3. Eddie Robinson (2001)
Contract: 5 years, $32 million
Following two promising seasons off the bench with the Charlotte Hornets, Jerry Krause figured Eddie Robinson could be a player worth gambling on due to his prototypical combo forward size and strength. Chicago could offer Robinson a larger role than Charlotte, so the hope here was that Robinson would take the opportunity and run.
He did not. Literally and metaphorically. During his time spent with the Bulls, Robinson repeatedly struggled to stay in shape and had developed a track record for provoking arguments with the coaching staff.
You’d think Robinson would be grateful for the opportunity to play a larger role while earning a sizeable $32 million, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He averaged a paltry 6.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in three seasons while making the Bulls -5 points worse than opposing teams per 100 possessions.
When John Paxson took over the reins, Robinson would be one of his first targets. Although Eddie still had two years left on his deal, the Bulls could no longer allow someone taking up over 10% of their total cap space to be an active detriment to the team, and he was promptly waived. After being cut by the Bulls, no other team dared pick up Robinson and his playing days ended right then and there.