The Most Shocking Free Agent Signings in NBA History
The NBA free agency period has become almost as intriguing and entertaining as the season itself. These are the signings that left basketball fans floored.
Image via USA Today Sports/Trevor Ruszkowski
The NBA free agency period has become almost as intriguing and entertaining as the season itself. From the drama of petty actions like locking a player in a room, the emoji-filled subtweets on Twitter, or NBA front offices offering TV shows in their pitch, the wooing of free agents and the frenzy of crazy signings never ceases to amaze.
Since its debut in 1988, the free agency period has had many surprising moves that shook the NBA. Whether it’s superstars joining forces to form a “superteam” or players receiving absurd contracts, we’ve have all had a moment of shock when staring at the breaking news.
The most shocking moves have come in recent years. Who can forget last year’s fourth of July when Kevin Durant took his talents to the Bay Area? Speaking of taking talents elsewhere, what about the player who laid the foundation for superteams, LeBron James, signing with the Miami Heat to join Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in 2010?
What about the great duos free agency has stripped away from NBA fans like Shaq and Penny, Westbrook and Durant, Dirk and Nash? Free agency moves could result in NBA championships like they did for the Warriors and Heat but they also can lead to unwanted contracts the New York Knicks are quite familiar with. With all that being said, here are the most shocking free agency signings in NBA history.
Kevin Durant—2016
Previous Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
New Team: Golden State Warriors
Contract: 2 years, $54.3 million
Shock Value (On Scale of 1-10): 9
Leaving OKC was not the most surprising part about Kevin Durant’s decision. The fact he chose to team up with the same team that just went 73-9 and eliminated his team in the West Conference Finals is what left folks speechless. Well, everyone except Stephen A. Smith of course. The second-best player in the world decided to team up with the two-time reigning MVP in Steph Curry and two other All-Stars. It’s still shocking to believe that happened.
DeAndre Jordan—2015
Previous Team: Los Angeles Clippers
New Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Contract: 4 years, $87.6 million
Shock Value: 6
This was weird. I don’t think there’s a better word to describe it. DeAndre Jordan was unofficially Dallas bound with a four-year, $80 million deal in place. Just when you started to project what the Mavs would like with a DeAndre-Dirk frontcourt, madness broke out. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Doc Rivers, Steve Ballmer, and others locked DeAndre in his home in Houston until he and the Clippers could agree on a deal. They eventually did agree and Mark Cuban lost out on a free agent piece due to his inability to find DeAndre’s home and ram through the door in time.
Don't agree with the furniture layout but I'm not an interior designer. pic.twitter.com/23PNgQB88z
— Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin32) July 9, 2015
LeBron James—2015
Previous Team: Miami Heat
New Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Contract: 2 years, $42.2 million
Shock Value: 8
When LeBron left Cleveland, the thought of a possible return always remained but most thought that bridge was burned with Dan Gilbert’s letter. There’s never been a player who has had as much passion for his city than LeBron has for Cleveland. Although he did promise the city of Miami more than two championships, once Cleveland had a young star in Kyrie Irving and multiple pieces to get another star through a trade, his return to Cleveland made a lot more sense. As great as LeBron was, he never had enough help in Cleveland to get over the hump his first time around with the Cavs. When it came time to choose between playing with an aging trio or go back home and lead a talented but inexperienced group on a title run, LeBron chose wisely.
LeBron James & Chris Bosh—2010
Previous Team: Cleveland Cavaliers/Toronto Raptors
New Team: Miami Heat
Contract: 6 years, $110 million (James and Bosh)
Shock Value: 10
“This fall, I'm going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.” Once those words echoed through your television, your jaw probably dropped. There was plenty of speculation that LeBron James was getting frustrated with the Cavaliers’ constant playoff failure but the consensus was James would return to Cleveland even after Chris Bosh had announced his departure to Miami. Well, that didn’t happen and James set the precedent for superstars forming superteams well before the Warriors.
Rashard Lewis—2007
Previous Team: Seattle Supersonics
New Team: Orlando Magic
Contract: 6 years, $118.3 million
Shock Value: 6
Don’t get me wrong, Rashard Lewis balled out his final year in Seattle on a mediocre team but he got paid almost $20 million a year the ensuing summer to be a sidekick to Dwight Howard. You’re paying Ray Allen’s former sidekick max money to be a sidekick somewhere else? Not to mention his contract made him the second-highest paid player in the NBA during the 2010-11 season. Although the Magic did make it to the Finals in 2009, Lewis never lived up to his contract.
Jerome James—2005
Previous Team: Seattle Supersonics
New Team: New York Knicks
Contract: 5 years, $30 million
Shock Value: 7
The Knicks have offered some pretty bad contracts in their history but this one is most shocking. There was nothing to justify James getting $30 million. He looked like a solid big man for less than two weeks in the 2004 NBA Playoffs but other than that, he showed absolutely nothing. He was a guy who averaged less than six points per game in every season of his career prior to the deal and would finish averaging a whopping 4.3 points per game. The Knicks desperately needed a center but this made no sense.
Carlos Boozer—2004
Previous Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
New Team: Utah Jazz
Contract: 6 years, $70.2 million
Shock Value: 8
Dan Gilbert became the Cavs majority owner a year too late. If there ever was a situation where a Dan Gilbert-type letter would be justified it would be for Carlos Boozer’s departure. The Cavs declined Boozer’s option so they could sign him to a bigger deal that both sides already agreed on. Boozer and the GM at the time, John Paxson, even shook on it. Boozer ultimately broke his promise and signed a bigger contract with the Jazz. Imagine if Twitter were around back then.
Steve Nash—2004
Previous Team: Dallas Mavericks
New Team: Phoenix Suns
Contract: 5 years, $65.6 million
Shock Value: 6
Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki were a dynamic duo that looked inseparable at one point. Nash was 30 years old in 2004 and Mark Cuban refused to match the offer the Suns were giving him because he feared Nash wouldn’t be able to play at a high level much longer. He wanted to build around Dirk, which in the long run helped the franchise win its first NBA title. Nash, meanwhile, become a two-time league MVP, so you could say both sides won with their decision.
Michael Jordan—2001
Previous Team: Chicago Bulls
New Team: Washington Wizards
Contract: 2 years, $2.03 million
Shock Value: 8
Obviously this had nothing to do with the actual monetary value. The greatest player of all time was making his return to the court after a three-year hiatus despite saying that he was 99.9 percent certain that he would never play another NBA game. I’m sure NBA fans were ecstatic that the 0.1 percent chance of return came to fruition.
Shaquille O'Neal—1996
Previous Team: Orlando Magic
New Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Contract: 7 years, $121 million
Shock Value: 8
This one still haunts the city of Orlando today. The Magic had just asserted themselves as the one of the dominant teams in the East behind the young superstar duo of Shaq and Penny. Although they were fresh off getting swept by the 72-10 Bulls, there was a lot of promise with that young team. A championship was imminent but Orlando blew it. They lowballed Shaq with their initial offer and tried to make up for it by matching the Lakers' offer, but it was too late; Shaq was headed to the West Coast. One of the best young duos ever to play the sport was split up just like that.