Predicting the NBA's 10 Worst Contracts for 2024-25 Season
This just in: not every NBA player lives up to his contract.
Some age out while on long-term, lucrative deals. Others succumb to injury earlier in their careers.
The following is a list of the 10 players with the worst value contracts for 2024-25. Long-term impact is not considered—just bang for the buck for the upcoming season.
10. Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
1 of 10
2024-25 salary: $49.2 million
2023-24 summary (51 wins): 68 games played, 23.7 points, 41.7 percent from three-point range
When healthy, Leonard is a franchise player. He has two championships on his resumé with the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors, and he could be misplaced on this list.
The problem is that Leonard has long struggled to stay healthy, playing just under 46 games a season since joining the Clippers (including 2021-22, which was lost entirely to a knee injury). The optimism of Leonard reaching 68 last year faded when he couldn't continue through the postseason after two appearances.
In a perfect world (for the Clippers), he would give them nearly 70 games and help the team through a deep playoff run, and his inclusion on this list would be a gross oversight.
But history suggests otherwise.
9. Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks
2 of 10
2024-25 salary: $31.7 million
2023-24 summary (49 wins): 55 games played, 15.1 points, 38.1 percent from three
Middleton continues the trend of All-Star talents on teams with high expectations that have health and durability concerns. He wasn't around as much as hoped for the regular season, but he gave the Bucks 24.7 points per game in the playoffs. That the team didn't get out of the first round is the point. The Bucks may not have the right makeup of players to win another title despite boasting top-end talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard.
Middleton was a huge part of the team's 2021 title, but he hasn't been at full strength the last couple of years. By no means is he a bad player (quite the opposite), but Milwaukee is overinvested in Middleton as their third-best player when he hasn't been able to be that on a day-to-day basis for the past 1-2 years.
8. Bradley Beal, Phoenix Suns
3 of 10
2024-25 salary: $50.2 million
2023-24 summary (49 wins): 53 games played, 18.2 points, 43.0 percent from three
As Beal's outside shooting attests, he's still a talented scorer. However, injuries have hampered his availability to 52 games a season over the past five years, which is difficult to overcome for a franchise given his price.
If he can give Phoenix over 75 games and help the team make a deep playoff run, never mind. However, the Suns tied up their flexibility by adding Beal to a roster with two expensive scorers (Devin Booker and Kevin Durant). Beal may be a poor use of resources on this particular team.
It remains to be seen, but it's unclear if Beal's talents directly translate to deep postseason glory, which the Suns seem to desire most.
7. Bruce Brown Jr., Toronto Raptors
4 of 10
2024-25 salary: $23.million
2023-24 summary (25 wins): 67 games played (33 with the Indiana Pacers, 34 with Toronto), 9.6 points, 31.7 percent from three
Brown is still the solid role player who helped the Denver Nuggets win the championship in 2023. But he's one of the lucky few who benefitted from being the right free agent at precisely the right time.
With the NBA's new rules kicking in, the Pacers needed to get to the minimum team salary before the start of the 2023-24 regular season. Indiana gave Brown an above-market deal with a team option on the second year.
And when the Raptors looked to trade Pascal Siakam, Brown's salary was vital in making the salaries match in the trade.
Heading into the offseason, Toronto chose to keep Brown at his elevated rate for the possibility of passing him on again in trade. Relatively large, expiring contracts can be beneficial in dealmaking.
Good for Brown that he was able to cash in. But he's at best a mid-level player ($12.8 million) in an open market, and that's being generous (like the Pacers were).
6. Tobias Harris, Detroit Pistons
5 of 10
2024-25 salary: $25.4.million
2023-24 summary (14 wins): 78 games played (with the Philadelphia 76ers), 17.4 points, 32.6 percent from three
Like the Pacers last year, the Pistons had plenty of money to spend over the offseason.
In addition to trading for Tim Hardaway Jr.—an honorable mention for this list—Detroit signed Tobias Harris to an above-market deal.
Harris is a good, low-maintenance veteran. He's a decent use of the resources that needed to be spent.
However, despite being the team's highest-paid player this season, he's unlikely to be an essential part of the Pistons' elevation from bottom-dweller to contender.
5. John Collins, Utah Jazz
6 of 10
2024-25 salary: $26.6.million
2023-24 summary (31 wins): 68 games played, 15.1 points, 8.5 rebounds
Collins is fine. He's a perfectly capable minutes eater at either big position (center or power forward).
But he's stuck on a rebuilding team with low aspirations (in the short term).
The Jazz may focus more on the draft and development, with Collins earning a hefty salary that won't lead to many wins.
4. Jordan Poole, Washington Wizards
7 of 10
2024-25 salary: $29.7.million
2023-24 summary (15 wins): 78 games played, 17.4 points, 32.3 percent from three
The Wizards are rebuilding, and Poole may just be there for now because of circumstances. He'll earn a hefty salary as the team projects to struggle through another season.
Poole's stats seem to be empty calories on a bad team. The key question Washington must ask itself: can his skill set ever translate to driving winning?
The Golden State Warriors decided to let him go after overpaying him. The Wizards may not be able to quickly rehabilitate his trade value without sacrificing the development of their younger, developing players.
3. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls
8 of 10
2024-25 team prediction: 28 wins
2024-25 salary: $43.0 million
2023-24 summary (39 wins): 25 games played, 19.5 points, 34.9 percent from three
Zach LaVine is a two-time All-Star and potent scorer who reached 27.4 points a game in 2020-21, but his play has diminished because of injuries (foot, knee, etc.).
The Bulls have considered relocating him to a different franchise, but his salary is prohibitive—at least until he proves he's returned to form. LaVine could make this ranking seem silly with a tremendous bounce-back season, but that may be optimistic.
The greater issue is that the Bulls have had a single playoff win (game, not series) since LaVine joined the franchise in 2017.
The team pivoted away from veterans DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso and may continue down that road, focusing on adding and developing younger talent. LaVine doesn't necessarily fit that vision, especially at such a lofty salary.
2. Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls
9 of 10
2024-25 team prediction: 28 wins
2024-25 salary: $21.4 million
2023-24 summary (39 wins): Didn't play
That Ball is hoping to play somewhat regularly this season is great news for a still-young player (almost 27) who hasn't been able to take the court over the past two years.
Ball has had knee and leg issues throughout his career. Hopefully, he can overcome them to be a regular, consistent contributor for the Bulls. It's too early to expect him to give the franchise the kind of production expected of a player earning over $20 million for the coming season.
Chicago's recent lack of success certainly has a lot to do with the back-to-back players on this list.
1. Ben Simmons, Brooklyn Nets
10 of 10
2024-25 team prediction: 17 wins
2024-25 salary: $40.3 million
2023-24 summary (32 wins): 15 games played, 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists
Simmons is in the final year of his 2019 rookie-scale extension (via the Philadelphia 76ers), and his salary makes him one of the league's higher-paid players. The Nets took him on as part of the 2022 James Harden trade. After missing all of the 2021-22 season—Simmons has back issues—he has played in 57 games over two years for the Nets.
Now, the team is full-on rebuilding. Whatever minutes Simmons provides the team may not matter much as the franchise turns its attention to player development and the draft while waiting for Simmons' salary to finally come off the books.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X/Twitter @EricPincus.
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