Top 5 hardest contracts to move in the NBA?

[pillwenney]

Zach probably shouldn't be #1, but he belongs in the top 5.

Kenny Thomas however, does not. Heck, he already holds some value for teams with big contracts that extend past '10 that are looking to clear salary by then.

[chatard5]

You're gonna have to show me one of those trades where the fans "asked" for Dampier to be thrown in.

I'm not about to do the research as my time is too valueble, but Toronto wanted to add Nesterovic (expiring) - Dampier swap to Howard/Calderon so they could have a great defensive presence next to Bosh. Indy fans liked him next to JO. NY has beaten Curry, Randolph and all their other trash for Damp to death. Before the season started, LA wanted a Kwame/Dampier swap. Also, before Foyle, Orlando had interest in Dampier / Battie base swap. Some Jazz fans wanted a defensive center like Damp or Dalembert next to Boozer.

Granted, not every team wants him, but in no way does he make a top 5 unmovable player list.

Pacers never wanted him next to JO. We have Foster who is better than Dampier and makes about half as much. Plus we had him in the first place and would not have gotten rid of him if we wanted him.

[Hunter]

1) Kenyon Martin
2) Zach Randolph
3) Troy Murphy
4) Nene
5) Tinsley

Surprisingly I have 2 Pacers, 2 Nuggets and only 1 Knick on my top 5. Kmart has to be #1 due to being both ridiculously overpaid AND a health concern. Nene due to the fact he can't stay healthy. Tinsley more for off the court issues than on.

It's tempting to put guys like Jarred Jefferies & Marco Jaric on the list due to the length of their contracts, but neither makes enough per year to be *that* bad. Guys like Ben Wallace are the opposite; horrible per year, but only 2 years left so they just squeak by. Eddy Curry & Boris Diaw are both tough calls; both are overpaid considering how flawed they are, but each capable of at least contributing in the right situation. And I don't put Shard on here because despite being overpaid he's a valuable contributor.

[DeezXXnutZ]

Like I just said in another thread...Every Knicks player besides Lee....

[Serpo]

Believe it or not, I think you have to add Vince Carter since we know that the Nets tried real hard, but no takers.

Well the Nets had offers for Carter , problem is they're not getting enough value back for him.
He's to important to the Nets to just trade him for expirings and mediocre picks and thats what was offered .

[turk3d]

Believe it or not, I think you have to add Vince Carter since we know that the Nets tried real hard, but no takers.

Well the Nets had offers for Carter , problem is they're not getting enough value back for him.
He's to important to the Nets to just trade him for expirings and mediocre picks and thats what was offered .

I'd like to know what offers they got. Equally bad contracts (ZBo, Larry Hughes)?

At a salary of $14,724,125, $16,123,250, $17,522,375 and $18,921,500 who in their right mind would do that? Why would/could someone give up an expiring for all that salary? That's part of the problem. Guys are basically untradeable for two reasons:
1) No one is willing to give up anything of value in return because they don't want to take on such a long term committment for that much money and
2) Most teams can't afford it due to their cap situation. I'm sure that NJ would much rather have traded AC than RJ even though their contracts were pretty close.

As good of a player as Carter is, he definitely belongs on that list imo (maybe not top 5, but at least top 10). Even now, if NJ got a decent offer for him, they'd trade him in a New York minute, but they won't.

[Serpo]

For example in Wednesday the Cavs offered Wally Szerbiak and the Nets declined . Thats an expiring.

And sorry if i had to chose between Carter and RJ i'm going to chose Carter 10 out of 10 times .
I love RJ but he's not half the player Carter is.

[truth serum]

Ugh. F*ckin Knicks.

[Guy986]

1) Kenyon Martin
2) Zach Randolph
3) Troy Murphy
4) Nene
5) Tinsley

Surprisingly I have 2 Pacers, 2 Nuggets and only 1 Knick on my top 5. Kmart has to be #1 due to being both ridiculously overpaid AND a health concern. Nene due to the fact he can't stay healthy. Tinsley more for off the court issues than on.

It's tempting to put guys like Jarred Jefferies & Marco Jaric on the list due to the length of their contracts, but neither makes enough per year to be *that* bad. Guys like Ben Wallace are the opposite; horrible per year, but only 2 years left so they just squeak by. Eddy Curry & Boris Diaw are both tough calls; both are overpaid considering how flawed they are, but each capable of at least contributing in the right situation. And I don't put Shard on here because despite being overpaid he's a valuable contributor.

Nice list. Kenyon Martin probably does deserve to be #1. I put Nene on honorable mention due to his monstrosity of a contract. However, i dont think he is top 5. When healthy(big IF) Nene is still a sought after player.

[Guy986]

Believe it or not, I think you have to add Vince Carter since we know that the Nets tried real hard, but no takers.

Well the Nets had offers for Carter , problem is they're not getting enough value back for him.
He's to important to the Nets to just trade him for expirings and mediocre picks and thats what was offered .

I'd like to know what offers they got. Equally bad contracts (ZBo, Larry Hughes)?

At a salary of $14,724,125, $16,123,250, $17,522,375 and $18,921,500 who in their right mind would do that? Why would/could someone give up an expiring for all that salary? That's part of the problem. Guys are basically untradeable for two reasons:
1) No one is willing to give up anything of value in return because they don't want to take on such a long term committment for that much money and
2) Most teams can't afford it due to their cap situation. I'm sure that NJ would much rather have traded AC than RJ even though their contracts were pretty close.

As good of a player as Carter is, he definitely belongs on that list imo (maybe not top 5, but at least top 10). Even now, if NJ got a decent offer for him, they'd trade him in a New York minute, but they won't.

Carter can get you expiring. His contract is bad but he can be moved if the Nets doesn't ask for too much in return.

[Guy986]

Nope, Ridnour isn't gonna make it. His contract isn't that bad and he can play if given the chance.

And who exactly is going to give him a chance? He can't defend (perhaps the worst defensive PG in the NBA), can't shoot (39% from the field, 29% from 3PT range) and is soft. It's going to be pretty hard to find someone that is willing to pay a backup PG 6-7 million a year.

Would the Knicks trade Jeffries, James or Zach Randolph for Ridnour? In a New York second.

[ITK9]

marko jaric imo

[Mamba Venom]

Why is Luke Walton on here....

4 mil a year isnt that much... contract length isnt always a bad thing

Luke works hard, has high ball IQ, ws injured most of 08, he can shoot the 3, one of the best passers

Hes also a fan favorite

Luke isnt worth more than 4 mil, he isnt worth less. Luk'es pay is just right for the contributions he makes. When the cap is near 60 + mil having a good producer for 4 mil is a great option. Lock him up because he is only getting better. ESPN said he was one of the best players in the 1st round of the play-offs this year. He averaged about 15 ppg against Denver and played an all around game.

[MVP4LIFE]

No way Dan Gadzuric should be on this list. He is a solid player, especially on the defensive end. But right after the Bucks decided to pay him, they decided to go with Bogut (and get every big guy they could get after that) and kept Dan on the bench.

[sonic-ben]

High price contacts
#1 Martin
#2 Randoph
#3 Ben Wallace
#4 Mike Bibby
#5 Kirk H
#6 NY Knicks as a team

Mid range contracts
#1 Jaric
#2 Radmanovic...

[Bucky O'Hare]

Andrei Kirilenko deserves consideration.....

Code: Select all

 2008/2009     2009/2010    2010/2011
$15,106,000   $16,452,000   $17,823,000

All that money for a guy that just put up a very mediocre 11/5 a game. His defensive production has also plummeted in recent years.

[shrink]

This is a good thread, with a lot of good points.

First, note that this is a list of "Hardest Contracts to Move in the NBA" so guys like Rashard Lewis, who are good players but have big deals, definitely fit. Being in the Top 5 does not mean you are a horrible basketball player.

Second, I agree with posters that set a personal 3-year minimum. Anyone with 2 years becomes an expiring contract in 11 months. I'd also draw a line at deals less than the MLE. These contracts simply can't hurt your teams finances enough to make them truly hard to move. Make it a decision on a $12-15 mil guy, where a GM's success is on the line, maybe all-or-nothing, and you probably get more paralysis, and deals that are harder to move. Jerome James would avoid my list on both counts, even if he never sets foot on a court again.

Third, I think that a huge factor that hasn't been mentioned is a lack of insurance. You have K-Mart and he gets hurt, your owner may only be out a quarter of his salary ($3.9 mil). If an overweight Eddy Curry goes down, an owner is on the hook for the full amount ($10.5 mil). I only know two players who aren't insured (or partially insured), Curry and Q-Rich, and I don't think its a coincidence that only one owner has traded for players who aren't insured.

Finally, lets revisit this discussion in a month, and see what big contracts or extensions are offered. Sure, the market will fix most of them close to their true value, but like last year with Orlando, some teams will bid against themselves and offer an unreasonable amount to try to get the "perfect" piece. Right now, there aren't a lot of big contracts out there over $10 mil and over 3 years, but I bet if we wait a few weeks, we'll have a lot more candidates for the Top Five.

[GA2CHAMPS]

I wouldn't put Lewis in there because I don't think the Magic are trying to move him. IMO, in order for a contract to be hard to move, you have to be actively looking to trade said player, so that's why I don't think he should be on this list.

Truth is, no contract is impossible to move. You just have to be willing to take garbage back.

My list, in no particular order...

Zach Randolph
Jamaal Tinsley
Dan Gadzuric
Kenny Thomas
It's a tossup between Kenyon Martin or Nene here. I can't decided. Their contracts are both equally awful considering their injury history.

Ah, so that's your criteria. I guess since the Wiz aren't "actively" shopping Etan, he isnt a contract that is hard to move. Interesting.......

Beno will be on this list within a year. Also, don't forget about Larry H.