The 20 worst free agent signings in NBA history
By Cal Durrett
#11. Shawn Kemp: 7 years, $107 million
Power forward Shawn Kemp is best known for his terrific eight seasons with the Seattle Supersonics, where he made the all-star team five times and formed a dynamic duo with Hall of Famer Gary Payton. However, he is also known for being signed to a monster 7-year, $107 million deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, which proved to be a terrible investment on the team’s part.
Kemp wasn’t the same freak athlete in Cleveland that he was in Seattle, and while he still put up big numbers and made another all-star team, he struggled with weight problems. He was traded to Portland in 2000, and the wheels really began to fall off. He went from averaging 17.8 points to averaging only 6.5 points and struggled with weight, drug, and alcohol issues.
He lasted two seasons there before finishing out his contract and his career in Orlando. Even though he didn’t play past the 2002–03 season, he still got paid 14.3 million to sit at home. In 426 games over those six seasons, Kemp averaged just 12.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, certainly failing to live up to the $107 million deal that he signed.