NBA free agency is right around the corner, and there is sure to be a lot of money thrown around this summer. Free agency can be an exciting time for fans as they eagerly wait for their favorite team to sign an impact player to an affordable contract.
Of course, that doesn’t always happen, and signing a player to a bad contract could have long-term negative ramifications for a team. So much so that previous collective bargaining agreements between the owners and the NBA Players Association have often included rules to prevent teams from making costly mistakes. In fact, the most recent CBA added several new rules to try and limit a team’s ability to give out bad contracts.
Even then, there have still been plenty of awful deals given out over the years. Oftentimes, teams gamble big on a relatively unproven player, or perhaps one that is past their peak. That will likely continue to be the case, though hopefully in smaller numbers going forward. With that being the case, let’s take a look at the 20 most disastrous free agent signings in NBA history.