Nba Not Enough Money to Feed My Family
Athletes Who Should've Taken the Money
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Sometimes in professional sports,it's just better to take the money instead of overthinking it.
Over the years, we've seen athletes turn down lucrative deals for a whole host of reasons. Sometimes they work out and sometimes we look back and say "Wow, do you remember when so-and-so turned out that offer?"
It's tough to walk away from that intoxicating smell of cold, hard cash, but it happens all of the time. Taking a look back into the dense history of sports, let's check out a few names who should have just taken the loot and ran.
D.J. Augustin
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Prior to D.J. Augustin joining the Detroit Pistons this past offseason, he once had a chance to make some pretty serious coin with the now defunct Charlotte Bobcats.
In 2012, the Bobcats management claimed they offered Augustin a pretty enticing contract extension that his side turned down. Instead, he opted to sign for less money with the Indiana Pacers.
Let's not sugarcoat it: The former first-round pick has been pretty mediocre since he was drafted in 2008.
If the money the Bobcats offered him was actually big time, it's crazy to think now, after he's bounced around the league, that he would reject that type of contract. I guess his staggering 10.1 points per-game career average clouded his judgment.
Max Scherzer
Jim Mone/Associated Press
Max Scherzer's story is still being written. If you haven't followed it up to this point, we'll get you caught up. Scherzer turned down a six-year, $144 million offer last spring. He decided instead to play out the final year of his current contract and test the open waters afterwards.
The problem with him taking that deal is twofold. For starters, Scherzer is an excellent pitcher. At 30 years old, he still should have a bunch of good years under his belt.
Secondly, he's durable. Trying to determine the market value for the impending free-agent pitchers, ESPN's Scott Spratt (Insider subscription required) said, "All three of Scherzer, Lester and Shields have consistently thrown more than 200 innings a season. Scherzer and Lester both have recent success in the postseason and strike out more than a batter per inning."
When you figure that there's always a huge market for pitchers, Scherzer turning down that kind of money makes sense. But could he secure that type of cash from another prestigious team like the Tigers and if so, how much more would it be?
Stay tuned for the answer to those questions after the 2014 MLB postseason comes to an end.
Dwyane Wade
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A recent example of an athlete who should have just taken the money is Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade.
Back in 2010, Wade accepted a hometown discount in order to help form the Big Three. Alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh, the Heat won back-to-back NBA titles and appeared in four consecutive Finals. Even at a "discounted" rate, Wade was still making good loot.
Last season, Wade's scoring was at career low, yet he had one of his most efficient years in recent memory, shooting a sparkling 54.5 percent from the floor. But at times against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, Wade looked like a shell of his former self, especially in Games 4 and 5, when he shot a combined 7-of-25 as the Heat failed to secure the coveted three-peat.
Still working off of that original deal, Wade opted out, forgoing $42 million. When he finally re-upped with the Heat on a two-year deal, he lost out on a chunk of cash.
I get it, Wade's a selfless player. What he's done for the Heat organization over the years is something fans won't ever forget.
Because of that, you could argue that he rose above the money to help make the team better. But for a guy who's laid it all on the line for this team, maybe taking more money wouldn't have been such a bad idea.
Wade sacrificed his last deal to bring James and Bosh into his city. He should now be allowed to sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
Nomar Garciaparra
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During the early 2000s, Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Nomar Garciaparra were the most popular shortstops in the world. Each guy was producing at a high level while helping their respective clubs win ball games.
Realizing that Jeter and Rodriguez were being paid as premium assets, Garciaparra approached the Red Sox in 2003, hoping to land a worthwhile extension.
Contributing to ESPN at the time, Seth Mnookin explained what happened between the shortstop and the Red Sox front office during those talks. "That day, the Red Sox offered a four-year contract extension worth $60 million, which would keep Garciaparra with the Red Sox at least until he was 35," Mnookin penned.
Garciaparra countered by asking for an $8 million signing bonus, but the Red Sox wouldn't budge. Both sides continued to talk but decided they would readdress the situation at the end of the season.
The combination of the Sox negotiating a deal to bring Rodriguez over from the Texas Rangers and the disagreement over what Garciaparra's financial value was reached its conclusion when the team traded him during the summer of 2004 to the Chicago Cubs.
Boston would venture on to win two World Series titles in his absence, while Garciaparra wound up signing a one-year extension with the Cubs for $8 million. Sometimes you learn the hard way that it's better to take the money.
Brandon Jennings
Jim Mone/Associated Press
Based off the fact that Brandon Jennings turned down a four-year, $40 million deal back in 2013 to sign with the Detroit Pistons, it was obvious that he really didn't want to play for the Milwaukee Bucks anymore.
Jennings is entertaining to watch, but over the years he hasn't really been a tremendously valuable point guard. Going by formerESPN analystJohn Hollinger's advanced statistics (Insider subscription required), Jennings' player efficiency rating was a meager 15.67 last season.
That rating made him the 24th-most efficient point guard in the NBA. Based on that information, Jennings' sign-and-trade deal with the Pistons doesn't look so terrible from his point of view. It's a three-year deal worth $24 million, per Spotrac.com.
Even with that being the case, he still could have potentially earned a larger swath of change if he stuck around and played for his original team.
Juan Gonzalez
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In the '90s and early 2000s, Juan Gonzalez was one of the most productive hitters in baseball. By the time he was 30 years old, Gonzalez had crushed 362 home runs and won two MVP awards. His offensive output clearly warranted a big contract and in 2000, he got that deal.
Gonzalez was traded from the Texas Rangers to the Detroit Tigers. Before the season got underway, he was offered a $140 million over eight years from the club. It was a grand contract for a hitter who at times looked unstoppable when he stepped up to the dish.
Gonzalez shockingly turned down the deal, thinking he could get more in free agency. Sadly, the wheels came off that season which greatly diminished his value. The following offseason, "Juan Gone" signed with the Cleveland Indians for $10 million over one year.
He would never earn close to that level of money the Tigers offered him again.
Latrell Sprewell
ANN HEISENFELT/Associated Press
In 2004, at the age of 34, Latrell Sprewell was the guy who turned down a $21.4 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves because it wasn't enough to feed his family.
Turns out that would be the last big money offer he would receive in the NBA. His play on the court took a dramatic dip after rejecting that contract, which led to Sprewell being bounced from the league.
Sprewell's denial of a $21.4 million goes down in history as one of the worst contractual decisions ever made. Had he taken the offer, he could have cruised for three more years and gobbled up a ton of cash in the process.
Adam LaRoche
Alan Diaz/Associated Press
Adam LaRoche may have missed his shot at making good money with the San Francisco Giants back in 2010, but his story is a tale of redemption.
The Giants reached out and tried to land LaRoche in the middle of free agency. The deal they put on the table was worth $17.5 million over two years.
LaRoche balked at the offer, waited it out and wound up signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a one-year deal worth $4.5 million. That turned out to be a smart move, because LaRoche had a nice year with Diamondbacks, which led him to a $15 million deal with the Washington Nationals the following season.
Sometimes, missing out on good money doesn't always lead to regret. Still, wouldn't it have been nice for LaRoche to earn that $17.5 million then sign another gainful deal?
All MLB, NBA, NHL, college football and NFL information and stats provided by Sports-Reference.com, unless noted otherwise.
All contract information provided by ESPN.com, unless noted otherwise.
Source: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2209652-athletes-who-shouldve-taken-the-money
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