When Evan Turner was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Indiana Pacers on February 21st, 2014, his deal highlighted an extremely dull NBA Trade Deadline day.
There are trade deadline days some years that are extremely boring and painful. Then there was the 2014 NBA Trade deadline day, which made those kind of deadline days that I just described look exciting and interesting. Since then Turner left the Pacers for the Boston Celtics, and today he announced his departure for the Portland Trail Blazers. That means Evan Turner has now been on four different rosters in just two years and four months.
That is the very embodiment of the term “journeyman,” which is also thought to be a pejorative. If you make $17.5 million per season, as Turner now will, shouldn’t you be “elite” or “top notch.” Isn’t that the very opposite of the term “journeyman.” Turner’s deal is worth $70 million over four years. If Turner is worth $70 mil then his former teammate at Ohio State William Buford should be worth at least $20 million right?
And his high school teammate at St. Joseph’s High School in Westchester, IL is worth $10 million, correct?
If Evan Turner is worth $17.5 million per, then yes absolutely that bottle of water at the airport gift shop is very much worth $4.95
Thank you Boston!!! I hope there will always be a place for me to Paak the Caa in Haavaad Yaaaad… I appreciate all the support!! C's up??
— Evan Turner (@thekidet) July 1, 2016
Boston, this was definitely one of the toughest decisions I've ever made. I can't say enough how… https://t.co/noX9oBwXbM
— Evan Turner (@thekidet) July 1, 2016
Here in Turner’s hometown of Chicago when I told my media cohorts about his new contract today their reaction was essentially either “he’s still in the NBA?” or “what team was he on before the move?”
We thought it was ridiculous that Joakim Noah somehow got a deal that pays him $18 million per, and it absolutely is ridiculous. However, Noah was the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and all-NBA third team a couple years ago. Evan Turner will make half a million per year less and he’s accomplished……what in the NBA?…….(waiting)…..*crickets chirping*…being a mildly pleasant surprise with a Celtics team that still hasn’t won anything under Brad Stevens?
TheKidET is still the 2010 national college basketball player of year and the #2 overall pick in the NBA Draft. That’s pretty much the peak of his basketball career. At least Noah peaked much more recently, and more importantly, while he was in the league. You can’t hate Turner for getting paid though. Give him his props. Or more accurately, give his agent mad props!
This is the brave new NBA world in this age of the heightened salary cap. Fire up the oven. Let’s warm up the NBA Free Agency hot takes.
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Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
He also consistently appears on numerous talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram