Brook Lopez and Most Ridiculous Contracts of 2012 Free Agency Period

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Sometimes it just seems like NBA teams love throwing away money, investing it in the wrong players as they hope to improve the fortunes of their respective teams. 

Every year, there are some free agent signings that seem a little bit ridiculous. 

Led by Brook Lopez and his max contract with the Brooklyn Nets, these are the most ridiculous of the many contracts signed in the 2012 free agency period. 

Omer Asik: 3 Years, $25 Million

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Team: Chicago Bulls or Houston Rockets

Age: 26

Position: C

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 3.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.0 blocks

 

Whether the Chicago Bulls match the Houston Rockets' offer sheet or not, Omer Asik will be getting way more money than he deserves. 

An extraordinarily limited player on offense whose most recent play involved missing two free throws in the most crucial part of the decisive loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the postseason, Asik isn't a starter yet. 

He's still too raw, and limited to blocking shots and puling down rebounds. 

Asik has a ton of potential, but it's not worth over $8 million per year on average. 

Landry Fields: 3 Years, $20 Million

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Team: Toronto Raptors or New York Knicks

Age: 24

Position: SG

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 8.8 points, 2.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds 

 

The intention with this signing was to throw a wrench in the New York Knicks' plans to get Steve Nash, and that part worked. 

However, now either the Toronto Raptors or the Knicks will have to bite the bullet and overpay Landry Fields by quite a bit. 

Despite the promise he showed during his rookie season, Fields just isn't that good. He's a solid rebounder for his position and can occasionally knock down jumpers or show off some hops, but he doesn't deserve a starting job. 

A 12.07 PER last year showed that. 

Jeff Green: 4 Years, $36 Million

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Team: Boston Celtics

Age: 25

Position: SF/PF

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 13.3 points, 1.4 assists, 4.8 rebounds

 

Re-signing Jeff Green is fine, but re-signing him for four years and $36 million is a little bit too much. 

After an aortic aneurysm caused him to miss the entire 2011-2012 season, Green's future in the NBA has to be a little bit questionable. He may be healthy and ready to go, in which case he could prove worth the money, but it's a risky proposition. 

If something does go wrong, the Boston Celtics are stuck with his salary on the books for years to come. A one or two-year deal would have been a much safer idea. 

Jason Kidd: 3 Years, $9 Million

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Team: New York Knicks

Age: 39

Position: PG

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 6.2 points, 5.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds 

 

I don't have a problem with the money Jason Kidd is receiving, but there's no way that he should have been signed to a three-year deal. 

Kidd is already 39 years old and will hit the dreaded 4-0 during the 2012-2013 season. By the time his contract is up, he'll be wheel-chairing up and down the court at age 42. 

Although he's had a terrific, Hall of Fame worthy career, Kidd is clearly wearing down. He was one of the worst point guards in the NBA last season and that isn't going to change as he continues to age. 

A one-year deal to play sparingly and mentor Jeremy Lin would have been fine. Maybe even a two-year deal. 

However, three is just too much. 

Brook Lopez: 4 Years, $61 Million

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Team: Brooklyn Nets

Age: 24

Position: C

2011-2012 Per-Game Stats: 19.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.8 blocks

 

Let's say you have one of the most offensively talented centers in all of basketball. Now, you learn that he's incredibly injury-prone, especially after multiple foot injuries derailed his last campaign. 

On top of that, he doesn't like playing defense and he doesn't understand what a rebound is. 

If you knew all of that, you certainly wouldn't offer him a max contract, giving him $61 million over four years. 

However, that's exactly what the Brooklyn Nets did with Brook Lopez. There's a reason his name appears in the title.