The 20 worst free agent signings in NBA history

#17. Allan Houston: 6 years, $100.4 million

Former New York Knick star Allan Houston missed just 14 games in his first eight seasons while proving to be a talented scorer. Factor in that he had recently helped lead them to the NBA Finals as an 8th seed, and he probably seemed like a safe bet when the Knicks gave him a 6-year, $100.4 million extension in 2001.

While it was a clear overpay, especially considering the salary cap was only $40.2 million at the time, Houston initially played well. In fact, he had a career year in 2001-02, averaging 20.4 points while shooting 39.3% from three, only to have an even better year the following season. Unfortunately, Houston began to break down.

He missed 32 games in 2003–04, 62 games in 2004–05, and didn’t play at all over the final two years of his contract after being waived by the Knicks. Of course, he was still paid through the 2005–06 season even though he missed a total of 263 out of 492 possible games. Ultimately, even if Houston stayed healthy, he still might’ve underperformed under his big contract. After all, he was essentially paid like a max player, even though he was a tier below that.