There are five separate categories that these deals fall under. I will list each category, then the deals signed that fit that category.
One Last Paycheck
These players were signed to a decent chunk of change, but not quite a max deal. They're usually past their prime or well on their way to retirement, but their skillset is still solid enough to merit a good payday.
Ron Artest (36) - Golden State Warriors
1 Year/$12,001,000
A 16 year veteran, Ron Artest has seen better days, but he is still the scoring leader on this revamped Warriors team. He knew finding a long term deal at 36 would be tricky, so he took $12M to provide the lone scoring punch on a defensive minded young squad.
Aaron Brooks (30) - Brooklyn Nets
1 Year/$11,750,000
Aaron saw the writing on the wall after a poor training camp the year before his contract with the Suns expired. He still put up good numbers, but the rumors of his laziness right before a big payday did not go unheard. Few teams were willing to take a long-term chance on him, so when the Nets flashed nearly $12M, Brooks came running.
Delonte West (32) - Los Angeles Clippers
1 Year/$21,050,000
The biggest payday of the bunch, West actually fits into another category as you will see below. After years of solid sidekick play to Kevin Durant, it appears that West has finally started to decline. Luckily for him, he was able to get one last big payday before that happened.
Chris Kaman (33) - Golden State Warriors
1 Year/$7,200,000
Near the end of free agency, Chris Kaman signed with the Warriors, who had enough coin to spare to land two of these deals. Kaman doesn't really fit in on this team of twin towers, but at least the contract he signed makes him feel a little better about it.
Prove It
This category is for the players at or under 30 who still are entering their prime. For whatever reason, they couldn't lock down a long term deal, so they are using this contract as means to prove they are still worth getting a long contract next year. These contracts are typically for less money than the OLP category.
Alonzo Gee (28) - Sacramento Kings
1 Year/$4,000,000
The Kings are...well...the kings of this type of contract. They signed 4 players to a one year mid, and three fit this category. Gee has bounced around from Atlanta to Houston and now to Sacramento, not playing as much as his potential suggests. Here in Sactown, he has an opportunity to prove that he is still young enough and good enough to get a decent deal down the line.
Gustavo Ayon (30) - Los Angeles Clippers
1 Year/$3,750,000
Ayon has already declined and is 30, but he falls under this category and not the next one because he has only been in the league for 4 years. To be honest, his chance of getting a long term deal is mostly zero, but if he can prove a value member of the Clippers, maybe he can prove me wrong.
Spencer Hawes (27) - Sacramento Kings
1 Year/$4,000,000
This might be the biggest headscratcher of the bunch. Hawes is 27, still talented, and coming off of a year where he averaged 17 and 10. Yet no team was willing to lock him down, and the Kings swooped in to steal him away. There is no doubt in my mind that some team next year is going to be able to get him to sign a lucrative, extended contract.
Marcus Morris (26) - Cleveland Cavaliers
1 Year/$2,500,000
Neither Morris twin has made a huge impact in their careers yet, but Marcus hopes by signing a small deal for one year that he can prove his value enough to get signed on a multi-year deal around 3/4M. He'll have to score a little more than he's doing now to make that deal happen, though.
Chase Budinger (27) - Sacramento Kings
1 Year/$4,000,000
Another pick-up from Sacramento, Budinger is a decent athlete and scorer who has never really caught on anywhere. He signed with the Kings hoping he would finally be able to put his scoring on display and score a nice deal, and while he's averaging a career high, it probably won't be enough to turn heads.
Veteran Influence
This is the largest category by far. These players are no longer capable of performing at levels high enough to merit one last payday, so they instead take smaller deals to extend their careers and provide leadership to the team.
Kirk Hinrich (34) - Portland Trailblazers
1 Year/$2,250,000
Kirk got his one last payday two seasons ago, signing for $12M in Detroit. Since then, however, his skills have diminished and his value to a team is mostly found through experience and leadership. The Blazers are in need of that, so it is a perfect fit.
Devin Harris (32) - Sacramento Kings
1 Year/$4,000,000
Still Good, But For How Long?
These players are not like the Veteran Influence guys because they have a bit more to add than experience. However, they have gotten older, and the suitors may not be calling for long.
Marc Gasol (30) - Atlanta Hawks
1 Year/$4,000,000
Marc is halfway between Veteran Influence and Prove It - he could likely do well enough to sign a big deal next year. But his poor training camp may have prevented that from happening. As of right now, he is playing a valuable role off the bench and playing with his big brother for a stellar organization, so I'm sure he doesn't mind.
Kevin Martin (32) - Cleveland Cavaliers
1 Year/$4,550,000
Kevin Martin is still productive, but he's undoubtedly on the tail end of his career -- remember when he was scoring 31 points a game? He now brings his still-efficient scoring game to Cleveland, but this may be the last time he signs for anything more than a minimum deal.
An efficient scoring option for most of his career, Harris has finally hit the wall in regards to productivity. At least he was able to secure one last mid-sized payday before it happened.
Tracy McGrady (36) - Portland Trailblazers
1 Year/$5,300,000
After years of terrorizing the league, TMax is no more. He took an enormous hit in training camp, but is still able to average 12.5 ppg for the Blazers. Retirement may be on the horizon for the 4 time MVP, and a HOF berth won't be far behind.
Zaza Pachulia (31) - Brooklyn Nets
1 Year/$2,750,000
Notice that we have a lot of the same teams showing up on this list? The Nets got a steal in Pachulia, who has hit the 31 wall but can still be productive for at least another season. But judging by his age and skillset, he may not be able to get another big deal after this year.
Randy Foye (32) - Cleveland Cavaliers
1 Year/$4,250,000
Just like Kevin Martin, Randy Foye is still going to be a productive member for the Cavs. Plus he's back with the team that drafted him, which is a cool story. But you have to imagine the days of mid deals for Foye are numbered.
Brandon Bass (30) - Cleveland Cavaliers
1 Year/$4,250,000
Man, the Cavs did work this offseason, didn't they? More than you can say about Bass, who had another bad training camp. He's still putting in decent production, but you'll have to imagine teams won't want to put out much money in the future to retain his services.
Nick Young (30) - San Antonio Spurs
1 Year/$4,376,644
Nick Young has been a stalwart in Brooklyn/New Jersey for the past few years, but it appears that his skillset -- and his market -- is waning. He is averaging nearly 15 points a game, and will probably collect another similar deal next year, but the writing is on the wall.
Baby Come Back
These players re-signed with the team they played for last year. They didn't sign for longer for whatever reason, but they were good enough for their former teams to want to hold on one more year. Delonte West fits this category as well, but that payday was so large he belonged in the first category.
Kendrick Perkins (31) - Portland Trailblazers
1 Year/$5,000,000
Kendrick was traded to the Blazers last year and finished out a decent enough campaign that the Blazers wanted him this year. He's slowly getting older and losing his athleticism, but he means too much to this team for them to let him go just yet.
Raymond Felton (31) - Houston Rockets
1 Year/$2,341,530
Felton signed for only 400k more than the minimum, and his production isn't great, but Houston wanted to keep him as a steadying presence off the bench for Ty Lawson.
Marcin Gortat (31) - Milwaukee Bucks
1 Year/$4,000,000
After re-acquiring Gortat, the Bucks kept him around on a mid deal, but are decreasing his minutes and production. He has not lost that much in TC, but there is a logjam in front of him so it makes sense that he can't play up to his usual standard. At least he has a decent amount of money to keep him company on the bench.
Nate Robinson (31) - Atlanta Hawks
1 Year/$6,306,643
The one-year mid should be called the Robinson, since he has now taken one two years in a row. This year, Robinson is coming back not as a starting PG, but as a bench scoring threat. Look for him to be in the 6MOY contention this year.
