NBA Free Agency 2012: Overstretched Teams Who Paid Too Much in Free Agency

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The free-agency period is a great opportunity for teams to pick up proven players in order to greatly improve their outlook for next season.

With that said, some teams get caught up in the hype and make bad decisions that come back to haunt them.

Teams get desperate and spend a lot of money on players who do not deserve it. There are a few teams in particular who fall under this unfortunate category.

Brooklyn Nets

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It is understandable that the Nets want to make a good impression in their first season in Brooklyn.

To do this, they resigned Deron Williams to a massive five-year deal and brought Gerald Wallace back as well with a four-year deal. That is all fine, but the signing of Brook Lopez is where the Nets really slipped.

The center will earn $61 million over the next four seasons which seems like a lot of cash for a guy who plays little defense and averages 7.5 boards a game for his career.

On the offensive end, he is one of the top centers in the league, but a max contract for an above-average center seems like a stretch.

Boston Celtics

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I was not a fan of the three-year contract that Garnett signed this offseason. There were rumors of retirement and the next thing we know is that KG signs a three-year deal worth $34 million.

It’s a lot of money for someone whose production is bound to regress as he reaches his upper 30s. The three-year, $15 million contract can also prove to be a failure. While

Terry gives them the three-point shooter they lost with the departure of Ray Allen. Terry is likely to take more bad shots than Allen.

He also does not move without the ball quite as well which the Celtics could miss next season. This signing makes sense, but it could prove to be a poor one.

Indiana Pacers

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The Pacers were forced into a tough decision when their prized center Roy Hibbert signed an offer sheet that gave him a three-year $58 million contract.

Hibbert is a young All-Star who can develop to be a great player, but as of now this is a big gamble. George Hill was also resigned for the next five years in a deal that will earn him $40 million.

Hill is 26 and has so far only averaged 9.8 points a game for his career. It’s a big contract for an unproven guard who only started nine games for Indiana last year.

Two players and two questionable deals.

Well that’s it, thanks for reading and follow me on twitter for sports talk!