Ranking the 10 Most Toxic NBA Contracts at the Break

The NBA definitely has its fair share of terrible contracts, but these 10 guys definitely take the cake when it comes to making far more money than they deserve. 

They're the proud owners of the 10 most toxic contracts in the league.

They're the guys who are financially crippling their teams. 

They're the metaphorical albatrosses hanging around the necks of their organizations. 

Read on to find out who they are. 

*Note: All contract information via Spotrac.com

Honorable Mention: Shaquille O'Neal (TNT)

I have no idea how much TNT is paying Shaquille O'Neal to be an "analyst," (heavy emphasis on the quotation marks please) and I have no idea how long he's expected to be in that role. Honestly, I don't care enough to look it up because it's irrelevant. 

No matter what the results of that process would be, they'd still tell me the same thing: Shaq's contract is ridiculous. 

Mumbling, bumbling analysts that don't add anything to the conversation and interrupt the comedic genius that is Charles Barkley don't deserve any sort of contract. 

10. Mehmet Okur (New Jersey Nets)

Contract: two years, $20,800,000

Remaining Years: $10,890,000 (2011-2012)

I tried to keep the contracts with just one year remaining to a minimum, but Mehmet Okur's was bad enough to merit its place on a list like this. 

Okur is making more money this season than all but 43 players in the NBA. In terms of contract size, the players right around him are Jason Terry, Monta Ellis and Gerald Wallace. So you would expect him to be producing at a near-elite level, right? 

Wrong. The 32-year-old big man is averaging only 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game with a pathetic PER of 8.77. 

9. Andris Biedrins (Golden State Warriors)

Contract: six years, $62,000,000

Remaining Years: $9,000,000 (2011-2012), $9,000,000 (2012-2013), player option for $9,000,000 (2013-2014)

If you think that Andris Biedrins is going to turn down the $9 million dollars he's owed in 2013-2014, you're crazy. Whenever you see "player option" in this article, it's probably just safe to assume that that option will be exercised and the player will remain with the team for the season in question.

Biedrins is averaging 2.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and is in serious danger of losing his starting job to Ekpe Udoh. It's hard to imagine how bad his contract will be in a couple of years. 

8. Josh Childress (Phoenix Suns)

Contract: five years, $33,500,000

Remaining Years: $6,000,000 (2011-2012), $6,500,000 (2012-2013), $7,182,500 (2013-2014), player option for $7,317,500 (2014-2015)

This is not what the Phoenix Suns expected from Josh Childress when they awaited his return from Greece. 

He was supposed to be a dynamic scorer, not someone who is averaging only 2.7 points per game in his 13.5 minutes per contest on the court. 

Unless Childress improves drastically, this contract is going to limit the team's options all the way through the end of the 2014-2015 season. 

7. Emeka Okafor (New Orleans Hornets)

Contract: six years, $72,000,000

Remaining Years: $12,541,812 (2011-2012), $13,541,812 (2012-2013), $14,544,687 (2013-2014)

If I told you about a center with declining health who is averaging 9.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game this season on a terrible basketball team where he should be picking up points and rebounds out of necessity, how high would you guess his salary to be? 

Would you put him in the same area as Nene Hilario, Manu Ginobili, Marc Gasol, Tony Parker, Josh Smith and Luol Deng? No?

Well, that's exactly where Emeka Okafor is in terms of salary. 

And the scary part is that his salary is only going to go up each of the next two seasons. 

6. Metta World Peace (Los Angeles Lakers)

Contract: three years, $33,953,200

Remaining Years: $6,790,640 (2011-2012), player option for $7,258,690 (2012-2013), player option for $7,727,280 (2013-2014)

Despite his new name, Metta World Peace has the unique ability to make the locker room anything but peaceful. 

Although he's mostly kept his attitude in line while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, the small forward's skills are clearly declining. Artest is averaging only 4.9 points, 1.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game, and we still have another two years to go on the contract. 

5. Hedo Turkoglu (Orlando Magic)

Contract: five years, $53,000,000

Remaining Years: $10,600,000 (2011-2012), $11,400,000 (2012-2013), player option for $12,200,000 (2013-2014)

Hedo Turkoglu's mammoth of a contract is only going to go up in these rankings as time marches on. 

The Turkish forward is already struggling this season, posting a PER of just 12.00 during the first half of the year. At 32 years of age, he's only going to get worse each of the next two years. 

The very fact that Turkoglu's contract is only the fifth-worst in the NBA speaks volumes about the league's lack of financial discretion.  

4. Travis Outlaw (New Jersey Nets/Sacramento Kings)

Contract: four years, $16,000,000

Remaining Years: $4,000,000 (2011-2012), $4,000,000 (2012-2013), $4,000,000 (2013-2014), $4,000,000 (2014-2015)

Travis Outlaw signed a terrible contract with the New Jersey Nets that was worth $35 million over the course of five years, but the team chose to use the amnesty clause on him.   

Then, for some inexplicable reason, the Sacramento Kings decided to buy out his contract for $12 million over four years, meaning that the Nets still owe Outlaw $16 million. 

Remember, this is a guy who's averaged barely over 10 minutes per game this season on an inept Sacramento Kings team. And in those minutes, he's only averaging 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. 

3. Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons)

Contract: five years, $50,000,000

Remaining Years: $11,600,000 (2011-2012), $11,600,000 (2012-2013), player option for $13,200,000 (2013-2014)

How in the world did the Pistons come to the conclusion that re-signing Ben Gordon to this kind of a contract was a good idea? It just doesn't make any sense. 

Gordon can still score points, but he doesn't do much else, as indicated by his 12.6 PER this season. 

When he's close to the top 25 in terms of yearly salary in 2013-2014, this contract will look even more ridiculous. 

2. Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)

Contract: six years, $123,700,000

Remaining Years: $18,038,537 (2011-2012), $19,752,645 (2012-2013), $21,466,718 (2013-2014), $23,180,790 (2014-2015), $24,894,863 (2015-2016)

This one just makes me sad. 

As of now, Joe Johnson is in position to be the highest paid player in the NBA during the 2015-2016 season. By then, he won't be the All-Star shooting guard we've come to know and love, but a 34-year-old who will be playing at a fairly high level at best. 

This move may have locked up Atlanta's star player, but it also doomed the franchise to upper-tier mediocrity for the next five years. 

1. Rashard Lewis (Washington Wizards)

Contract: six years, $118,200,000

Remaining Years: $22,152,000 (2011-2012), $23,790,000 (2012-2013)

There is a reason there was an NBA lockout. 

Its name was Rashard Lewis. 

Just look at the numbers, referring to both his salary and his stats (7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game with a 9.63 PER).