Another offseason and yet another period of insanely overpriced contracts being paid out. This seems to be a constant trend in the NBA, where teams seem to throw out money to land as much talent as they can get regardless of the price or fit in the squad. This year was no different, as some massive head-scratchers were created with some mega deals.
Whether players dealt with injuries in the past or lack the talent to actually perform anywhere near their payout, 2020 has seemingly started out historically with money being thrown everywhere. Without further ado, here are the 5 worst contracts given out during the 2020 offseason so far.
5. Jordan Clarkson
4- year, $52 million
2019-2020 Statistics: 15.6 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 46.2% FG
Jordan Clarkson is an energizer off the bench who can come in and fill it up almost instantaneously. He is a high volume scorer who cannot be trusted to start every game due to his lack of size and defensive resistance. That did not stop the Utah Jazz from offering a whopping 4-year, $52 million contract for essentially a 6th man.
Clarkson can score at an above-average level, which is very important in today’s game, but he doesn’t do much else. As evidenced by his statistics, he only comes in to shoot and is not a playmaker or defender. It is almost certain that Clarkson will once again average close to his scoring numbers of last year, but his lack of overall impact on the game doesn’t warrant that kind of money.
4. Gordon Hayward
4-year, $120 million
2019-2020 Statistics: 17.5 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.1 APG, 50.0% FG
If Gordon Hayward was still an All-Star like he was with the Utah Jazz, this deal would be a solid one for the Charlotte Hornets. But he is nowhere near the player he once was because a broken leg and countless other injuries he has dealt with doesn’t warrant a max contract – as unfair as that sounds. Charlotte seemed desperate for a player with All-Star capabilities to pair with new franchise player LaMelo Ball.
Michael Jordan and the Hornets still grossly overpaid an injury-prone player who has seemingly lost his confidence. Hayward is still a nice player right now because he can score and pass very well. But he was given max money after a season where he was the 4th option on offense, and he simply won’t be the answer to Charlotte’s woes this season or for the next few years.
3. Marcus Morris
4-year, $64 million
2019-2020 Statistics: 16.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 43.8% FG
This deal is absolutely shocking. Marcus Morris is a solid player and a tough role player who actually can help teams win games, but he isn’t $64 million good. Morris is expected to start for the Clippers and bring toughness to the team, but his production will be negligible when analyzing the Clippers’ title hopes next season. Morris can hit threes at a decent clip, rebound, and provide some size at the forward spots but not much else.
Paying $64 million over 4 years for a guy who averaged 10.1 PPG on 42.5% shooting for the Clippers is extremely puzzling. Surely the Clippers wanted to keep him, but they couldn’t offer him a better deal? Morris is a solid role player but the Clippers certainly committed a large portion of their future money to a 31-year old.
2. Davis Bertans
5-year, $80 million
2019-2020 Statistics: 15.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 43.4% FG
Davis Bertans is a perfect big man in today’s NBA. Teams are willing to pay a massive premium for shooting and Bertans can stretch the floor as a power forward or center. He shot 42.4% from three last season so clearly, he is an above-average marksman. But committing $80 million to Bertans is insanity, especially for a 28-year old. Bertans will get paid until he is 33 years of age, for a team like the Wizards who are probably going nowhere. Nobody knows if the Wizards have any sort of goal moving forward.
Today’s NBA is all about shooting and floor spacing so Bertans getting a large payday was expected. But nobody expected $80 million because Bertans is an average rebounder and defender who doesn’t offer the total package for a player getting paid like it. Washington will have to make do and hope that can keep Bradley Beal and John Wall happy on the squad to fight for the Playoffs.
1. Joe Harris
4-year, $75 million
2019-2020 Statistics: 14.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 48.6% FG
Joe Harris improved a lot as a player and is an above-average marksman from deep. But committing $75 million to a role player who is 29 years of age is absolutely shocking. Harris will likely be the third option on the team once Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving return to the court for the Nets, but they have committed a large amount of their cap space to this trio. Harris plays hard and has improved in all areas of his game, but his ceiling is not high considering his age and what he has shown so far.
Brooklyn wanted to make sure Durant and Irving have a knockdown shooter on the squad, and the Nets at least have that going for them. But Joe Harris has a career average of 10.4 PPG and he isn’t that great of an all-around scorer either, mainly relying on his jump-shooting. 2020 has been a strange year and it culminated with the massive paydays of pure shooters who offer not much else.
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