[Windhorst] The Good, The Bad and The Most Concerning Contracts

daywalker02 · Dec 26, 2018

The good
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Kind of a no-brainer. He's on pace to have his most prolific scoring season in nine years. His shooting stats are slightly down as compared to last season, and his assists are down too, though the standard is high because 2017-18 was one of the finest seasons of James' career. His impact on winning for the Lakers is profound and sublime at the same time.

Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
It's always good when your max player is playing like one. George is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals and PER, all while averaging his fewest minutes since his second season. He also is a major contributor to one of the league's best defenses.

Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Did you see he got the biggest pay raise in league history, going from $1.4 million to $25.4 million? He is one of the rarest commodities: a playmaking big man who at times is too unselfish for his own good. He is No. 1 among all centers in real plus-minus and has been, believe it or not, for three years running.

Julius Randle, New Orleans Pelicans
This has been an excellent signing for the midlevel exception for New Orleans, adding an impact player who is flourishing while playing with Anthony Davis. Unfortunately for the Pelicans, Randle has been rough on defense and can opt out of his contract next summer.

Nemanja Bjelica, Sacramento Kings
He is shooting 45 percent from 3-point range and rebounding well. He probably will never be a good defender, but this is looking like a tremendous value signing for Sacramento, which signed him for three years and $20 million. Not to mention that the Kings stole him from the 76ers when he backed out of a deal with Philly to get more years and money in Sacramento.

Joe Harris, Brooklyn Nets
Three years ago, he was injured and out of the league with difficult prospects. Now he is averaging 13 points, shooting 47 percent from 3 and on a two-year, $16 million deal.

Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers
He had an under-the-radar strong season as a high-energy reserve last season -- so under the radar that the Clippers were able to keep him on a two-year, $12 million deal. And he has been one of the league's best bench players thus far.

Brook Lopez, Milwaukee Bucks
Lopez is stretching the floor beautifully for one of the league's best offenses at just $3.4 million this season.

Derrick Rose, Minnesota Timberwolves
Rose never shot better than 33 percent from 3-point range in his career -- but now he is shooting 47 percent. On a minimum deal, he is having his best season since his first knee injury.

Jeff Green, Washington Wizards
Green is having the best shooting season of his career and making the minimum.

Jonas Jerebko, Golden State Warriors
Thin because of injury, the Warriors have relied heavily on Jerebko, and he has filled a number of roles. He also is on a minimum salary.
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The bad
Jabari Parker, Chicago Bulls
Other than the nice storyline of him returning home, this one seemed like a big risk right from the start. Parker is a weak defender and his offense just hasn't been good enough to make up for it. He's having the worst shooting season of his career. He lost his starting job, then his backup up job, and now he is on the trade block. And they paid him $20 million this season.

Dwight Howard, Washington Wizards
Signing him at all was a calculated risk. The Wizards talked themselves into it after seeing some flourishes last season in Charlotte. Why they gave Howard $5.3 million in a limited market was questionable; giving him a player option for next season at $5.6 million was unbelievable. After surgery, his future in the league is in doubt.

Carmelo Anthony, Houston Rockets
It was just a minimum, but Houston realized very quickly this was a bad idea. His defense in the playoffs last season was like an anchor for the Thunder. His shooting percentage has dwindled to the point where his value is below replacement-player level. Hence, the Rockets replaced him within weeks.

Avery Bradley, LA Clippers
Bradley got hurt last season and looked like someone trying to play through an injury. He had surgery and the Clippers bet on a strong recovery, giving him $12 million this season, with a team option for next season with $2 million guaranteed. He has shot the ball terribly and ranks near the bottom in real plus-minus. Coach Doc Rivers has defended him and kept him in the starting lineup.
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The concerning

Chris Paul, Houston Rockets
When Paul is healthy, he still is one of the best in his league at the position. But he seems to be injured often, and scouting reports detail reduced mobility. Injuries seem to have affected him all season; his scoring and shooting numbers have dropped to around career lows. Part of it could be workload: Paul, 33, is playing his highest average of minutes in four years. It's fair to wonder how his four-year, $160 million contract will look over the long haul.

Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs added four years and $120 million to Love's deal last summer. There were good feelings about it when it happened, but both sides were kind of using each other a bit. The Cavs were making sure they protected the asset and left open the option of trading him as soon as this season. Love, who has been injury-prone throughout his career, got a giant payday as he showed loyalty to an organization not used to it. He is hurt again, underwent a third surgery in four years and is now signed through age 34.

Dante Exum, Utah Jazz
After the early part of Exum's career was wrecked by knee and shoulder injuries, Utah wagered that he was on the upswing when it gave him a three-year, $33 million ($27 million guaranteed) deal last summer. But his shooting, which was looking better, has cratered, and his efficiency has plummeted this season.
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http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25565026/good-bad-concerning-nba-contracts

Williamson · Dec 26, 2018

It's really dumb to have Carmelo on this list. There are lots of guys on minimums not contributing.

Vivi · Dec 26, 2018

Williamson said: ↑

It's really dumb to have Carmelo on this list. There are lots of guys on minimums not contributing.
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Sorry, couldn't resist

Williamson · Dec 26, 2018

Vivi said: ↑

Sorry, couldn't resist

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Meet me in Temecula.

BigDog63 · Dec 28, 2018

Williamson said: ↑

It's really dumb to have Carmelo on this list. There are lots of guys on minimums not contributing.
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That's the beauty of pickups like that...there isn't any contractual downside to it. Hence, agree...how can a contract with no downside be on this list?

I would add, how on earth is Luca Doncic not on the good contracts list???

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[Windhorst] The Good, The Bad and The Most Concerning Contracts

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[Windhorst] The Good, The Bad and The Most Concerning Contracts

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