by Micah Hart
Today is Monday, which means it’s time for another fabulous edition of Extend, Trade or Cut. Today’s scenario examines three players who have all been All-Stars at various times in their careers, who were then paid accordingly because of that level of performance, but now because of their contracts’ size and length (and other considerations) are considered almost untradeable. Step right up, Orlando’s Rashard Lewis, Philly’s Elton Brand, and Washington’s Gilbert Arenas.
Just to refresh you on the rules, picture yourself as the GM of a mythical NBA franchise, and pretend that you have to choose between three players. One player you can extend with a new contract, one player you have to trade for some mythical asset(s), and one player you must cut from your roster for eternity (it’s a harsh world). You may choose each option only once.
Let’s examine the evidence:
Rashard Lewis: I have always thought that people find Lewis disappointing simply because he looks capable of so much more. He may not be capable of more, but based on his size and shooting ability, it just seems like he should be one of the game’s most dominant players. Couple that with the free-agent contract he signed with Orlando that will pay him upwards of $20 million a season through 2012-13, and you have a player that fans expect more from than the 11.8 ppg he’s giving the Magic right now.
Elton Brand: The prize of the free-agent class of 2008, Brand signed a five-year deal with the Sixers and left his boy Baron Davis at the altar in L.A. in the process. Maybe what has happened since is karma (though given that it was the Clippers, I doubt it), but a shoulder injury suffered early in his Philly tenure has left him out of the Sixers’ plans and usually brought up in any conversations of anyone trying to trade for one of the team’s blue-chippers — i.e., we’ll only give you Andre Iguodala or Jrue Holiday if you take back Elton’s contract, too. That said, Brand appears to have gotten back on track, averaging 15.8 points and 7.9 rebounds this season.
Gilbert Arenas: You might think the Wizards regret Arenas’ deal because of his locker-room episode from last season, but injuries alone have made his extension a bitter pill to swallow in D.C. Agent Zero has the Wizards on the hook for close to $20 million through 2013-14. That’s so far away robot basketball players will probably have taken over by then. All kidding aside, Hibachi has been putting up some numbers so far this year, with a season-high 31 coming in Saturday’s last-second loss to the Magic. Forget about his off-court shenanigans – can you count on him to keep up that kind of production going forward?
All right, supper’s on the table. Get to eatin’.
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Catch up on every single game-winning buzzer beater during the 2011-12 season and see how it rates on the Horry Scale.
