One year ago, there was a lot of talk about the rising NBA salary cap and the type of big-money deals that were handed out as a result. At the time, it seemed like there was no such thing as a bad deal. Fast-forward one year later and a sudden change in the NBA’s cap climate have made those contracts look a lot worse in a hurry. There are at least five centers that have been overpaid to the point where their presence likely hurts their teams more than it helps them. Here is a look at the NBA’s five-worst contracts for the center position.
Joakim Noah, New York Knicks
The 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year award winner has become a shell of his former self. Injuries limited him to just 46 games last season. Noah averaged just 5.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game when he was healthy. The 32-year-old will likely continue to struggle to stay on the floor as he gets older. Moreover, the position has changed significantly to the point where a defensive center is viewed as a liability these days. Teams like the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers go small at the position to get more shooting. Noah doesn’t offer that.
Considering he is still owed $55.6 million from the Knicks over the next three years, it’s safe to say he has one of the worst contracts in the NBA regardless of position.
Omer Asik, New Orleans Pelicans
New Orleans already had one of the best big men in the NBA in Anthony Davis when they decided to sign Asik to a long-term deal. That makes the five-year, $58 million contract they handed him in 2015 look even worse. Asik was limited to just 31 appearances for the Pelicans last season. When he did play, he averaged just 2.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 15.5 minutes per game. Those are terrible numbers for a player that owns a terrible contract at a position where New Orleans doesn’t even need help. It’s safe to say that Asik’s current contract is one of the worst in the NBA.
Timofey Mozgov, Brooklyn Nets
The Lakers turned a lot of heads when they signed Mozgov to a four-year, $64 million contract in the summer of 2016. One year later, they were forced to trade their 2015 first-round pick D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn along with Mozgov just to get that contract off their books. The Nets are in the worst situation of any NBA team thanks to a severe lack of talent and a severe lack of picks so they took on Mozgov for the chance to add Russell. The contract won’t crush Brooklyn the way it would have other teams. The fact that the Lakers were willing to part with Russell just to get Mozgov’s contract off their books is testament to how terrible his deal is.
Bismack Biyombo, Orlando Magic
The Magic overpaid for Biyombo when they signed him to a four-year, $72 million deal in the summer of 2016. Biyombo was coming off a solid playoff run for a Toronto Raptors team that had reached the Eastern Conference Finals at the time. However, Toronto wasn’t willing to pay that kind of money to bring him back and Orlando shouldn’t have been willing to pay that kind of money either. Biyombo averaged just 6.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 22.1 minutes per game for the Magic last season. It is safe to say Orlando definitely regrets signing him at this point.
Ian Mahinmi, Washington Wizards
Another contract that deserves to be considered among the worst of the massive deals handed out in the summer of 2016 is the one the Wizards handed to Mahinmi. Washington signed Mahinmi to a four-year, $64 million deal that limited the amoung of money they would be able to offer Kevin Durant while keeping them out of the Al Horford sweepstakes. Considering they already had Marcin Gortat on their roster, there really was no need to spend that much money on Mahinmi. After averaging 5.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season, it’s clear Mahinmi deserves to be on this list with one of the biggest contract busts in the NBA at his position.
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