his position, and a huge negative on the defensive end. So what did the Spurs do? They gave the 37-year old a three-year deal with $16M per year, because he’s an old veteran from another country.

Cleveland Cavaliers sign Kyle Korver to 3-year, $22M contract

Kyle Korver averaged nearly 20 minutes per game for Cleveland in the NBA Finals, and while he is an excellent shooter, he can’t handle the ball or defend anybody well. So when the Cavaliers have an old player who shouldn’t be playing in the NBA Finals? They give him $22M over the next three years!

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Adam Aaronson

Written by

Sports writer for The Unprofessionals (unprofession.com)

The Unprofessionals

Relentlessly honest opinions on all things sports and entertainment.

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