NBA Trade Window: The 3 worst contracts on the Atlanta Hawks roster

Modified Jan 23, 2019 23:37 GMT

The Atlanta Hawks enjoyed a sustained period of success between 2007 and 2017. During this time, the Hawks never failed to reach the postseason and the team also reached the NBA Conference Finals in 2015. On this occasion, Atlanta were swept by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers although it remains the closest that the Hawks have come to the NBA Finals for more than half a century.

The team continued to qualify for the playoffs up until the 16/17 season, however, the Hawks record last season slipped to 24-58. After a poor season, Atlanta were handed the third pick in the 2018 draft, but the Hawks will forever regret missing out on Luka Doncic. Despite this, the team still managed to acquire the highly rated Trea Young and the franchise hoped for an upturn in performances this season.

Nevertheless, the Hawks have shown little signs of improvement, and the team's current record of 14-32 is among the worst in the NBA. The team is known to be trying to trade away high earners before the trade deadline, and here we will look at three of the worst contracts on the Hawks roster.

#3 Kent Bazemore

After going undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft, Bazemore eventually signed a contract with the Golden State Warriors. The guard spent two seasons with the Warriors averaging just 2.2 points-per-game, although Bazemore had an extremely successful short spell with the Lakers. During his stint in LA, the 29-year-old averaged 13.1 points-per-game while shooting a career-high .451 from the field.

Based on his performances in the purple in gold, the Hawks were convinced to hand Bazemore a $70 million contract, which was the biggest ever for an undrafted player. The guard will earn over $18 million dollars this season, which is a steep price to play for a player averaging 14.0 points per game while shooting just .441 from the field.

#2 Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin was not selected during the 2010 NBA draft, although the point guard was able to take the NBA by storm in the ensuing years. Lin was first picked up during the 2011/12 by a struggling Golden State Warriors team, although it was his spell in New York that made Lin a household name. Lin arrived at the Knicks as the fourth choice point guard, however, within months Lin has ascended to the first team and was playing a major role in the Knicks turnaround.

Nevertheless, 2012 has long passed, and Lin is no longer the same player that he was during his time with the Knicks. The 30-year-old has suffered a number of injuries, including a ruptured patella tendon that resulted in him only playing once last season. Lin is currently in the final year of the three-year, $36 million contract he signed with the Nets in 2016, and at this point in his career, Lin is not worth much more than a veterans deal.

#1 Miles Plumlee

The Atlanta Hawks were never interested in Miles Plumlee, although the team accepted a deal for him due to their desperation to offload Dwight Howard. Back in June of 2017, there were not many takers for the former Orlando Magic man, although the Hawks eventually managed to offload the former All-Star by taking on Plumlee and Marco Belinelli.

Despite this, Plumlee has continued to decline during his 18 months with the Hawks, and his four-year $52 million deal that he signed with the Bucks back in 2016 looks like one of the worst in the entire NBA. In return for the $12,400,000 that Plumlee is earning this year, the 30-year-old has contributed just averaging 4.4 points, 0.9 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game. Plumlee will earn the same salary again next season, and the Hawks need to do everything in their power to trade away the Bucks m