The Worst NBA Contracts of All Time
Contents
- The Worst NBA Contracts of All Time
- The 10 Worst NBA Contracts Ever
- The 5 worst NBA Contracts Right Now
- The 10 Most Outrageous NBA contracts of All Time
- The 5 worst NBA Contracts in History
- The 10 worst NBA Contracts Ever Signed
- The 5 Worst NBA Contracts Currently in Effect
- The 10 Most Ridiculous NBA Contracts of All Time
- The 5 Worst Contracts in the NBA Today
- The 10 Worst NBA Contracts in History
A look at some of the NBA’s most disastrous contracts, and what teams can learn from them.
The Worst NBA Contracts of All Time
When it comes to professional sports there are always going to be a few players who stand out above the rest. In the NBA, there are certain players who have become synonymous with the league itself. But for every Lebron James or Steph Curry there are also those players who horrendously underperform for the astronomical contracts they signed. Here are 10 of the worst NBA contracts of all time.
1. Joakim Noah, New York Knicks – 4 years, $72.6 million
2. Luol Deng, Los Angeles Lakers – 4 years, $72 million
3. Timofey Mozgov, Los Angeles Lakers – 4 years, $64 million
4. Ian Mahinmi, Washington Wizards – 4 years, $64 million
5. Bismack Biyombo, Orlando Magic – 4 years, $72 million
6. Evan Turner Portland Trail Blazers – 4 years, $70 million
7. Chandler Parsons Memphis Grizzlies – 4 years, $94 million
8. Ryan Anderson, Houston Rockets – 4 years, $80 million
9. Wesley Matthews, Dallas Mavericks – 4 years ,$70 million
10. Alfonso Soriano, Chicago Cubs – 8 years ,$136 million
The 10 Worst NBA Contracts Ever
In the NBA, big money contracts are often given to players who have yet to prove themselves. These players may have potential, but they have not yet lived up to the expectations that come with a large contract. Sometimes, these players never end up meeting expectations. Here are ten of the worst NBA contracts ever.
1. Kwame Brown Brown was the first overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft He was drafted by the Washington Wizards and he was given a six-year, $61 million contract However, Brown never ended up living up to expectations. He averaged just 6.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game during his time with the Wizards.
2. Darko Milicic Milicic was drafted second overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2003 NBA Draft He was given a four-year, $30 million contract Milicic only played sparingly during his time with the Pistons, and he averaged just 2.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game over his four-year career in Detroit.
3. Yinka Dare: Dare was drafted by the New Jersey Nets with the 14th overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft He was given a four-year, $12 million contract by the Nets. Dare only played in two seasons for the Nets, averaging 2.1 points and 2 rebounds per game over his career in New Jersey.
4. Hilton Armstrong: Armstrong was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 12th overall pick in 2006 NBA draft . He was given a four-year, $13 million contract by the Pelicans . Armstrong only played three seasons for New Orleans , averaging 3points and 2rebounds per game over his career . shortened due to injury
5 DeSagana Diop: Diopwas drafted 8th overall bythe Cleveland Cavaliersin 2001 . He signed a six year $48 million deal withthe Cavaliers which made himone ofthe highestrated rookies that year . However , his playdid not reflecthis payand hewas quickly tradedto thenewly formed Charlotte Bobcatsin2004 where he remaineduntil 2010 averaging2 pointsand2rebounds pergameover his11 yearNBA career
The 5 worst NBA Contracts Right Now
In the NBA, there are good contracts and there are bad contracts. The good contracts are the ones where a player is paid commensurate with their production on the court, while the bad contracts are the ones where a player is paid far more than they’re worth.
To be clear, bad contracts don’t necessarily mean that a player is terrible. There have been plenty of players who have been overpaid but still managed to put up decent numbers. However, at a certain point, you have to wonder whether a player is worth the money they’re being paid when they’re not even close to being the best player on their team.
With that in mind, here are the 5 worst NBA contracts right now:
1. Luke Walton, Los Angeles Lakers $5 million per year
2. James Johnson, Minnesota Timberwolves $4 million per year
3. Luol Deng, Los Angeles Lakers $17 million per year
4. Timofey Mozgov, Los Angeles Lakers $16 million per year
5. Joakim Noah, New York Knicks $17 million per year
The 10 Most Outrageous NBA contracts of All Time
From outrageous signing bonuses to inflated annual salaries, some NBA contracts are downright ridiculous. Here are 10 of the most egregious examples.
1. Allen Iverson Philadelphia 76ers (2001) – 4 years, $76 million
Iverson was the NBA’s highest-paid player for a single season in 2001, earning a whopping $20 million. His total contract value of $76 million was also the most expensive in league history at the time.
2. Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves (1997) – 6 years, $126 million
Garnett’s massive contract made him the youngest player in NBA history to ever sign a deal worth over $100 million. At just 21 years old, he was set to earn an average of $21 million per year over the life of the 6-year deal.
3. Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers (2004) – 7 years, $136 million
Bryant’s gargantuan contract extension in 2004 made him the highest-paid player in NBA history at the time. He would go on to make over $30 million in each of his final three seasons under the deal.
4. Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls (1996) – 1 year, $33 million
Jordan earned a record-setting $33 million salary during his final season with the Chicago Bulls in 1996-97. His annual salary eclipsed that of every other player in the league by nearly $10 million.
5. Lebron James Miami Heat (2010) – 6 years, $110 million
James’ first contract with the Miami Heat was worth a staggering $110 million over six years. His annual salary of over $18 million made him one of only two players in NBA history to earn more than $30 million in a single season at that time (Kobe Bryant being the other).
6. Amar’e Stoudemire, New York Knicks (2010) – 5 years, $99 million
Stoudemire’s massive contract with the Knicks was signed just days after LeBron James’ decision to join forces with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. Under the terms of his deal, Stoudemire would earn an average of nearly $20 million per year over five seasons.
The 5 worst NBA Contracts in History
In the NBA, there is always going to be a risk when signing a player to a large contract. In some cases, that risk doesn’t pay off for the team. Here are five of the worst contracts in NBA history
1. Rashard Lewis – Orlando Magic
Lewis was signed by the Orlando Magic in 2007 to a six-year, $118 million deal He was coming off of a career year in which he averaged 22 points and 5 rebounds per game. However, his production dipped significantly after signing the deal. In his first season with the Magic, he averaged 16 points and 5 rebounds per game. He would only play two full seasons with the team before being traded to the Washington Wizards in 2010.
2. Gilbert Arenas – Washington Wizards
Arenas was one of the best players in the NBA during his time with the Washington Wizards He was an All-Star three times and even won the Most Improved Player Award in 2003. However, his career took a turn for the worse when he was suspended for bringing guns into the locker room After that, he was never really able to regain his All-Star form and ended up being traded to several different teams before retiring in 2016.
3. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
Bryant is one of the greatest players of all time, but even he isn’t immune to bad contracts. In 2013, Bryant signed a two-year extension with the Los Angeles Lakers worth $48 million. The problem with this deal is that it came at a time when Bryant was already 34 years old and had missed significant time due to injury. He would only play 41 games over those two seasons before retiring in 2016.
4. Joe Johnson – Brooklyn Nets
Johnson was signed by the Brooklyn Nets in 2012 to a four-year, $89 million deal. At 32 years old, Johnson was already past his prime but still managed to put up solid numbers for Brooklyn. But those numbers didn’t justify his hefty salary and he ended up being bought out by the Nets in 2016 after just four seasons with the team.
5.$44 Million Contract Extension – DeAndre Jordan – Los Angeles Clippers
In 2018, Jordan signed a four-year contract extension with the Los Angeles Clippers worth $44 million dollars despite only averaging 9 points per game throughout his career! This made him one of the highest paid centers in the NBA despite never having been named an All-Star or winning any major awards!
The 10 worst NBA Contracts Ever Signed
The National Basketball Association has a salary cap that all teams must adhere to in order to ensure a level playing field. However, this doesn’t stop some franchises from making disastrous decisions when it comes to awarding long-term contracts. Here are the 10 worst NBA contracts of all time.
1. Timofey Mozgov, Los Angeles Lakers
Mozgov was signed by the Lakers in 2016 to a four-year, $64 million deal. He averaged just 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in his first season with the team and was quickly relegated to a bench role. He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2018 after just two seasons with the Lakers.
2. Joakim Noah, New York Knicks
Noah was signed by the Knicks in 2016 to a four-year, $72 million contract. He played in just 46 games over two seasons with the team, averaging 5.0 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. He was waived by the Knicks in 2018 after multiple injuries and disciplinary issues sidelined him for most of his tenure with the team.
3. Luol Deng, Los Angeles Lakers
Deng was signed by the Lakers in 2016 to a four-year, $72 million deal. He averaged 7.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his first season with the team before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves midway through his second season. He was then waived by the Timberwolves after just six games with the team and has not played in the NBA since 2017.
4.. Josh Smith Detroit Pistons
Smith was signed by the Pistons in 2013 to a four-year, $54 million contract extension despite already being one of the Highest-Paid Players on the team at that time. He averaged 15 point sper game over two seasons with Detroit before being released via amnestied provision in 2015 due to his lackluster play and poor attitude off ofthe court.. In total, he made over $40 million from Detroit while only playing 61 games for the Pistons.. Ouch..
5… Amar’e Stoudemire, New York Knicks . Stoudemire was once one ofthe best players inthe NBA but unfortunately injuries derailed his career.. The Knicks thought they were signinga steal whenthey gave him a five year $99 millon dealin 2010 but he only played 43 games overthe next two seasons due totaking multiple knee surgeries.. The Knicks usedthe amnesty provision onStoudemire’s contractin 2015 which actually ended up costingthem more money as they hadto payhim $23 million nottoplay for them that season
The 5 Worst NBA Contracts Currently in Effect
The NBA is a league full of superstars and promising young talent. With salaries continuously on the rise, teams are shelling out more money than ever before to retain their best players. While most of these contracts turn out to be relative steals for the teams involved, there are always a few that come back to bite them. Here are the 5 worst NBA contracts currently in effect.
1. Luol Deng – Los Angeles Lakers
2. Carmelo Anthony – Houston Rockets
3. Joakim Noah – Memphis Grizzlies
4. Timofey Mozgov – Orlando Magic
5. Chandler Parsons – Atlanta Hawks
The 10 Most Ridiculous NBA Contracts of All Time
In the NBA, big money contracts are given out like candy on Halloween. Unfortunately, not all of these deals work out well for the team shelling out the dough. Here are the 10 most ridiculous NBA contracts of all time.
1. Stephan Marbury – 4 years, $21.9 million
Marbury was once a star point guard in the league, but his career fizzled out after a few years. He was infamously traded to the New York Knicks in 2004, where he quickly became a locker room cancer. The Knicks finally gave up on him in 2009, buying out his contract for $21.9 million.
2. Rashard Lewis – 6 years, $118 million
Lewis was a good player during his prime, but he was never worth the $118 million contract he signed with the Orlando Magic in 2007. He only lasted two and a half seasons with the team before being traded to the Washington Wizards
3. Gilbert Arenas – 6 years, $111 million
Arenas was one of the best players in the league when he signed his deal with the Washington Wizards in 2008, but injuries derailed his career. He only played 47 games over two seasons before being traded to the Orlando Magic in 2010. The Magic then bought out his contract for $62 million just two years later.
4. Eddy Curry – 6 years, $56 million
Curry was another talented player whose career was undone by injuries. He only played four seasons with the New York Knicks before they decided to amnesty him in 2011. He hasn’t played in an NBA game since then.
5. Darko Milicic – 4 years, $20 million
Milicic is widely considered to be one of the biggest busts in NBA history He was drafted second overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2003 ahead of future stars like Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony but he barely played during his four years with the team. He was then traded to the Orlando Magic where he continued to underachieve before finally finding some success with the Minnesota Timberwolves late in his career. Still, he was never worth anywhere near the $20 million contract he signed with Detroit back in 2007
The 5 Worst Contracts in the NBA Today
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional men’s Basketball League in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is widely considered to be the premier men’s Professional Basketball league in the world.
In recent years NBA player salaries have soared to unprecedented levels. In the 2017-18 Season the average NBA player will earn $6.2 million, up from $5.8 million in 2016-17 and $5.6 million in 2015-16. The highest-paid player in the NBA is Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lebron James who will earn a staggering $33.3 million this season.
With such huge sums of money at stake, it’s no surprise that some NBA contracts turn out to be massive busts. Here are five of the worst contracts currently on NBA team books:
1. Luol Deng, Los Angeles Lakers Deng is set to earn $18 million this season, which is more than double what he earned last year with the Lakers ($7.5 million). The 32-year-old forward has struggled with injuries over the past few seasons and is no longer the All-Star caliber player he once was. Given his age and health concerns, Deng is unlikely to ever live up to his contract with the Lakers.
2. Carmelo Anthony Oklahoma City Thunder Anthony signed a four-year, $54 million contract with the Thunder last summer after being traded from the New York Knicks The 34-year-old forward has seen his production decline sharply over the past few seasons and is now a shell of his former self. Anthony is averaging just 16 points per game this season, which is his lowest output since his rookie year in 2003-04. He also ranks just 72nd in ESPN’s Real Plus Minus metric (-1), which measures a player’s impact on their team’s performance relative to a league average player. Simply put, Anthony is no longer worth $18 million per year and will likely be a burden on the Thunder’s salary cap for years to come.
3. Timofey Mozgov, Brooklyn Nets Mozgov signed a four-year, $64 million contract with the Nets back in 2016 after spending one season with the Los Angeles Lakers The 30-year-old center has been plagued by injuries over the past two seasons and has been largely ineffective when he has been on the court. Mozgov is averaging just 4 points and 3 rebounds per game this season while shooting an abysmal 39 percent from the field. He is also one of the slowest players in the league, which makes him a liability on defense against faster opponents such as Steph Curry or Russell Westbrook ”
The 10 Worst NBA Contracts in History
In the NBA, bad contracts are more common than fans would like to admit. In fact, it seems like every year there are a handful of deals that make you scratch your head and wonder how the team involved could have been so careless with their money.
While there are plenty of bad contracts in the NBA today they pale in comparison to some of the worst deals in league history. In this article, we’ll take a look at 10 of the most regrettable contracts in NBA history