The biggest players in 2023 NBA free agency have by and large been signed by new teams for a lot of money.
While the five players on this list of worst contracts aren’t bad NBA players by any measure, their deals feel given by teams making hasty decisions to force success that may not be guaranteed.
A lot of money went out during this year’s NBA free agency cycle, and we feel these five deals could have either been structured a lot differently or not signed at all.
This is all subjective, but some of these deals left us just befuddled.
Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers
Free agent forward Jerami Grant and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul have agreed on a five-year, $160 million deal to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2023
While Jerami Grant is a good player and did well for Portland after being traded there last summer, the team giving him an outrageous five-year, $160 million deal stands as one of the bigger head-scratchers of free agency.
Can Grant be the team’s long-term standout next to Scoot Henderson if the Trail Blazers trade Damian Lillard? Well, Portland will certainly find out.
Dillon Brooks, Houston Rockets
Free agent G Dillon Brooks has agreed on a four-year, $80 million contract with the Houston Rockets, his agent Mike George of @OneLegacySports tells ESPN. Rockets have now landed two targets in free agency — Fred VanVleet and Brooks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023
We’re still a bit bewildered that Dillon Brooks went from one of the NBA’s true villains to one of its highest-paid free agents, but here we are.
Houston looks to have gotten a bit desperate here, even if Brooks is a very good defender. A 4-year, $80 million contract is just baffling.
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Free agent Kyrie Irving has agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract to return to the Dallas Mavericks, with a player option in third season, @TheAthletic @Stadium learned.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2023
We’ll let former Suns executive and NBA TV’s Ryan McDonough spell out why this is such a strange contract for the Mavericks.
To sum it up: who were the Mavs competing against for such a lucrative deal, and is this really going to work for Dallas with Irving’s history of not getting situated where he is?
Kyle Kuzma, Washington Wizards
Free agent F Kyle Kuzma has agreed on a four-year, $102M deal to return to the Washington Wizards, co-head of @CAA_Basketball Austin Brown tells ESPN. Kuzma took a shorter deal with Lakers three years ago — and now cashes in after a career-year with Wizards. pic.twitter.com/Ox7TQDcb6z
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2023
Kyle Kuzma is a good basketball player, but signing him to this heavy a deal feels like it’s undermining Washington’s ability to rebuild when it desperately needs to. Plus, it’s just more fun to have Kuzma on a team that’s winning.
Let’s hope the Wizards get this figured out sooner than later because that’s a lot of money to pay Kuzma if you’re not planning on contending for a bit.
Fred VanVleet, Houston Rockets
Free agent G Fred VanVleet has agreed on a three-year, $130 million contract with the Houston Rockets, @KlutchSports CEO Rich Paul and agent Erika Ruiz tell ESPN. Rockets land ex-Raptors All-Star in his prime at 29 years old. pic.twitter.com/B6WwPmLYq1
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2023
Like all of the players on this list, VanVleet is very talented and was deserving of a good contract in free agency this summer.
However, it’s hard to argue that the Rockets didn’t overspend on his deal. If they really view VanVleet as a franchise cornerstone for the future, why not sign him to additional years?
This feels like a Houston team that’s overestimating what it’s going to do this season in what should be a square rebuilding phase.
