Yup, you read that headline right. Chad Ford has the news:
Timberwolves Re-Sign Darko Milicic To Four-Year Contract
Breaking News: Wolves agree to a 4 year, $20 mil deal with Darko Milicic. Link coming shortly ...
It's an annual running joke that NBA GMs will do anything to overpay big men, even if they put in literally one month of decent NBA play in their careers. Hell, Milicic himself is Exhibit A, having already suckered the Grizzlies into giving him a three-year, $21 million contract in the summer of 2007. So in a way, this isn't exactly a surprise.
At the same time, considering the circumstances, this might be the most baffling “overpay the big man” move in a long time. Why? Here are the reasons:
- The Timberwolves already have Kevin Love and Al Jefferson, who both play Darko's position, and just gave 2008 draft pick Nikola Pekovic another big man, a three year, $13 million contract late last night.
- Milicic himself literally put in one or two decent months of work (depending on your perspective) last season, all for a team that barely won anything. And that was worth $20 million for four years, with a new collective bargaining agreement and a salary crunch coming up?
- The Timberwolves have taken themselves out of the Rudy Gay sweepstakes, and hell, out of the running for any other big free agent, with these moves. I'm not a big Rudy Gay fan, but would you rather have him, or Pekovic/Darko?
- Once again - it's Darko Milicic! Before he came to Minnesota, he was planning on going back home to Serbia after the season was over. Now, three months later, he's making $5 million a season for the next four years? Huh?
David Kahn strikes again.
For more, head over to SB Nation’s Timberwolves blog Canis Hoopus.
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