Millions of Dollars Fly on First Day of NBA's Free Agency Period
Darko Milicic, who has averaged five points and four rebounds per game for his career, just signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Rudy Gay signed a max contract with the Memphis Grizzlies worth $82 million over five years.
Amir Johnson signed for $34 million over five years with the Toronto Raptors.
Channing Frye signed a five-year, $30 million contract with the Phoenix Suns.
Joe Johnson is reportedly on the verge of inking a deal worth an obscene $119 million to remain with the Atlanta Hawks.
These five players combined to average 9.4 points per game last season. And they now combine to make $285 million.
Milicic has underwhelmed in his career after famously being taken second overall by the Detroit Pistons in a 2003 NBA Draft that included the likes of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Carmelo Anthony. He now benefits from David Kahn being the Timberwolves' general manager.
Gay is a talented offensive player with incredible athleticism, but he’s not worth anywhere near the max deal he just got. Amir Johnson doesn’t have much of an offensive game, and though he is a very effective hustle player and just 23 years old, the energy he possesses doesn’t warrant $34 million from a team disgruntled by the reality that Bosh will not return to Toronto.
Joe Johnson choked in the playoffs and, though young and gifted, he was given what will ultimately be one of the worst contracts in NBA history. The Hawks knew teams like New York, New Jersey, and Miami may have been willing to give him a maximum deal, so, scared of him leaving, they gave him about $50 million more than he is worth.
He fits their offense. He’s one of the top 20 players in the NBA. But he shot just 38 percent from the field in 11 playoff games; he made nine of 41 three-pointers; he hit 29 percent of his attempts to score only 12 points per game in four straight losses to the Orlando Magic.
Certainly not the smartest investment.
Of the five, Frye was possibly the only one to deserve the money he received. Though strictly a perimeter player, he has flourished in Phoenix with Steve Nash running the point. He hit many big threes for the Suns, giving them a stretch-four who can spread the floor just as their many scoring guards can.
He’s worked his tail off to get where he is, and though $30 million to throw a ball through a hoop is ridiculous, the contract he signed may not be so far-fetched given all the money that foolishly flew around during the first day of free agency.
Who knows what the next few days and weeks have in store? Wade, James, Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, David Lee, and Carlos Boozer will receive the max or near it. That is expected.
But if what took place on the first day of free agency is repeated, more head-scratching contracts will be handed out, and middle-of-the-road free agents will surely be vastly overpaid.
285 million dollars was spent yesterday on five players. That is disgusting. The money in sports is outrageous. And the salaries will only increase. The NBA, like the rest of the major sports, is more of a business than a game. What kind of world are we living in? Athletes used to play for the thrill; now they just go to the highest bidder.
I wish more players were like Richard Jefferson, who opted out of the final year of his contract with the San Antonio Spurs. He walked away from a guaranteed $15 million. Of course, I may second-guess his presumed understanding that money isn’t everything. (He has, by the way, earned $67 million in his career to date).
After all, with the way money is being tossed around, some team could offer him more than $15 million annually on the market. And, with the egos in sports and the salivating reactions to dollar signs, he would undoubtedly take it.
