NBA Rumors: Worst Contract on Each Team

To build a successful NBA team, a general manager must have a combination of stars and and role players. Players should not only compliment each other, but be paid accordingly for the value they bring to their team. When role players start being paid like stars and signing ridiculous contracts, the team's future will deteriorate. There is only so much money to go around and that money must carefully spent.

Overpaying players can hamper a franchise's progression for years. When a new collective bargaining agreement is agreed upon, teams will try to trade their bad contracts and improve their financial position.

With the current state of the NBA and guaranteed contracts, the job of an NBA GM is harder than any other front office position in sports. It makes the risks of signing players to lucrative contracts that much greater.

During the span of the current collective bargaining agreement, many GM's have made poor decisions and overpaid players. Here is a list of the worst contract on each team. In writing this article, I analyzed the player's production, the amount of money they will be making and the number of years for which the player is under contract. Without further ado, here is a list of the worst contracts on each team.

Atlanta Hawks: Joe Johnson

Some may be surprised to see Joe Johnson on this list, but the reason this All-Star made the list is simple: The Atlanta Hawks completely overvalued Johnson's production. They paid him like he was a top five player in the league when in reality, he is more like a top 30 guy.

In the summer of 2010, Johnson's six year, $119 million contract was the largest in free agency. This means he was paid more than superstars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

When Johnson is 35 years old, that season, he will be making close to $25 million. Now I know the Hawks were put in a difficult situation by either signing Johnson or letting the face of their franchise walk, but sacrificing so much of the future for a non-Superstar will be a huge mistake.

Boston Celtics: None

The Boston Celtics don't necessarily have a bad contract on their team.

Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen each have one year left on their deals, so the Celtics will not be too invested in the future Hall of Famers.

Paul Pierce is signed through 2013, but he has shown no signs of slowing down. Rajon Rondo's contract through 2014 is one of the best contracts in the NBA.

Overall, Celtic's GM Danny Ainge has done an excellent job at acquiring talent and limiting the number of years he offers to veteran free agents.

Charlotte Bobcats: Tyrus Thomas

There was a reason the Bulls traded Thomas to the Bobcats. The fact of the matter is that Tyrus Thomas consistently struggles from the offensive end of the floor.

He's got a decent jumper and can get above the rim with ease, but for some reason, Thomas severely struggles to score with contact. Struggles like this should certainly not plague someone who was a top five pick in the draft.

Thomas is locked in for over $33 million over the next four years. This contract makes no sense for Michael Jordan and the Bobcats. The Bobcats have one of the worst offenses in recent memory. Thomas is a solid role player, but the Bobcats could have been a lot better using this money to get a player that can put the ball in the basket.

Another contract that makes little sense for the Bobcats is the newly acquired Corey Maggette and his $20 million contract over the next two seasons.

Congratulations Bobcats fans. Your team is already looking at who they will select with the first pick in the 2012 Draft.

Chicago Bulls: Carlos Boozer

Now I understand that Chicago Bulls fans were very excited when they signed Carlos Boozer in the summer of 2010, but Boozer's talents are quickly deteriorating.

In the postseason, Boozer was held to 12 points a game, which is five points below his regular season average. It also seemed that Boozer had lost a lot of the lift and explosion that he used to have. In the playoffs, Boozer wasn't getting off of the ground on his jump shot and was blocked on multiple occasions.

The Bulls have Boozer signed at over $60 million for the next four years. Chicago would have been much better inclined to wait it out in the attempt of signing a big name superstar to pair up along side Derrick Rose.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao

Anderson Varejao is a solid role player, but like everyone on this list, he is making way too much money.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have Varejao penciled in for about $8 million a year over the next three seasons with a team option for $10 million for a fourth year.

Varejao always hustles and gives it his all every night. The problem is that Varejao makes little sense on the Cavs. The Cavs are in a rebuilding stage, and Varejao would be much better served competing for an NBA title.

Both Varejao and the Cavs would be better suited if they shipped him out to a playoff contender who was looking for added size in the paint. The Cavs could get a future draft pick in return, which would further help their rebuilding process.

Dallas Mavericks: Brendan Haywood

You know something is wrong with the NBA when a team has more years invested in their backup center than the NBA Finals M.V.P.

That's the current case with the Dallas Mavericks, who have backup center Brendan Haywood tied up for the next four years at close to $9 million a year and have Dirk Nowitzki only signed for three more seasons.

Haywood is certainly one of the best backup centers in the league, but no backup center should be making anywhere close to $9 million a year. Also, at 31 years old, Haywood's performance will decline as he continues to age.

I know the Mavs just won the NBA title, but contracts like this can deplete a franchise for years.

Denver Nuggets: Al Harrington

Another acquisition during the summer of 2010 was the Denver Nuggets using the full Mid Level Exception to sign Al Harrington to a five-year $33.4 million deal.

This contract certainly would have been a bargain five years ago, but not at Harrington's current production. He is only 31, but Harrington came into the league out of high school; so there is quite a bit of track on his tires.

Harrington responded by having his worst statistical season in over ten years.

The Nuggets may have felt pressured to sign Harrington in order to lure Carmelo Anthony to re-sign with Denver, but having a guy on the decline who is signed through 2015 makes no sense.

Detroit Pistons: Charlie Villanueva

The Detroit Pistons have an abundance of terrible contracts but Charlie Vilanueva's stands as the worst. Vilanueva is slated to make $24 million over the next three years.

It's understandable to give a contract like this to a guy who always plays hard and gives his all, but the effort level is a major concern for Vilanueva. He was one of the worst defenders in the league last season and rarely got back to defend fast breaks.

A contract like this shows just how far a once proud franchise has fallen.

Vilanueva isn't the only bad contract on the Pistons. They also have $25 million invested to Richard Hamilton over the next two years and $37 million invested in Ben Gordon over the next three seasons.

Golden State Warriors: Andris Biedrins

Andris Biedrins is another high energy player who was overpaid out of desperation. The Warriors lacked post defense more than any other team in the league and had to re-sign Biedrins to remain competitive.

Biedrins is under contract for $9 million per year over the next three seasons.

Although this contract doesn't make sense financially, it was understandable for the Warriors to invest in a young seven footer who was solid on the defensive end of the floor.

Houston Rockets: None

Rockets GM Daryl Morey has done an excellent job of acquiring assets while maintaining a relatively low payroll.

One of these days, the Rockets should package some of these assets for an All Star. The Rockets will be one of the best positioned teams coming out of the lockout.

The team they have assembled can compete for a playoff spot, but the Rockets also have room to make tweaks or even a blockbuster trade.

There are only a couple of Rocket's contracts that can be questioned. First is the $39 million owed to Luis Scola over the next four seasons. But he went out and averaged over 18 points and eight rebounds a game last season to show that he did in fact deserve the extension.

Another would be Hasheem Thabeet's contract, but there is little chance that the Rockets will pick up his $6.4 million team option, thus making him a free agent in 2012 and an expiring contract.

Indiana Pacers: None

The Indiana Pacers are another team that will be well positioned coming out of the lockout.

The Pacers only have $37 million tied up in their club next season, so they will have plenty of cap space to make a big free agent splash.

Many teams will also covet James Posey and his $7 million expiring contract for cap relief. The Pacers could use Posey's expiring contract to bring in another quality player.

Los Angeles Clippers: None

Since trading away Baron Davis' terrible contract and a first round pick (Kyrie Irving) for Mo Williams, the Clippers are free of poor contracts.

The Clippers are stacked with young, affordable players like Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon that will make them a team to be reckoned with in the Western Conference.

It will be imperative for the Clippers to resign young center Deandre Jordan once the lockout concludes. He is a versatile player who should only improve.

The Clippers also have the expiring contracts of Chris Kaman and Randy Foye, which will give the team flexibility going into next season.

Los Angles Lakers: Metta World Peace (Ron Artest)

The Los Angeles Lakers have plenty of questions going into next season. After their second round playoff debacle against the Mavs, the Lakers need swift changes to their aging team.

The Lakers have plenty of huge contracts to deal with, but none is worst then the $21.6 million owed to Metta World Peace (cannot believe I just wrote that) over the next three seasons. "World Peace" is a declining player who is playing off of past production.The Lakers would be wise to unload his contract to whichever team would take him on.

Both Steve Blake and Luke Walton's contracts also make little sense.

It doesn't make things any easier for GM Mitch Kupchak that the Lakers have over $91 million locked up in their roster next season. This could hinder their flexibility to potentially make a blockbuster move.

Despite his dwindling body, Kobe Bryant's career is far from over. The Lakers are one of the few teams that have enough to talent to bring in another star (Dwight Howard) to play alongside Bryant.

Memphis Grizzlies: Rudy Gay

The Memphis Grizzlies showed that they are a team to be reckoned with by first knocking off the Spurs then pushing the Thunder to game seven.

The Grizzlies did all this without face of the franchise Rudy Gay, who was sidelined with a season ending shoulder injury. The Grizzlies showed that they can be successful without Gay and would be wise to trade him.

Gay is currently slated to make $68.5 million over the next four seasons. With a contract like this, the small market Grizzlies will be forced to allow some of their other talented players like Marc Gasol or O.J. Mayo to simply leave without any compensation.

If the Griz were willing to trade Gay, they should expect quite a bit in return despite his hefty contract.

Miami Heat: Mike Miller

After the Heat made the big splash of free agency in the summer of 2010 by signing the big two (and Bosh), Miami desperately needed a spot up shooter to hit open three-point shots.

There wasn't anyone better on the free-agent market at three point shooting than Mike Miller. Many who questioned how LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would coexist in Miami came to the conclusion that the Heat would be great when they signed Miller.

Miller's time in Miami, however, got off to a rough start when he injured his thumb in the preseason. Miller came back from the injury in December but never really seemed to get going.

He had the worst statistical season of his career and struggled to gel with his new teammates.

Miller is guaranteed $24 million for the next four seasons. If the Heat want any shot of winning a championship, they need production out of Miller. Miller should expect a bounce back season in 2012 and the Heat will surely make the most of it.

Milwaukee Bucks: Drew Gooden

There were many lucrative contracts handed out in the summer of 2010, but one could argue that none were as mind blowing as the Bucks signing Drew Gooden to a five-year, $32 million deal.

Over the 17 month span prior to Gooden signing with the Bucks, Gooden played for a whopping five teams. Signing a player for five years, who struggles to stay in a city for more than a few months makes no sense.

Gooden also struggled to stay on the floor. In the past six seasons, Gooden has yet to play more than 51 games.

Gooden is a solid offensive player but is known for taking poor shots and being inconsistent on defense.

In his first season in Milwaukee, Gooden averaged 11 points, seven rebounds a game, but only played in 35 games. Contracts like this are the reason the NBA is struggling financially.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Darko Millicic

No one should be surprised with the lack of common sense that is GM David Kahn in Minnesota.

After drafting three point guards in one draft, Kahn's latest blunder was signing former draft bust Darko Millicic to a four year $20 million deal.

Millicic is a solid defensive presence inside, but his offensive game is pedestrian to say the least.

This contract makes little sense with the direction the Timberwolves are headed. They have some solid young assets such as All Star forward Kevin Love. The Wolves would have been better suited using this money to invest long term in a guy like Love.

New Jersey Nets: Travis Outlaw

New Jersey Nets' Owner Mikhail Prokhorov was relentless in trying to land a superstar in the summer of 2010. Travis Outlaw was not necessarily who Nets fans had in mind.

Outlaw is a long wing player who excels at getting off shots from anywhere on the court. Despite his ability to get shots off, Outlaw still struggled to put the ball in the basket.

Outlaw will be making $7 million annually over the next four seasons.

Nets' fans should be a bit discouraged to see that the 26-year-old has struggled to improve and has actually slightly regressed, when most players would be in their prime.

It's understandable that the Nets wanted to at least sign somebody after striking out with the likes of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, but they would have been better off signing no one.

The Nets have loads of cap space, and Outlaw does not make sense with the direction the team is headed.

New Orleans Hornets: Emeka Okafor

Since joining the Hornets, Okafor's numbers have gone down despite having arguably the best point guard in the league alongside him.

After winning rookie of the year with the Bobcats, many thought Okafor was on his way to becoming an All-Star and the face of the Charlotte franchise. This, however, did not transpire, and Okafor's numbers declined in each of his next four seasons in Charlotte.

Okafor will be making upwards of $40 million over the next three seasons. He is a solid defensive presence but lacks any sort of offensive game. If you are looking for an example to describe the offensive game of Okafor, no compilation of plays exemplifies that better than this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkB43s_o1cs

That's two straight air-balls, but who's counting?

When Chris Paul demanded the Hornets bring in talented players to complement him, I don't think Okafor was who Paul had in mind. The Hornets are in panic mode right now. They are trying to keep their face of the franchise from bolting, and poor contracts like Okafor's limit what they can do.

New York Knicks: None

Former GM Donny Walsh has left the Knicks in great shape. Their only long term commitments are All-Stars Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, who are each signed through 2014.

This will give the Knicks flexibility to bring in another big name to create a Big Three in New York. The Knicks have reportedly been interested in point guard Chris Paul if the All-Star chooses to leave New Orleans.

Nonetheless, the Knicks are once again the buzz of New York. They will be in great shape coming out of the lockout to make a major move.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Kendrick Perkins

Kendrick Perkins does not have a ridiculous contract like some of the players on this list, but he might be just slightly overpaid.

GM Sam Presti has done an excellent job of building a talented, young core that has OKC fans buzzing with excitement. Presti has earned the benefit of the doubt with personnel decisions.

After being traded from the Celtics to the Thunder at the trade deadline, Perkins signed a four year $34.8 million extension to become the Thunder's starting center.

The Thunder desperately needed a center who was willing to do the dirty work, and Perkins has proven that he can be that guy. His numbers don't justify the role he plays on the game. Perkins certainly makes someone think twice before driving to the basket.

The Thunder have done an excellent job of acquiring talented role players to complement their stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. At first glance, the Perkins deal could be a head scratcher, but when going deeper into it, Perkins is exactly what the the Thunder need to win an NBA Championship.

Orlando Magic: Gilbert Arenas

The Magic are in a major predicament. They are trying to resign superstar center Dwight Howard, but have no room to make changes that make Howard want to stay in Orlando.

None of these contracts is worse than Gilbert Arenas, who is slated to make $62 million over the next three seasons.

When the Magic traded for Arenas, they were hoping he would regain some of the form that made him one of the best point guards in the league. After averaging close to 11 points and four assists a contest, it's looking less and less like he will ever regain his All-Star form.

Arenas' contract is simply untradeable. This however, is not the only bad contract on the Magic roster. The Magic also owe Hedo Turkoglu $34 million over the next three years.

Magic fans should be thankful for the great years they had with Howard, because it is looking more and more like he will leave after the 2012 season.

Philadelphia 76ers: Elton Brand

Elton Brand has been a bust in Philadelphia since signing a five-year, $79.795 million deal in 2008 to take his talents to the 76ers.

The two time All-Star's numbers have fallen off dramatically since leaving the Clippers for Philadelphia. Brand seems to have lost the athleticism that made him one of the best power forwards in the league.

Brand is still owed over $35 million for the last two years of his contract.

Financially, the Sixers are doing pretty well. They seem to be going in a more youthful direction with the likes of Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner. Rumors have also been swirling on when they will trade Andre Iguodala, who seems to have worn out his welcome in Philly.

Phoenix Suns: Josh Childress

Josh Childress was a solid contributor for the Hawks before abruptly deciding to leave Atlanta for Greece. Since returning to the NBA and signing with the Phoenix Suns, Childress has been a major disappointment.

In Childress' first season back, he only averaged five points and three rebounds a game. This was less than half the production that he had in Atlanta.

Childress is owed close to $27 million for the next four years. This contract made little sense given the fact that the Suns were not able to resign All-Star Amare Stoudemire.

Childress isn't the only bad contract on the Suns. They also owe Channing Frye close to $25 million for the next four seasons.

The Suns seem to be treading water as a team that is on the fence of making the postseason. Even if they made the postseason, it is unlikely that the Suns would get out of the first round. The Suns would be better suited trading everyone, including Steve Nash, and beginning to rebuild.

Portland Trailblazers: Brandon Roy

Brandon Roy was on track for a Hall of Fame career, but after multiple knee surgeries, it seems like he will never be able to regain his All-Star form.

Roy's injuries have put the Portland Trailblazers in a difficult predicament. Roy is slated to earn more than $49 million for the next three seasons with a team option for a fourth year at $19.2 million.

The Blazers have seemingly moved on by making LaMarcus Aldridge the focal point of the offense and giving Wesley Matthews Roy's starting position. Roy has also publicly criticized the Blazers for his lack of playing time in the playoffs.

Roy's monstrous contract has made him close to un-tradable.

The Blazers are one of the best run teams in the NBA today, but Roy's contract will unfortunately hurt the team in the coming years.

Sacramento Kings: John Salmons

The Kings have a lot of players on rookie contracts and loads of cap space.

The Kings were part of the only major trade on draft night when they shipped out Beno Udrih and the seventh pick for John Salmons and the 10th pick, which turned out to be Jimmer Fredette.

Newly acquired guard John Salmons is slated to make $31 million with $24 million guaranteed. John Salmons on the Kings makes no sense for many reasons.

First of all, his huge contract will hurt a franchise that has significant financial problems. From the basketball side of things, having four guards who all need the ball in their hands also makes little sense.

At the moment, the Kings are a dysfunctional franchise, and this trade proved just that.

The Kings do however have some nice young pieces, including Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins and J.J. Hickson, to build around.

San Antonio Spurs: Richard Jefferson

The Spurs have been one of the best run organizations in recent memory, but Richard Jefferson is making way too much money. Jefferson will be earning over $30 million for the next three years.

This contract would have definitely been worth it during Jefferson's years with the Nets, but not at his current age and production.

Jefferson struggled to find his role in his first year in San Antonio but has since found a role as a three-point specialist. In his second season, Jefferson improved his three-point shooting percentage from 31 percent to 44 percent.

Although Jefferson's efficiency improved in his second season, he is still not worth the $10 million annually that he is earning.

Toronto Raptors: Andrea Bargnani

If one is looking at pure talent, Andrea Bargnani should not be on this list. The former number one overall pick is a smooth shooting big man who can knock down shots anywhere on the court.

The problem with Bargnani is he has a true lack of heart. One could argue that Bargnani is the worst defender in the league. He rarely rotates to play help defense and is a constant liability on the glass. There is no excuse for a center who plays upwards of 35 minutes per game to only average five rebounds a contest.

Bargnani is scheduled to make $42 million over the next four seasons. If the Italian decides that he wants to bring 100 percent to the defensive end of the floor, then he will be well worth his contract. Until then, Bargnani is overpaid.

Another poor contract on the Raptors is the $25 million owed to Amir Johnson over the next four seasons.

Utah Jazz: None

The Utah Jazz currently sit as the team with the best salary cap situation in the NBA.

Last season at the trade deadline, the Jazz maximized the value of star Deron Williams. They shipped him to the Nets for a bundle of draft picks and young talented players that are still under their rookie contracts.

This gives the Jazz a ton of flexibility to build their team going forward.

They also have the option of packaging some of these young players with the expiring contract of Mehmet Okur to bring in a potential superstar.

Things are looking bright moving forward for the resurgent Jazz.

Washington Wizards: Rashard Lewis

After nine seasons in Seattle, Rashard Lewis cashed in for a mind-boggling six-year $110 million contract. Since then, Lewis' numbers have steadily declined, and he was shipped out of town to the lowly Wizards for Gilbert Arenas.

The Lewis contract speaks volumes as to what is wrong with the NBA and guaranteed contracts. He has yet to play up to his contract, but will receive every penny of that $110 million.

Lewis is still owed about $46 million over the next two seasons.

The Lewis-Arenas trade was actually a godsend for the Wizards, as it prevented Arenas from becoming any more of a distraction and saved the club over $20 million.

Outside of the Arenas contract, the Wizards have been relatively savvy in personnel moves. If they continue to build around John Wall, the Wizards should expect to return to contending for the playoffs in the coming seasons.

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