As a league with a global following, the NBA free agency is one of the most anticipated events of the year but there is a huge downside to the fiasco – players who are paid top dollars without the merit to receive one. With every perfect signing and market value extension such as Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen, Clippers’ Terance Mann, and the Heat’s Caleb Martin, there’s the inevitability of teams going overboard just to sign the player that they want and regret their decision afterward.
In this list, we will take a look at the top 10 worst contracts in the NBA. We will exclude players who unfortunately experience injuries that derailed their careers in the league. We will focus on players who initially looked like a steal when they signed their contracts but never lived up to it.
10. Dallas Mavericks – Richaun Holmes (4 years/$46 million)
Holmes signed a nice, juicy extension with the Kings in 2021 after showing them his capabilities as a high-motor guy at the center spot. But it all went downhill after the Kings traded for Domantas Sabonis. Holmes became their expensive back-up at the center position and his contract is seen as an overpay by most analysts after his play regressed last season.
Now with the Mavericks, he is fully expected to compete for a starting spot. For a tall guy who barely blocks shots and almost never shoots threes, next season might be the last huge payday of his career.
9. Oklahoma City Thunder – Davis Bertans (5 years/$80 million)
After a couple of good years with the Wizards, Bertans was rewarded with a 5-year, $80 million dollar extension in 2020. For a player who can’t create his own offense, the contract was viewed as a liability.
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The Latvian shooter was traded to Dallas and showed promise for his new team, but that proved to be a facade. He only played 67 games for them over the past couple of seasons and averaged a measly 5 PPG. Bertans was traded to OKC this summer and it’s highly doubtful he’ll bounce back next season.
8. New York Knicks – Evan Fournier (4 years/$73 million)
Fournier was a solid starter for most of his career and nobody questioned the Orlando Magic about the amount and length of his contract in 2021. But after a couple of trades and a string of DNPs later, the massive amount owed to the 30-year-old looked more like a burden than an asset in recent seasons.
Last season with the Knicks, Fournier barely had any run and just appeared in just 27 games and averaged only 6.1 PPG, a far cry from his usual numbers back when he was with Orlando. He still has a couple of years left on his contract and he’s now open to a trade to get out of NYC.
7. Miami Heat – Duncan Robinson (5 years/$90 million)
A former Division III player who went on to carve a nice niche in the pros, Robinson is probably one of the most hardworking guys in the league. But Miami was out of its mind when they signed him to a 5-year $90 million dollar contract extension in 2021. Robinson is undoubtedly one of the league’s premier pure shooters but he was never going to give Miami twenty points per night.
It was evident that his contract was considered an overpay when the 28-year-old fell out of the Heat’s rotation last season. He bounced back during the playoffs due to the injuries of Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo. Robinson also showed that he could somewhat create offense off the dribble during Miami’s NBA finals run. If he can sustain his improvement, maybe he’ll drop out of this list soon.
6. Utah Jazz – John Collins (5 years/$120 million)
After his name floated on the trade market for years, Collins is set for a fresh start with the Utah Jazz next season. Collins signed a hefty contract extension in 2021 and got paid like a superstar. The problem is, he was never one.
For a great athlete who can jump out of the gym, he is a liability on defense and limited on offense. Collins can shoot the three but regressed badly last season at just a .29% clip. He stayed in the trade market for a long time for a reason.
5. Philadelphia 76ers – Tobias Harris (5 years/$180 million)
Harris is a good player and a solid locker-room presence for any team he’s played with. But for a guy who’s never been named an all-star or a member of any All-NBA teams, he’s obviously overpaid. The 30-year-old has been decent throughout his career, averaging 16.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 2.3 APG. Sadly, Harris is not worth more than $30 million a year for the 76ers.
Harris is set to earn a cool $39 million next season as the third or fourth option for his team. That’s a lot of money for someone who has not accomplished much in his NBA career.
4. Charlotte Hornets – Gordon Hayward (4 years/$120 million)
Everybody was shocked when Hornets’ then-owner Michael Jordan signed Hayward to a 4-year $120 million dollar contract in 2020. In hindsight, it was clearly an overpay for the often-injured former all-star. Nobody else in the league was going to overpay Hayward for his services.
The former Butler could still score but he’s more of a liability on the court rather than an asset at 33.
3. Miami Heat – Kyle Lowry (3 years/$85 million)
It may be an odd thing to include Lowry in this list but already at 37 years old, he is not worth more than $28 million dollars per year in a Heat uniform. The former Toronto Raptor and NBA champion lost his starting spot to undrafted player Gabe Vincent last season.
Lowry played admirably during Miami’s finals run but has clearly lost a step or two since he left Toronto. With more than $29 million left in his deal next season, that seems to be the final huge payday for the former all-star.
2. Phoenix Suns – Deandre Ayton (4 years/$133 million)
Ayton looks like your average center whenever he plays – rebounding and scoring on a nightly basis. He doesn’t contribute much more than that. Coming out of Arizona, he was wildly considered the next David Robinson but was quickly overshadowed by his fellow draftmates such as Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Trae Young.
Still young at 25, Ayton could still realistically outplay his current contract if he sets his mind to it. But that is a big question mark. Ayton has the tools to be a great player, but his mindset is in the likes of Kwame Brown rather than the Admiral.
1. Brooklyn Nets – Ben Simmons (5 years/$177 million)
To be honest, the first half of his deal was justified because he was an all-star caliber player for Philadelphia during his early years in the league. But after his problematic holdout and eventual exit from the 76ers, everything went downhill from thereon.
Simmons averaged 15.85 PPG during his time with the 76ers but just 6.9 PPG per game with the Nets. To make things worse, he only appeared in 42 games during the 2022-2023 season while nursing a mysterious injury.
