NBA free agency: 30 worst free agent signings in NBA history
Washington Wizards. 6 Years, $111 Million. Gilbert Arenas. 1. player. 142.
Worst free agency signings in NBA history: 1. Gilbert Arenas, Washington Wizards
Point guard Gilbert Arenas had the Washington Wizards headed to greener pastures back in 2008, or at least before that. He signed a six-year, $60 million deal originally with the Wizards as a free agent in the 2003 NBA offseason.
That’s when the “Gilbert Arenas Rule” was established, allowing teams to match offers to second-round picks. At the time, the Warriors were unable to match offer, which only accounted for first-round draft picks.
In his first year with the Wizards, he put up 19.6 points, 5.0 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per contest then he really soared, making three straight NBA All-Star appearances from 2005 to 2007.
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Arenas produced a career-high 29.3 points per contest along with 6.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game during the 2005-06 campaign.
After putting together stellar performances in both the playoffs and regular season, Arenas found himself sidelined with a knee injury.
He had hit a rough patch himself on the injury front appearing in just 13 games during the 2007-08 season, but the Wizards found him worth the gamble during free agency.
Arenas signed a six-year, $111 million deal to remain with the Wizards, but things quickly unraveled for him.
Arenas would go onto appear in just 47 games from 2007 to 2010. During the 2009-10 NBA season, an unfortunate gun incident with teammate Javaris Crittendon led the Wizards to suspend Arenas when he made light of the situation during pre-game introductions and in-game celebrations.
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He was ultimately traded to the Orlando Magic during the 2010-11 NBA season, after appearing in just 21 games for Washington that year. He would finish out the season with the Memphis Grizzlies before finding himself out of the league after the 2011-12 NBA season.