worst contract in the league now

[Trader_Joe]

Kanter is a player with 1/2 a game, offense. He's not worth $17-18 million a year. If he improves as you point out then maybe. I'd only offer him $10 million right now.

Of the new contracts Carroll could be a massive disaster fot the Raps, and Wes Matthews for the Mavs. Reggie Jackson with either become a great pg or be a salary cap anchor.

He is also a top notch rebounder, which is part of D as it limits second chance points.

I like Kanter well enough at $10-12 million but not at $17 and paying luxury tax to do it. We don't know what the OKC luxury tax situation is gonna be but it's potentially as if they are giving him $30 million. I would have let him leave or tried to make it a sign and trade with Portland. But once the offer sheet was in that was an impossibility. There were low cost options they could have went to.

I guess I'm not judging the contract based upon the Thunder's lux tax bill, rather the contract for the player and how it would be viewed league wide.

OKC looks about $11m over the tax and could move some combo of these guys to get there by the trade deadline:

Novak - 3.75m
Collison - 3.75m
Waiters - 5.1m
Augustin - 3m
Singler - 4.5m

[basketballwacko2]

I'd think they would be moving Novak and Waiters but they may have to pay to get that done, they like Collison but they could trade him now that they have Ibaka, Kanter, Adams and McGary as their bigs. Moving all three would get them under the tax. I don't think Augustin gets traded they need him until Payne is ready and they just signed Singler so not likely to move him.

[Trader_Joe]

I'd think they would be moving Novak and Waiters but they may have to pay to get that done, they like Collison but they could trade him now that they have Ibaka, Kanter, Adams and McGary as their bigs. Moving all three would get them under the tax. I don't think Augustin gets traded they need him until Payne is ready and they just signed Singler so not likely to move him.

I think Payne will overtake him, and I think Singler was one of the worst contracts (of the non-huge ones) and they would again have until the trade deadline to make it happen. Also, it's not as though OKC has to get out of the tax, it would be one large tax bill and then they'd be safe for years. It also I'm sure looks good to their potential FAs if the team is willing to spend.

[lars_rosenberg]

Pekovic and Kanter are the worse contracts.

[basketballwacko2]

I'd think they would be moving Novak and Waiters but they may have to pay to get that done, they like Collison but they could trade him now that they have Ibaka, Kanter, Adams and McGary as their bigs. Moving all three would get them under the tax. I don't think Augustin gets traded they need him until Payne is ready and they just signed Singler so not likely to move him.

I think Payne will overtake him, and I think Singler was one of the worst contracts (of the non-huge ones) and they would again have until the trade deadline to make it happen. Also, it's not as though OKC has to get out of the tax, it would be one large tax bill and then they'd be safe for years. It also I'm sure looks good to their potential FAs if the team is willing to spend.

Signing Singler was not needed they had PJIII who was cheaper. DJ may become expendable but they don't want to go into the season with a rookie as the only backup to Westbrooke.

[R-DAWG]

James Dolan's ownership contract with the Knicks

[bondom34]

I'd think they would be moving Novak and Waiters but they may have to pay to get that done, they like Collison but they could trade him now that they have Ibaka, Kanter, Adams and McGary as their bigs. Moving all three would get them under the tax. I don't think Augustin gets traded they need him until Payne is ready and they just signed Singler so not likely to move him.

I think Payne will overtake him, and I think Singler was one of the worst contracts (of the non-huge ones) and they would again have until the trade deadline to make it happen. Also, it's not as though OKC has to get out of the tax, it would be one large tax bill and then they'd be safe for years. It also I'm sure looks good to their potential FAs if the team is willing to spend.

Signing Singler was not needed they had PJIII who was cheaper. DJ may become expendable but they don't want to go into the season with a rookie as the only backup to Westbrooke.

Except PJ isn't an NBA player, Singler is.

[Magicman125]

I agree Frye is overpaid, but 3/23 left isn't THAT bad for someone who is good in the Pick and Pop, can hit the mid-range jumper, can post up smaller fours, and is a 40% 3 pt shooter.

EDIT: Also, having Skiles as our coach means we'll actually have a defensive gameplan with legitimate sets, rotations assigned to players. It should help mask his defensive deficiencies.

[Dukenukem23]

Wes Matthews, Kobe , Pek, b Lopez

[basketballwacko2]

I think Payne will overtake him, and I think Singler was one of the worst contracts (of the non-huge ones) and they would again have until the trade deadline to make it happen. Also, it's not as though OKC has to get out of the tax, it would be one large tax bill and then they'd be safe for years. It also I'm sure looks good to their potential FAs if the team is willing to spend.

Signing Singler was not needed they had PJIII who was cheaper. DJ may become expendable but they don't want to go into the season with a rookie as the only backup to Westbrooke.

Except PJ isn't an NBA player, Singler is.

Is PJ that bad?

[bondom34]

Signing Singler was not needed they had PJIII who was cheaper. DJ may become expendable but they don't want to go into the season with a rookie as the only backup to Westbrooke.

Except PJ isn't an NBA player, Singler is.

Is PJ that bad?

Yep. I've never seen a guy who could legit play 20 minutes of an NBA game and you never even realized he was on the court. He's known for the 2 above average games he had his whole career, but he's played over 1500 minutes. I was a fan of his, but this last year I realized he's just not really good. Singler is far and away a better player.

[gold0259]

Rubio!

[gold0259]

Sad the Wolves have such a nice Roster, until you look at Ricky & Pek

[basketballwacko2]

Sad the Wolves have such a nice Roster, until you look at Ricky & Pek

They could trade Ricky but Pek is another story. Best case is he takes the medical and retires.

[Clyde Frazier]

Melo or Pek

I would rather have Frye and his 3 yr/24 mil than the following contracts..

- Mathhews
- Pek
- Landry
- Thompson
- Varejo
- Jackson
- Carroll
- Carmelo
- Kobe
- Hibbert
- Young
- Kanter
- Burks

Pekovic cause he has an extra year on Varejao. I think Melo got this soon though his contract just runs into eternity like the classic Deron and Joe Johnson ones. Of the new ones signed this summer the one I'd pick to end up a "worst in the league" contract is Chandler. A real risk he's Gerald Wallace-d by like halfway through that contract

So many choices!

Not counting expirings, or anyone with 2 years left like AV, or anyone on less than $10M per.

Pekovic (3/36)
Tyson Chandler (4/52, he'll be 33 in October)
Thompson (5/80, or anything close to that)
Brandon Knight (5/70, yup 5 years)
Kanter (4/70)
Matthews (4/70)
Asik (5/53)
Melo (4/101)
Robin Lopez (4/54)
Brook Lopez (3/63)

Semi-surprised to see carmelo mentioned this much. With the cap increasing significantly, his contract isn't crazy high:

Remember: the cap goes up about 29% next year, from $70M to $90M. If Afflalo, Williams, and Calderon all stay, the top-5 salaries will combine for just 65% of the total payroll. Carmelo's $24.6M in 2017 is equal to $17M under last year's cap or $19M under this year's; if 2018's cap ends up around $110M, which is currently forecast but could change if when the league locks out the players, Carmelo's contract drops to 24% of the total cap. Whether you view him as a long-term piece to build around or a piece to move for assets sooner than later, his salary's no albatross.

http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2015/7/20/8925883/the-knicks-are-building-a-normal-functioning-basketball-team

Not sure why this is seemingly being ignored after much discussion since free agency started. And unless you’re unwilling to give carmelo any benefit of the doubt, he’s easily a better player than deron and joe johnson were when they signed their contracts. He shut it down this season because the knicks were tanking, and if they were in the playoff hunt, he could’ve played through the injury. If he’s healthy next season, he’s at worst a top 15 player, and i’d expect him to hover closer to top 10.

I just don’t think he belongs in the discussion. Nor does Robin Lopez, simply because of the cap. His salary is equivalent to $8-9 mil this past season.

[loserX]

Pekovic and Kanter are the worse contracts.

Someone *just* signed Kanter to the max, and I can name at least one other team for a fact that would take him for capspace. (That team is Portland and we know that because they just tried to.)

Can't think of a single team that would take Pekovic into capspace if it were possible. Why would they? So Pek is clearly worse to me.

[gold0259]

How many games does Pekovic have to miss to medically retire? Didn't that also happen to Terrell Brandon? #luckofthewolves

[KqWIN]

Feel free to crucify me, but the one guy I haven't seen anyone mention is Derrick Rose. There was no way of predicting this, but the Bulls have gotten very little out of that mega extension. He's only 26, but in my mind he's entering the used-to-be-good category. If Deron's contract was the worst, Rose's contract is at least somewhat similar.

[PhilDMonkey]

Nominate Chris Bosh.
Not saying he is the worst, but at least he should be in this conversation.

[lars_rosenberg]

Pekovic and Kanter are the worse contracts.

Someone *just* signed Kanter to the max, and I can name at least one other team for a fact that would take him for capspace. (That team is Portland and we know that because they just tried to.)

Can't think of a single team that would take Pekovic into capspace if it were possible. Why would they? So Pek is clearly worse to me.

Sure, Kanter at least can play.
But he's the second worst. When OKC will realize how useless he is, they'll have an hard time moving him.