Some of the worst NBA contracts ever involved players who didn’t perform at a level that justified the salary they were given. While there are players who have lived up to their lucrative contracts and brought their teams championships, there are some players who have simply not lived up to expectations.
Some of these players had underperformed due to injuries and other off-field factors.
The worst NBA contracts ever
Signing a player is an investment. Teams support the player to fulfill the team’s expectations and hopefully bring a championship to their franchise. However, there are times when these players do not play well after signing contracts. This affects the team negatively as it limits their flexibility in acquiring quality players and making roster moves in free agency.
Here are the highest paid NBA players of all time…
10. Timofey Mozgov
Timofey Mozgov was a big part of the Cavaliers team that upset the Warriors in 2016. This enticed the Lakers to sign him to a 4-year, $64 million contract despite limited production and an injury history.
Mozgov had a poor first season with the Lakers, averaging 7.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 54 games. After just one season in Los Angeles, they traded him to the Nets for D’Angelo Russell in exchange for Brook Lopez and a first-round pick.
9. Eddie Curry
Eddie Curry was a solid player for the Bulls, averaging 16.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in his final year. The Knicks took notice and decided to sign him to a six-year, $60 million contract.
Curry was productive in his first two seasons with New York, averaging a career-best 19.5 points and 7 rebounds per season. However, injuries contributed to Curry’s decline over the next few seasons. He also had weight issues that kept him out of the rotation.
Ultimately, the Knicks decided to trade him to the Wolves. However, they will have to give up a few draft picks in order for the trade to move forward.
8. Jerome James
The Knicks decided to sign Jerome James to a 5-year, $30 million contract after a strong playoff run with the Sonics in 2005. However, after signing the contract, James did not live up to expectations. Over the next five years, he played in just 90 games, averaging no more than 3 points and 2 rebounds per game.
James’ injuries and inability to stay in shape contributed to him not cracking the rotation. His contract was huge, limiting the Knicks financially for the next few years.
7. Jim McIlvaine
Jim McIlwain’s $33.6 million deal is one of the highest paid contracts in NBA history. Despite averaging 2.1 points and 2.5 rebounds with the Bullets, the Sonics signed him to a seven-year, $33.6 million contract back in 1996. That was a huge amount of money back then.
Over the next two seasons with Seattle, McIlwain averaged 3.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, an underwhelming number for someone under such a contract. His lack of offensive skills limited him from producing at a consistent level.
After two years with the Sonics, they eventually traded him to the Nets, but they had to give up several draft picks to complete the trade. McIlvaine’s contract ultimately contributed to the team’s financial woes for years to come.
6. John Konczak
John Konchak’s $13 million deal in 1989 is one of the worst contracts in NBA history. Despite being a regular starter for the Hawks, Konczak was not a star-caliber player. However, Atlanta decided to sign him to a 6-year, $13 million contract. Because of this, he was infamously called “John Contract”.
This contract made him the highest paid player on their roster, despite the fact that he was not one of their best players. What’s worse is that his production didn’t improve after he signed the deal. Over the next six seasons, he averaged more than 4 points and 4 rebounds per game.
5. Alan Huston
In 2001, Allan Houston signed a six-year, $100 million contract with the Knicks, making him one of the NBA’s highest-paid players of all time. It was a bad decision for the Knicks, as Houston was already 30 at the time and not a superstar-caliber player.
Houston did well the first two years, averaging over 20 points. However, Houston quickly declined in the coming years as he aged. He had a serious knee injury and was never the same player after that. In the final three years of his contract, Houston played just 70 games.
His huge contract made it difficult for the Knicks to make other roster moves. This ultimately contributed to the team’s financial problems in the mid-2000s.
4. Luol Deng
Luol Deng’s four-year, $72 million contract with the Lakers is one of the worst NBA contracts ever. Despite being a productive player for the Bulls, he was already 31 years old at the time of signing.
Over the next two seasons with Los Angeles, Deng averaged just 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in 57 games. This is a far cry from Chicago’s level of production.
The Lakers had a hard time moving his huge contract to other teams. There were no teams willing to sign him because of his age and injury history. He was eventually waived in 2018 with two years and more than $36 million left on his contract.
3. Joachim Noah
One of the worst NBA contracts ever is Joakim Noah’s 4-year, $72 million deal with the Knicks in 2016. After missing out on several high-profile free agents in the offseason, the Knicks decided to sign Noah to a huge contract despite his declining production. and injury history.
Noah’s downfall became apparent soon after signing the contract. He played in just 53 games over the next two seasons with the Knicks, averaging just 4.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
In the end, New York waived Noah for two years and more than $37 million left on his contract in 2018. This continued on their payroll as there were no teams willing to pick up his contract and Noah would not agree to a buyout. As a result, this affected the Knicks’ financial flexibility over the next several years.
2. Chandler Parsons
Chandler Parsons was a solid scoring option in Houston and Dallas, averaging 14 points per game over five seasons. Given his ability to shoot the three ball well, the Grizzlies believed he could fit in seamlessly with Mike Conley, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. This led to Memphis signing him to a 4-year, $94 million contract in 2016.
However, Parsons did not live up to expectations due to numerous injuries. He played just 95 games over three seasons and averaged just 7.2 points per game, just half of his previous average. The contract severely limited the Grizzlies’ chances of winning a championship in the next few seasons.
Eventually, the Grizzlies traded him to the Hawks for Solomon Hill and Miles Plumlee. The trade marked the end of the Parsons era, a nightmare for Grizzlies fans.
1. Gilbert Arenas
Gilbert Arenas’ 6-year, $111 million deal is considered one of the worst contracts in NBA history. The Wizards offered him this contract after averaging 25 points per game and becoming a three-time All-Star. Who would have thought that his career would take a nosedive after signing that contract?
After the signing of the contract, Arenas’ performance dropped sharply due to the injuries he received. This limited his speed and explosiveness, which he relied on most of the time. Furthermore, he had many problems, including bringing a gun into the Wizards locker room.
This limited Washington’s flexibility in surrounding Arenas’ talent and making other roster moves. For the next six years, the Wizards struggled.