The 1st annual Jimmy Awards: 10 worst contracts in the NBA

7. Miles Plumlee – three-years, $37.5 million remaining

Sometimes in sports, and especially in the NBA, we need advanced stats to let us know the true impact of a player, both for better and for worse. Counting stats are still helpful, but they usually don’t tell the whole story. 

Not in the case of Miles Plumlee. Nope, no need for any highfalutin on/off metrics or real plus minus stats to know just how terrible of a contract the oldest Plumlee brother is attached to. Instead, just one stat will do: 113.

That’s how many points Plumlee scored over 45 games playing for the Bucks and Hornets last year. That’s over $100,000 a point. In business terms, the ROI was…not good.

Was this an example of a player who cratered after putting up huge stats in a contract year? Not unless you count his per 36 minute averages of 13 points and 9.6 rebounds while playing mostly backup center for a 33-49 Milwaukee team to be some monumental achievement. 

The only thing worse than his contract might be the fact that two teams have traded for him since he signed it, neither of which was under duress or heavily intoxicated at the time (that we know of). Well, unless you count having Dwight Howard on your roster as being under duress. 

(Thinking…thinking…)

Yea, on second thought, Atlanta gets a pass. But Charlotte dealing Roy Hibbert’s expiring contract and one year of Spencer Hawes (whose $6 million salary this season was stretched after he was cut) to willingly take on Plumlee has to be one of the more underrated indefensible trades of the past decade.