Dollar Drop-Off

Which upcoming free agents’ poor play likely cost them money in this offseason’s market?

Since free agency made its way to the National Basketball Association in the mid-90s, players have embraced the idea of controlling their own future.

If a player wants to play closer to his family or team up with other free agents — a la the Miami Heat — that’s his prerogative.

But the general goal is for a free agent to maximize his value. He wants his contract year to be historical in order to squeeze as much money as he can out of an NBA franchise. However, sometimes things don’t go the way we’ve planned.

Plenty of players anticipate having phenomenal years and cashing in when the summer rolls around, but many ultimately suffer the opposite fate. Let’s look at who played their way out of a top-dollar contract:

1. Evan Turner

I cannot believe how much the Indiana Pacers fell off after acquiring Evan Turner from the Philadelphia 76ers. Reportedly, Larry Bird pulled the trigger on trading Danny Granger, because Bird didn’t believe Granger was the leader he should be. Look how that turned out, Larry. Your Pacers were rocky the entire postseason, and they were wrecked by Miami in the conference finals. Turner was a big reason for the demise. In Philly, Turner averaged 17.4 points per game before the trade, before dropping down to about 7.1 points per contest since. His minutes decreased from 34.9 to 21.1, and he just never got a feel for the locker room in Indy.

Then, there were grumblings of a fight between Turner and Lance Stephenson, which may or may not have hurt the team but certainly was a potential distraction. Though Turner hit 41.1 percent from the field as a Pacer in the regular season, he was taking bad shots and clogged the offense. That’s why his minutes dropped to 12.4 per game in the playoffs, and his points fell to 3.3 per game. Turner definitely lost some money this year.

2. Mario Chalmers

Last year, we were talking about the point guard for the defending champion Miami Heat — a guy who knocked down clutch 3’s. This year, we’re talking about how Norris Cole is going to take Chalmers’ job. Chalmers really didn’t play too poorly in the regular season. He averaged 9.8 points and 4.9 assists, but his performance in the postseason was where the difference was made. His points per game average dropped to 6.4, and his assists fell to 3.6 a game. He didn’t average a lot of turnovers, but it was the lack of focus and energy that cost him.

Many are questioning how good he really is because he played with the best player on the planet. If Chalmers didn’t have LeBron James to penetrate and kick out, would he be as good? My guess is no. Again, if Chalmers was a free agent last year, he would have gotten quality money to start. Now, I’m not so sure he’d start anywhere else — maybe New York (rolls eyes).

3. Nate Robinson

It’s amazing to see the drop-off Robinson suffered this past year. To be fair, the Denver Nuggets were bad as a team, but he didn’t help much either. Robinson almost led the Chicago Bulls past the Miami Heat in the 2013 playoffs. He played out of his mind, taking and hitting any shot he wanted. He parlayed his performance in Chicago into a contract with Denver, and it backfired on him. Robinson averaged 10.4 points a game and 2.5 assists this season, and the Nuggets went 35-47. He does have a player option for 2014-15, which he’ll probably exercise because he did not earn more money with a lackluster year.

4. Danny Granger

It’s ironic we mentioned Turner earlier, and now we’re talking about the guy for whom he was traded. It’s not really Granger’s fault he only saw 16.2 minutes per game for the Los Angeles Clippers. LA didn’t really have an offensive need for him anyway. The Clippers brought him in despite having Matt Barnes, Jared Dudley and Reggie Bullock — all there to play small forward. It’s no wonder why Granger only scored 8.0 points per game. In the playoffs, he played only 10.3 minutes per game and averaged just 2.6 points per contest.

In this case, I don’t necessarily think it was Granger’s play that cost him money. I think it was the choice to sign with the Clippers. He could have easily gone to the Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs and made a greater impact, but because he wasn’t needed in L.A., he was brushed under the rug. But at 31 years old, he’s still got something in the tank.

5. Luol Deng

Honestly, I don’t think Deng is going to have to play for potato chips. He’ll get a contract and be more than happy with the amount because he’s a good ballplayer who does his job at both ends of the court. Though I do think the trade to Cleveland hurt him. His points per game average dropped from 19.0 in Chicago to 14.3 in Cleveland. His assists fell from 3.7 to 2.5, and his rebounds dropped from 6.9 to 5.1.

Pretty much everything declined for Deng while he was with the Cavaliers. True, he was getting four fewer minutes a game on an inferior team, but I do think his regression will have some impact in free agency. If he had stayed with the Bulls and continued down the path he was going, he would’ve positioned himself for a big payday. Now it’s looking to be a little smaller than he anticipated. Either way, as I said earlier, he’ll have the option to decide his future. The real prize isn’t monetary. It’s the option to choose his next team.