1. Eddy Curry, 6 years, $60 million
While on paper, signing a 23-year-old big man who just had a season in which he averaged an efficient 16.1 points per game isn’t a bad idea, there are so many layers to this deal that makes it not only one of the worst deals in Knicks history but the league as a whole.
For starters, while Curry was solid on offense, his defensive abilities were worse than bad, being one of the worst defensive bigs in the entire NBA. Alongside this, Curry had a huge problem staying on the floor, playing in just 222 games in five seasons.
To make things even worse, not only did Curry sign with the Knicks on his massive contract, but the Knicks made this deal a sign and trade in which they sent, among other things, two first-round picks which eventually became the aforementioned Noah and seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge.
The contract itself is bad don’t get me wrong, but it isn’t nearly as crippling as the Noah contract. However, the sign and trade aspect easily makes this deal much worse, as the Knicks could have landed some borderline Hall of Fame-level talents if they had kept the picks they sent out in this deal.
From a money standpoint, this contract is not nearly as bad as a few of the others previously listed. However, the absolutely horrid trade that came along with a disastrous contract made a nasty recipe to form the worst free agent signing in Knicks history.