Recently, we looked at the 10 best moves of the NBA offseason. Naturally, it only makes sense to return with the 10 worst moves this NBA offseason. We know the summer is far from done, but there are already enough questionable transactions to form a list, so let’s dive in.
There’s no immediate urgency for the San Antonio Spurs to become contenders. Victor Wembanyama is just 20 years old. But most teams don’t realize they have a bonafide superstar after just one season. The Spurs had the fourth and eighth picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, but after drafting Stephon Castle, San Antonio traded their next selection for picks that won’t even convey for another 6-7 years. Whether they liked Rob Dillingham or not, one would think adding another player with high upside could have paid bigger dividends, especially since we don’t know how many more years Gregg Popovich will be available to coach.
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Now 34 years old, James Harden is not aging gracefully. He averaged just 16.6 PPG last season, the lowest mark since his sophomore season. He’s also not known for giving much effort on defense, preferring to save his energy to provide a scoring punch. Now that PG-13 is in Philadelphia, maybe Harden recovers some value, but it’s hard to see how he’s worth $35 million. The worst part is if Harden slumps again, he’ll just opt into his $36M contract for 2025-26 too.
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It doesn’t really make sense to trade a thriving two-way wing and then turn around and pay a defensive-minded center an annual salary of $24.2 million. We don’t blame the Nets for taking an offer too good to refuse for Bridges but bigs like Claxton almost grow on trees. The Jazz have one available in Walker Kessler, and he’s three years younger than the 25-year-old Claxton, which fits Brooklyn’s new competitive timeline much better.
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Tobias Harris is like the king of putting up garbage points that don’t lead to winning basketball. He’s a respectable scorer who averages 16.3 PPG in his career. But he hasn’t been a very efficient one, as he’s needed to average 13 shots to get there. But he does rebound well, averaging 6.2 RPG in his career. But the Pistons need a lot more than a volume shooter, especially for $26M per season.
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The Tom Thibodeau-led Knicks love overpaying players who can play defense while scoring at a decent clip too. OG Anunoby is no different. An above-average scorer (14.1 PPG) who plays excellent defense (2.7 stocks per game) and is a plus rebounder, we’re not sure he’s worth $42.4 million per season. He’s not going to take on an increased scoring load as long as Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, and Mikal Bridges are around, so the Knicks are really just paying him to play defense and score when his number is called. But that’s what less-expensive role players are for.
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In what world is Patrick Williams worth $18 million per season? The fourth pick in the 2020 NBA Draft has never averaged more than 10.2 points per game, and it’s not like the Chicago Bulls have been stacked with talent. Plus, averaging just four rebounds per game is underwhelming for a power forward. He’s still only 22, but this is a classic case of a team paying for untapped potential.
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If you had told anyone at the start of the offseason that Immanuel Quickley would land a contract worth $32.5 million per season, you’d probably get laughed out of the room. Yet, that’s exactly what the Toronto Raptors did. Quickley is coming off a breakout season (18.6 PPG, 6.8 APG in Toronto), but he’s already 25. How much more growth is expected?
Franz Wagner has improved in all three seasons, but are we sure he’s worth a max contract that pays $44.8 million per year? It’s hard to see him scoring more points; Paolo Banchero will likely continue making strides there. While the 23-year-old still rebounds his position well and averaged 3.7 APG to go with 1.1 steals, this feels like an overpay.
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It’s not that Mikal Bridges isn’t a good player. He’s one of the best two-way standouts in the NBA. Several teams have tried to trade for him. But you can’t convince anyone that he’s worth five first-round picks, which is likely why the Nets leaped at the Knicks’ offer. Sure, the move made the Knicks a lot better, giving them Championship expectations, but it feels like they would have been better off saving their assets for a true superstar instead of a borderline star.
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