Stupidest Contract

[pipfan]

While similar to "Worst" contract, "stupidest" means when signed
PG13 is clearly a bad contract, but it was ok at the time

So, which contract was the stupidest, at the moment it was signed

I might be biased, but PWill is the flat out dumbest. Coming off an injury, no market for him, to give 5 years/$90 million-WITH a PO, so stupid

[MyTake_1]

Great choices, also PG, Embiid, and some others.

[LarsV8]

Philly letting Harden go over a contract to sign a worse player to a worse contract was a major blunder.

No reason for Blazers to sign Grant to that dumb deal.

Teams really underestimate a clean set of books.

[BK_2020]

It has to be Jaylen Brown. A super max for a guy who made 1 all-nba eons ago and wouldn't be an AS in the West. Grades out poorly by traditional box score stats, by on/off and +/-, and by every advanced metrics. Stevens did this even though the Celtics could've offered him the most money in UFA anyway and very little chance anyone offers him even a max contract.
Beal contract is understandable given the Wizards had no future and didn't have anyone to spend money on anyway. That was not the case for the Celtics.

[youngcrev]

Philly letting Harden go over a contract to sign a worse player to a worse contract was a major blunder.

No reason for Blazers to sign Grant to that dumb deal.

Teams really underestimate a clean set of books.

They got some valuable draft capital out of the Harden deal for a guy they didn't want to bring back (unprotected pick and a swap).

PG is an awful contract, but the thought process on signing him was sound IMO.

[Godaddycurse]

Nnaji

[shrink]

Mozgov and Luol Deng

[Jojothewhale]

The Beal NTC makes this a runaway for me.

[Djh7475]

It has to be Jaylen Brown. A super max for a guy who made 1 all-nba eons ago and wouldn't be an AS in the West. Grades out poorly by traditional box score stats, by on/off and +/-, and by every advanced metrics. Stevens did this even though the Celtics could've offered him the most money in UFA anyway and very little chance anyone offers him even a max contract.
Beal contract is understandable given the Wizards had no future and didn't have anyone to spend money on anyway. That was not the case for the Celtics.

It was 2 seasons ago he was All-NBA, and he won ECF and finals MVP after signing it. Giving a guy you drafted who’s a big part of the community who follows up the extension with a championship, ECF and finals MVP the year after cannot possibly be the stupidest contract in the NBA.

This is just a terrible take whether JB is overpaid or not. He would’ve gotten a 30% max from literally any team with the ability to go after him. He’s consistently been the 2nd best player on a team within striking distance of a championship the last 5 years.

[BK_2020]

The Wizards were able to trade Beal and get 6 seconds and 4 swaps, plus CP3. Then they got Poole, a 1st, and a 2nd for CP3. The Beal contract worked out for them.

[brackdan70]

I remember being most perplexed by the J Grant contract at the time.
But in hindsight it’s not the worst

[BK_2020]

It has to be Jaylen Brown. A super max for a guy who made 1 all-nba eons ago and wouldn't be an AS in the West. Grades out poorly by traditional box score stats, by on/off and +/-, and by every advanced metrics. Stevens did this even though the Celtics could've offered him the most money in UFA anyway and very little chance anyone offers him even a max contract.
Beal contract is understandable given the Wizards had no future and didn't have anyone to spend money on anyway. That was not the case for the Celtics.

It was 2 seasons ago he was All-NBA, and he won ECF and finals MVP after signing it. Giving a guy you drafted who’s a big part of the community who follows up the extension with a championship, ECF and finals MVP the year after cannot possibly be the stupidest contract in the NBA.

This is just a terrible take whether JB is overpaid or not. He would’ve gotten a 30% max from literally any team with the ability to go after him. He’s consistently been the 2nd best player on a team within striking distance of a championship the last 5 years.

Jaylen Brown is not a big part of the community by any metrics. He held a 4 day summer camp once. The 7uice Foundation has disbursed a total of like $100k as charitable expenses in its entire history, the vast majority of which went to paying the camp counselors aka his friends.
And even if he actually was a big part of the community--which he emphatically is not--you don't pay out a supermax based on that.
His finals MVP is the most fraudulent sports award ever. 20.8-5-5 on .535 TS%.

[SkyHook]

To me it's the Embiid extension last summer. He had two years left on his contract when it happened and it won't kick in until 2026-27. There was virtually no downside in letting a perpetually injured player finish his deal and become a free agent. To me that might be the dumbest unforced error in league history.

[brackdan70]

It has to be Jaylen Brown. A super max for a guy who made 1 all-nba eons ago and wouldn't be an AS in the West. Grades out poorly by traditional box score stats, by on/off and +/-, and by every advanced metrics. Stevens did this even though the Celtics could've offered him the most money in UFA anyway and very little chance anyone offers him even a max contract.
Beal contract is understandable given the Wizards had no future and didn't have anyone to spend money on anyway. That was not the case for the Celtics.

Brown earned every penny in my view in the Playoffs last year.
He is still a very positive trade asset as well. I’d view bad contracts as those that require assets to move.

[pipfan]

I remember being most perplexed by the J Grant contract at the time.
But in hindsight it’s not the worst

After PWill, this is the 2nd dumbest. Why 5 years and SO much $?

[Jojothewhale]

The Wizards were able to trade Beal and get 6 seconds and 4 swaps, plus CP3. Then they got Poole, a 1st, and a 2nd for CP3. The Beal contract worked out for them.

Sometimes you make good moves and they don’t work out. Sometimes you make bad ones and they do. Hindsight is not how you evaluate stupid moves unless you’re writing a rage bait listicle.

[HornetJail]

Patrick Williams, then Jalen Green

[BK_2020]

The Wizards were able to trade Beal and get 6 seconds and 4 swaps, plus CP3. Then they got Poole, a 1st, and a 2nd for CP3. The Beal contract worked out for them.

Sometimes you make good moves and they don’t work out. Sometimes you make bad ones and they do. Hindsight is not how you evaluate stupid moves unless you’re writing a rage bait listicle.

Hindsight is very helpful because what happens is a better indicator than what RGM said would happen but didn't. When Beal signed the contract everyone said it was untradeable. Turns out it wasn't. How should we evaluate the Beal contract? Using fan/media reactions at the time or what the contract ultimately accomplished for the Wizards?

[pipfan]

To me it's the Embiid extension last summer. He had two years left on his contract when it happened and it won't kick in until 2026-27. There was virtually no downside in letting a perpetually injured player finish his deal and become a free agent. To me that might be the dumbest unforced error in league history.

Wow, I didn't realize this-I will replace Kuzma

[GeorgeMarcus]

The Beal NTC pushes him over the top

The Embiid contract obviously looks worse now but any team would max out an MVP in his prime