NBA free agency: 30 worst free agent signings in NBA history
New Jersey Nets. 6 Years, $33.75 Million. Todd MacCulloch. 15. player. 147.
Worst free agency signings in NBA history: 15. Todd MacCulloch, New Jersey Nets
There was no really no rhyme or reason behind the six-year, $33.75 million deal Todd MacCulloch signed with the then-New Jersey Nets back in the 2001 NBA offseason. As the No. 47 pick with the Philadelphia 76ers, MacCulloch put up 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game across two seasons with the team from 1999 to 2001.
He didn’t start more than nine games, while appearing in 119 games and averaging just 9.4 minutes per game. The 7-foot center put a then career-high 21 points off the bench in an 8-of-10 shooting display towards the end of the season.
MacCulloch did enough for the Nets to take a gamble on the reserve in hopes of turning him into a starter. He started in a career-best 61 games, appearing in 62, while averaging 9.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per contest.
He managed to put up a career-high 29 points in the fifth game of the season, but he scored 20 points or more in just three games. He did post eight double-doubles, but it was clear the Nets investment was a failed one. They did get solid production out of him in their run to the 2002 NBA Finals, but it was clear they had to move on.
During the 2002 NBA offseason, he was traded with Keith Van Horn to the Philadelphia 76ers for Dikembe Mutombo. It marked the return of MacCulloch to his old team but in the end, he had to retire due to a diagnosis of bilateral neuropathy, severe nerve damage in the feet.