Due to the salary cap and the way the NBA is structured, there’s a huge tendency to overpay players when they sign the secondbig contract of their career. Then, a couple of years later, franchises are trying to get rid of them as they can’t seem to live up to their contracts.
Teams overpay players with some upside to prevent them from leaving. Sometimes, they match offer sheets for restricted free agents and end up regretting that, and other times, superstars get hurt and decline but are still on massive deals.
Their mammoth contracts make it quite tough for NBA teams to trade or cut them and, more often than not, they either end up agreeing to a buyout or playing through their contract with subpar averages.
This season isn’t the exception to that rule, as we’ve seen a lot of guys getting paid as superstars despite not being worthy of that much money and today, we’ll let you know about the top 5 most overpaid players in the NBA.
5. Otto Porter Jr – $28,489,239
Otto Porter Jr. (Getty)
The Washington Wizards signed former lottery pick Otto Porter Jr to a massive contract extension just to trade him away to the Chicago Bulls a couple of years later. When healthy, Porter Jr has been pretty solid as a 3-and-D presence for them, but that hasn’t happened very often.
Porter Jr has dealt with multiple injuries over the past couple of seasons and is averaging roughly 11.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Bulls this year. He’s set to become a free agent at the end of the year and hopefully, he’ll make something more fitting to his contributions.
4. Steven Adams – $29,592,695
Steven Adams and Bam Adebayo. (Getty)
Don’t get me wrong, I love Steven Adams’ game, but he shouldn’t be making that much dough. He’s a solid defender who sets nice picks, put his body on the line, and is a team-first kind of guy, but he’s not worthy nearly $30,000,00.
Adams is averaging 8.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game and has never been much of an offensive factor. He’s not even the third-best player on the New Orleans Pelicans, yet he’s getting more money than Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Kristaps Porzingis.
3. Mike Conley – $34,502,132
Mike Conley. (Getty)
Mike Conley claims he deserved to be an All-Star this season because of how well the Utah Jazz is playing. And, even though the Jazz are great this season and he’s been solid, you can’t complain about being snubbed from the All-Star Game if you’re averaging 16.3 points per game.
Conley has always been a solid defender and above-average playmaker but not much more than that. He’s never been an All-Star or the best player on his team, yet he’s making $34 million this season. He’s the 11th highest-earner in the league right now.
2. Blake Griffin – $36,810,996
Blake Griffin. (Getty)
I honestly feel bad for Blake Griffin. He was supposed to be the face of the Los Angeles Clippers and they traded him away after signing him to that huge deal. Now, he’s not even playing with the Detroit Pistons as they try to figure out his future with nearly 3 years left in his contract.
Multiple injuries and lack of motivation have made the former first-overall pick look quite washed this season, and there’s not a team that’s going to absorb such a big contract after watching him average 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
1. John Wall – $41,254,920
John Wall. (Getty)
It’s crazy to think that John Wall never played a single minute of his contract extension with the Washington Wizards. Everybody thought it was a mistake when they offered him that much money and time proved the doubters wrong, as he suffered two major injuries and missed a lot of time.
Wall is still a pretty solid player but it’s not All-Star material anymore and likely will never be again. He’s averaging 20.1 points and 6.1 assists per game but has missed plenty of games this season due to injury and the Houston Rockets aren’t even in the playoff picture.
