20 Offseason Additions NBA Teams Will Regret In 2015-16
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As usual, the NBA offseason was filled with many highlights. This was the most entertaining since the Miami Heat Big 3. This year was armed with a loaded draft class, a deep free agency pool and of course three head coaching changes. With the salary cap set to boom, free agency became a spending spree. Every team with cap space wanted to get in on the fun. As fun as it was, not every team will look back on 2015 fondly. Some will have regrets.
20. Cameron Payne (Oklahoma City Thunder)
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20. Cameron Payne (Oklahoma City Thunder)
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No. 15 overall pick in the draft Cameron Payne may be a fine player. This doesn't have as much to do with him as it does with the player who was taken directly after him. Kelly Oubre Jr. was taken with the 16th pick. Oubre is going to be a great player. He has elite athleticism and defensive ability. His three point shot is already improving. He slipped because he was viewed as a project, but I think he could have contributed to OKC this year.
19. Brandon Bass (Los Angeles Lakers)
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19. Brandon Bass (Los Angeles Lakers)
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The Lakers let Jordan Hill go and replaced him with a similar, less skilled player. The Lakers can't keep rebuilding with stop gaps (ala Carlos Boozer) and the 30 year old Bass is not in it for the long haul.
18. Deron Williams (Dallas Mavericks)
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18. Deron Williams (Dallas Mavericks)
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Williams was mercifully bought out by the Nets. He needed a change of scenery almost as much as the Nets needed him out of Brooklyn. The money on his new deal is fine. His play is what will be the issue. Deron Williams will drive Mavs fans crazy. When he comes out one night and plays incredible, and then has ten straight games of mediocre basketball you will want to bang your head against the wall.
17. Derrick Williams (New York Knicks)
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17. Derrick Williams (New York Knicks)
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Williams is a season or two away from getting the unfortunate bust label. Phil Jackson said he signed him because he saw potential in him. It's more likely that he was brought in because the Knicks were thin at power forward. Williams was the assumed starter. With the recent outburst of success for Kristaps Porzingis, and Carmelo Anthony announcing he will play PF it looks like Williams' role could be seriously diminished.
16. Greivis Vasquez (Milwaukee Bucks)
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16. Greivis Vasquez (Milwaukee Bucks)
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This is not an indictment against Greivis Vasquez. I think he's a good player. But he's a one year rental for Milwaukee, and the player they traded for him could have been there for years. Milwaukee gave up Norman Powell on draft day. He was great in the Summer League, finishing on the All-NBA First Team. He slipped to the second round because supposedly he is undersized, and his 3P% was weak.
15. Shane Larkin (Brooklyn Nets)
Nathaniel S. Butler
15. Shane Larkin (Brooklyn Nets)
Nathaniel S. Butler
This may seem like an exaggeration. After all, the Nets did get Larkin on just a two-year, $ 3 million contract. This is more about who they didn't get. Jeremy Lin was available to the Hornets for two years, $ 4 million. That's one of the best bargains of the offseason. He would have been a perfect get for Brooklyn. Absolutely perfect. He would have sold tickets, jerseys and he could have started in the short term. Nice one, Billy King.
14. Justin Anderson (Dallas Mavericks)
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14. Justin Anderson (Dallas Mavericks)
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Dallas took the former ACC Sixth Man of the Year with pick No. 21 overall as he was coming off of a fractured finger. Their pitiful draft history in the Cuban era speaks volumes about the pick. They took him before Bobby Portis, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Tyus Jones. The prospects Dallas passed on will make them regret taking a risk on Justin Anderson.
13. Tim Hardaway Jr. (Atlanta Hawks)
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13. Tim Hardaway Jr. (Atlanta Hawks)
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On draft day Atlanta made two odd trades. First, they traded away Kelly Oubre, an intriguing wing prospect, which is a position that the Hawks need help on. They traded him away for PG Jerian Grant. It's not that Grant isn't promising -- he is. It's that Atlanta is already two deep there, and they dealt Grant anyway. For Tim Hardaway Jr., they think he will help on the wing. He's a spot-up shooter who shot 34 percent from three last season.
12. Rajon Rondo (Sacramento Kings)
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12. Rajon Rondo (Sacramento Kings)
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How can a team regret a one-year deal? That's easy. The deal is with Rajon Rondo. The Kings have hopes that he will play like one of the best PGs in the NBA, but they will be disappointed. Not just by his play, but by his attitude. He's lucky that everyone is talking about DeMarcus Cousins and George Karl. The nightmare that is Rondo and Karl will be far worse. He wouldn't take orders from Rick Carlisle, so Karl won't be able to get through.
11. Al-Farouq Aminu (Portland Trail Blazers)
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11. Al-Farouq Aminu (Portland Trail Blazers)
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Aminu was the first signing of the free agency period. Portland set the tone for spending when they gave the career role player a four-year, $ 30 million deal. This is a deal that Portland will try and justify as good value because of the cap explosion. However, Aminu does not change the game. He makes the most impact on defense, which will help an extremely young team, but it's not worth $ 30 million. He's a terrible shooter and poor on offense.
10. Cory Joseph (Toronto Raptors)
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10. Cory Joseph (Toronto Raptors)
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Another four-year, $ 30 million contract for Cory Joseph's career averages of 5.2 PPG and 1.9 APG. He had his best season by far last year with career highs in shooting, points and minutes per game. Toronto needed a backup PG, but Joseph is a huge risk. He's not playing in San Antonio anymore. That has to hurt his production. Atlanta should look at the same issue with Tiago Splitter. No Pop? No way.
9. Robin Lopez (New York Knicks)
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9. Robin Lopez (New York Knicks)
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Robin Lopez is a very likable guy. He's laid back. He's entertaining. But four years, $ 54 million? That's too much for a guy who can't contribute anything offensively outside of the paint. Don't get me wrong; it's not as bad as Omer Asik, but it's off. It has all the symptoms of a regretful decision. The Knicks were forced to overpay to get him and he was their third choice.
8. Sam Dekker (Houston Rockets)
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8. Sam Dekker (Houston Rockets)
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The Ty Lawson trade was great and getting Montrezl Harrell in the second round was excellent value, but Houston will regret the Sam Dekker pick. Bobby Portis, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough were all available when they made that pick. They would all be a better fit right now in Houston. There's that, and the fact that Dekker doesn't have what it takes to be a serious NBA contributor. He will be nothing more than a bench player.
7. Frank Kaminsky (Charlotte Hornets)
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7. Frank Kaminsky (Charlotte Hornets)
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Frank Kaminsky will be a good player in the league. The Hornets drafting him just did not make sense. They had just traded for Spencer Hawes who is basically an older version. Charlotte could have used Justise Winslow, Myles Turner or Devin Booker in that spot. All of three of those men will make Michael Jordan crazy -- not because of Kaminsky's career, but because of theirs.
6. Aron Baynes (Detroit Pistons)
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6. Aron Baynes (Detroit Pistons)
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Stan Van Gundy tried to explain giving this guy $ 20 million on Zach Lowe's podcast, The Lowe Post. I still don't get it. SVG tried to say that it was a better move to overpay a little for the guy they wanted than to give fair value to someone else, meaning Aron Baynes was the guy Detroit wanted. Sorry Pistons fans.
5. Fred Hoiberg (Chicago Bulls)
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5. Fred Hoiberg (Chicago Bulls)
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Tom Thibodeau was fired because he didn't get along with management. Bulls general manager Gar Forman hired long rumored candidate and close friend Fred Hoiberg as a replacement. Hoiberg has giant shoes to fill. He is in a unique position for a rookie coach. He's expected to win right away and go deep in the playoffs. Dealing with the drama of the Chicago media and Derrick Rose will be a challenge that's too much for a rookie coach.
4. Roy Hibbert (Los Angeles Lakers)
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4. Roy Hibbert (Los Angeles Lakers)
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It was time for the Pacers to ditch Roy Hibbert and his expiring contract. The Lakers needed a center, and after coming up empty in free agency, Hibbert was available through trade. His blocks actually went down last season to his lowest since 2010-11, and his PPG average was his lowest since his rookie season. The hope is that Hibbert can reinvigorate his career with a new team, but those days are long over. He will be nothing but a burden.
3. Tyson Chandler (Phoenix Suns)
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3. Tyson Chandler (Phoenix Suns)
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It was a surprise when when the Suns gave the 32-year-old Chandler a four-year, $ 52 million contract. Then we learned that he was signed hoping to incentivize LaMarcus Aldridge to sign with the Suns. After missing on Aldridge, the Suns are in a bad position. Chandler went from making the Suns a contender in the West to being in the way of promising young center Alex Len. The Suns are in the worst spot possible -- competing for the No. 8 seed.
2. Louis Williams (Los Angeles Lakers)
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2. Louis Williams (Los Angeles Lakers)
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The only rationale behind this signing is that the Lakers wanted a big name. Coming off of winning the sixth man of the year award, Williams is one. He absolutely needs the ball in his hands to be effective, though. What is going to happen with a team that has Kobe, Louis Williams and Nick Young? There's only one basketball. Williams means nothing good for D'Angelo Russell's progress. That's the biggest problem.
1. Wesley Matthews (Dallas Mavericks)
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1. Wesley Matthews (Dallas Mavericks)
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Wes Matthews is a good player. I like him. Clearly Dallas does too, but after they lost DeAndre Jordan, they went crazy with Matthews. Even with the new cap on its way, four years and $ 70 million after Achilles surgery? That's crazy. Fans will love him because he's from Texas, but this has disaster written all over it. He's an excellent shooter and defender but not worthy of that money.
Chipper Murphy is a Beat Writer for the New York Knicks on www.Rantsports.com . Follow him on Twitter @ChipperMurphy. “Like” him on Facebook.
Chipper Murphy is a writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter and like him on Facebook.