Quote:
Originally Posted by Bar-bq
So the Hawks paid the underachieving Burleson the same massive salary as Hutchinson, a perennial pro bowler
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The 'Hawks were making a statement with their contract, and aren't giving up much money at all to do so. As RW has already pointed out, Burleson is getting much less guaranteed money (only $5.25 million guaranteed), and the big salaries of the contract don't kick in until 2010, at which point he'll either restructure or be cut and Seattle doesn't pay it. In fact, while the total contract is worth $49 million, Burleson won't see $34.5 million of it. Essentially, he's playing on a four-year deal worth $14.5 million.