7. Darius Miles
Darius Miles was one of the straight-from-high-school prospects, being selected third overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2000 NBA Draft. Miles would earn All-Rookie honors, and seemed to be on course to be a major contributor in the league.
After being traded twice, first to Cleveland, and then to Portland, the Blazers, very unwisely, gave Miles a six-year, $48 million contract. In his first year with the team, Miles clashed with his coach according to media reports, and while he was not a terrible player on the court, his attitude and work ethic were questioned around the league.
Eventually Miles would suffer a knee injury that would require micro-fracture surgery, and that injury would end up being declared by an independent doctor to be career ending. However, Miles would go on to play again for the Memphis Grizzlies, despite a legal warning from the Blazers.
Because Miles had signed that contract with Portland, the fact that he was playing again in the NBA meant that the years Miles did not play would accelerate onto Portland’s salary cap, and the Blazers immediately incurred $18 million worth of dead cap space.
Miles would play 34 games for the Grizzlies that year, producing marginal results off the bench, and then never played again. Whether the Grizzlies signed Miles just to ruin a Western Conference rival’s cap situation is not known, but is it certain the Portland rues the day that it signed Miles to that ridiculous contract.
Next: 6 - Tim Thomas