Read Sports Geek’s argument that the worst move is the Rockets signing Trevor Ariza and Bleacher Fan’s argument that the worst move is the Cavaliers re-resigning Anderson Varejao.
Here we are on July 20, with the baseball second half just starting and NFL training camps opening across the country for in the next couple of weeks. But, the NBA has stolen a lot of headlines this summer with a flurry of transactions through trades and free agency. Some of the moves are legit, while others are just plain “silly.”
The Sports Debates has decided to take a look at all the moves that have taken place so far this offseason and determine the three worst moves. We’re not going to debate the best moves because quite frankly, that’s just too boring.
Sports Geek will argue that the Houston Rockets signing Trevor Ariza was the worst move to date while Bleacher Fan will argue the contract the Cleveland Cavaliers gave Anderson Varejao is a terrible deal for them.
Meanwhile, I am arguing the worst move involved Orlando and the Polish Hammer! Marcin Gortat was drafted in 2005, but didn’t play his first game until March 1, 2008. So, for the sake of this argument, let’s call him a two year “veteran.” He played an average of 12.6 minutes per game this past season. He averaged 3.8 points per game. At 7-feet tall, he’s the backup for center Dwight Howard. But, after a solid postseason in which he played big minutes for the Magic as they made their run to the NBA Finals, Gortat was signed to an offer sheet by the Dallas Mavericks.
Now, judging by everything I just told you, you are probably thinking something along the lines of, “Dallas probably signed him to a three year deal worth about $15M.” Hah! You’re wrong!
Gortat signed an offer sheet for five years and $34 MILLION DOLLARS with the Mavericks. That’s an average of almost $7M dollars per season. Surely, Orlando wouldn’t match that, letting Gortat walk. Notice that Magic general manager Otis Smith said he would not pay more than $5M per year for a guy who will back up Howard. The Magic had seven days to match the offer, and all indications were that Gortat could pack his bags and head to Dallas, where he would have a chance to compete for a starting position.
Something happened on Gortat’s way to the Lone Star State. To the amazement of many experts in NBA circles, and to the shock of Loyal Homer, the Magic matched the offer sheet!!!!!
“You’ve got to be kidding me!!!!” That was my reaction when I first heard the news!
In a time when the NBA market is considerably down due to the economy, the Magic gave big money to a permanent backup. There are starters who don’t make anywhere close to that money. As I stated earlier, this is after “flourishing” this past year to the tune of 3.8 points per game. I think this is an example of someone cashing in on a team’s postseason success. Just imagine the deal he would get if he averaged double figures in points!!!
Kudos to Gortat and his agent for getting this amount of money. I hope everyone involved knows what they’re doing! On the surface, it appears they don’t!
