Several bad basketball contracts have been signed recently, but which are the worst NBA contracts in 2024? We have role players, All-Stars, and a few maximum-level contracts on this list. So, which players have the NBA’s worst contracts this year?
John Collins, Utah Jazz – Five years, $125 million
We won’t act like John Collins is a terrible player because he’s nowhere close. The reality is that Collins is somewhat of a jack of all trades, providing the ability to score at all three levels while playing above the rim. Yet, for $25 million per season, it would be nice to see him do more than just score 15.1 PPG while grabbing 8.5 RPG for a Jazz team that needs all the help they can get.
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Deandre Ayton, Portland Trail Blazers – Four years, $132 million
A former No. 1 overall pick, Deandre Ayton will never be viewed as an NBA Draft bust. Yet, he’s also nowhere near some of his peers who have been selected first. He averages a double-double in his career, which is no easy feat. But is that really worth $33 million per season? Not even the Blazers seem to think so, because they’ve already drafted his replacement, Donovan Clingan.
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Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs – Five years, $135 million
Some players are signed based on their ceiling, and that’s the case with Devin Vassell. While the Spurs may be worse off just letting Vassell leave in free agency, we’re also not sure he merits $27 million per season. Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle are the future in San Antonio, which likely means Vassell’s scoring averages will only decrease in time, but he’s still a plus defender. But unless the 23-year-old takes another leap, this feels like an overpay for a typically careful Spurs front office.
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Jerami Grant, Portland Trail Blazers – Five years, $160 million
No wonder the Blazers are so bad; they’re the only team with two of the NBA’s worst contracts on the same squad. Jerami Grant brings explosive athleticism and a bit of a scoring punch but not much else. Now 30 years old, he’s probably not getting any better at this point, and scoring 21 PPG doesn’t quite do it for us as someone who rakes in $32 million per season. Seriously, last season, he averaged 3.5 rebounds per game; as a power forward, that’s a definite negative.
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Immanuel Quickley, Toronto Raptors – Five years, $175 million
The ink is still wet on this contract, but here we have another player who was paid for what he may become, not what he is right now. Immanuel Quickley did rapidly snatch point guard duties after Fred VanVleet’s departure, averaging over 19 points per game. But he’s also 25, we’re not sure there’s a Jalen Brunson-level leap in his game. He solves a need for Toronto right now, but in a year or two we may be asking ourselves why in the world Toronto decided to pay him $35 million per season.
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers – Five years, $197 million
At least he’s made an All-Star game, but the problem is, Darius Garland no longer brings that elite playmaking ability to Cleveland ever since Donovan Mitchell took over lead scoring duties. He’s still a good player, but there’s a reason why the Cavaliers were rumored to be shopping him. Scoring 18 PPG with 6.5 APG and 1.3 SPG just isn’t enough production at $39.4 million per season.
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Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls – Five years, $215 million
Zach LaVine’s contract is so bad that the Chicago Bulls can’t even trade him right now. Sure, being limited to just 25 games last season doesn’t help, but LaVine is a one-trick pony at this stage. He’s a great offensive player but offers almost nothing on defense. That’s not cool when he’s raking in $43 million per season.
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Bradley Beal, Phoenix Suns – Five years, $251 million
When the Phoenix Suns traded for Bradley Beal, they hoped they were getting the elite version capable of shouldering the scoring load on any given night. We didn’t see that in his first season. A scoring dip was expected, and we have to give credit for him coming off the best shooting season of his career, including a ridiculous 43% 3-point rate. Yet, there’s no way anyone can justify paying him $50 million per season.
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Jordan Poole, Washington Wizards – Four years, $128 million
In Golden State, Jordan Poole looked like a future star capable of being a team’s leading scorer. In some senses, he is that, but only on a bottom-feeding team that has zero chances of snagging a playoff spot. He’s just far too inconsistent, and when his shot isn’t falling, he offers nothing else. The Warriors were wise to get away from his $32 million per season commitment. You can’t average 15 shots per game and score just 17 points. That’s horrible efficiency, but it’s what the Wizards are paying for.
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Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets – Five years, $177 million
Finally, we get to the worst contract in the NBA today, Ben Simmons, and he has to know it at this point. Listen, we don’t mean to rag on the guy, he was once on path to become what seemed like a generational talent, but somehow it seems his lengthy injuries have had a devastating impact on his career. Simmons can still be an excellent defender, but if he’s not a scoring threat at all, his playmaking ability suffers, as does the rest of his teammates, due to the lack of floor spacing. The perception of Simmons will improve once this contract ends at the end of the 2024-25 season, but will he ever develop a shot?
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