Washed-Up NBA Players Who Made Way Too Much Money

Over the past couple decades, the NBA has seen quite a few oversized player contracts.

For one reason or another, clubs struck outrageously expensive deals with budding stars or top-tier performers, only to see those players become washed-up veterans whose salaries were disproportionate to their value on the court.

Names like Rashard Lewis and Kenyon Martin immediately come to mind, but there are a boatload of other ballers who had irresponsibly high paychecks.

We took a look at the highest cumulative salaries in the NBA and found a group of former and current players that never lived up to the expectations of their contracts.

Samuel Dalembert

Cumulative salary: $82.5 million

Career span: 2001-02, 2003-04 to present (11 years)

Notable Stats: 8.0 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.8 BPG, no All-Star games

Seton Hall product Samuel Dalembert wasn't expected to be a superstar in the NBA, so eight points and eight boards per night over 11 seasons doesn't make him a massive bust.

However, there's no way he's worth the $82.5 million he earned thus far.

The Philadelphia 76ers signed him to a lucrative extension in 2005 that accounts for most of that cash, and he never gave them the kind of production necessary to be a contender.

Hedo Turkoglu

Cumulative salary: $89.1 million

Career span: 2000-01 to present (13 years)

Notable Stats: 11.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.1 APG, no All-Star games

In his prime, Turkish standout Hedo Turkoglu was a unique asset and a dynamic point forward due to his size and playmaking skills.

That's why the Toronto Raptors lured him away from the Orlando Magic with a five-year, $53 million deal in 2009.

Ever since he inked that contract, he's been a disappointment on the court, never scoring more than 11.3 points per game in a season or posting a PER higher than 13.4.

Not the kind of output you want from someone making eight figures per year.

Erick Dampier

Cumulative salary: $97.9 million

Career span: 1996-97 to 2011-12 (16 years)

Notable Stats: 7.4 PPG, 7.1 RPG, no All-Star games

The statistics speak for themselves. In no way was Erick Dampier worth the kind of money the Dallas Mavericks threw at him in 2004, even if he was fresh off a season of 12 points and 12 boards per night.

For most of his stint in Dallas, he wasn't much more than a big body who clogged the paint and worked the boards to get high-percentage opportunities.

Offensively, he wasn't much of a low-post creative threat, and defensively, he wasn't formidable enough to warrant star money.

The Mavs were desperate to bolster their frontcourt, and what they ended up getting was a lower-tier center who showed his best stuff in his 2003-04 contract year.

Damon Stoudamire

Cumulative salary: $99.6 million

Career span: 1995-96 to 2007-08 (13 years)

Notable Stats: 13.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, 1995-96 Rookie of the Year, no All-Star games

When he was drafted 7th overall by the Toronto Raptors in their inaugural season, Arizona standout Damon Stoudamire was seen as a potential star and cornerstone floor general for the franchise.

Initially, he lived up to the hype, as he won Rookie of the Year in 1996 and averaged at least 17 points and eight assists in his first three seasons.

Before his fourth season, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, and his career instantly fell to mediocrity. It's crazy to think that a non-All-Star earned nearly $100 million in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Theo Ratliff

Cumulative salary: $102.3 million

Career span: 1995-96 to 2010-11 (16 years)

Notable Stats: 7.2 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 1999 and 2004 All-NBA Defensive 2nd Team, one All-Star game

Although Theo Ratliff was a prolific shot-blocker, he was considerably overpaid—even late in his career, when teams knew he was a specialist.

Here's all we need to know about Ratliff's performance in relation to his salary: he played for nine different teams in 16 seasons and started a grand total of 21 playoff games, all while collecting more than $100 million.

Injuries are partially to blame, but there's still a colossal gap between what he was paid and his tangible effect on the court.

Steve Francis

Cumulative salary: $103.5 million

Career span: 1999-00 to 2007-08 (nine years)

Notable Stats: 18.1 PPG, 6.0 APG, 1999-00 Rookie of the Year, three All-Star games

During the first half of his career, Steve Francis was one of the most dangerous young combo guards in the Association.

During the second half, he was one of the most dangerous contracts to deal with.

His final two campaigns in the league were particularly costly. He made $15.1 million in 2006-07 while posting 11.3 points and 3.9 assists per game for the New York Knicks, and then made $17.5 million in 2007-08 while posting 5.5 points and 3.0 assists for the Houston Rockets.

Brian Grant

Cumulative salary: $109.8 million

Career span: 1994-95 to 2006-07 (12 years)

Notable Stats: 10.5 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1994-95 All-Rookie Team, no All-Star games

The back end of Brian Grant's contract was superfluous, and it was slated for five seasons of double-digit millions.

Save for his career year in 2000-01, he was a role player, a rebounding defensive piece who wasn't reliable enough for substantial scoring usage.

Despite raking in yearly salaries usually reserved for premiere players, Grant averaged a double-double just once in his career, and posted more than 15 points per contest one season.

Although his contract was nearly twice what it should have been, the good news is that Grant was a tremendous humanitarian and a generous contributor to a myriad of charities.

Kenyon Martin

Cumulative salary: $110.8 million

Career span: 2000-01 to present (13 years)

Notable Stats: 12.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, one All-Star game

Kenyon Martin was a short-term star who turned into an effective role player.

The problem is, role players shouldn't cost $110 million over the course of their careers. K-Mart never developed a jump-shot, and while he's been a strong defensive presence on every squad he's played on, his rebounding numbers didn't warrant his exorbitant salary.

After his first couple campaigns with the New Jersey Nets, he showed many qualities of a developing star, but those ended up being the best years of his modest career.

Gilbert Arenas

Cumulative salary: $119.9 million

Career span: 2001-02 to 2011-12 (11 years)

Notable Stats: 20.7 PPG, 5.3 APG, 2002-03 Most Improved Player, three All-Star games, two All-NBA 3rd team selections, one All-NBA 2nd team selection

Arguably the most talented player on this list, Gilbert Arenas was a bona fide star who ended up hauling in mega-star money.

In 2008, he signed a six-year, $111 million extension with the Washington Wizards, and he didn't even last in the league for the duration of it.

Since signing that gargantuan contract, he suffered a rash of injuries, was convicted of storing firearms in the Wizards' locker room, and changed NBA teams twice before heading to China.

From 2008-2012, Arenas scored an underwhelming 1,575 total points (13 points per game) while banking nearly $68 million.

Anfernee Hardaway

Cumulative salary: $120.5 million

Career span: 1993-94 to 2007-08 (14 years)

Notable Stats: 15.2 PPG, 5.0 APG, four All-Star games

The Orlando Magic got tremendous value for what they paid Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway.

The Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks can't say the same.

Hardaway's career was derailed and hampered by knee injuries and procedures, and he simply could not make the same kind of plays that he supplied in the mid-1990s.

From 2000-01 to 2005-06, Penny netted double-digit millions per year, and he didn't drop more than 12 points or 4.1 assists per game in any of those seasons.

Nene

Cumulative salary: $122.8 million

Career span: 2002-03 to present (11 years)

Notable Stats: 12.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 2002-03 All-Rookie team, no All-Star games

Washington Wizards forward Nene gets paid like a legitimate second option, but in reality he's a third or fourth option.

He has cashed in on more than $10 million per year for the last four seasons (including $13 million each of the past two), and he's scheduled to make at last $13 million per year through 2015-16.

The Denver Nuggets were unwise enough to sign him to an unreasonably high extension in 2011, and then they were wise enough to find a way to trade him.

Now he's the Wizard's financial problem.

Baron Davis

Cumulative salary: $132.8 million

Career span: 1999-00 to 2011-12 (13 years)

Notable Stats: 16.1 PPG, 7.2 APG, two All-Star games

After his mid-career revival with the Golden State Warriors, Baron Davis' career gradually slid downhill.

Once he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008, he was a mediocre playmaker who failed to return to stardom. 

Davis didn't last three full seasons in L.A. before he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers and subsequently landed with the New York Knicks.

$11 to $14 million is far too much for a player who is often injured, out of shape and not as passionate about the game as he could be.

Stephon Marbury

Cumulative salary: $151.1 million

Career span: 1996-97 to 2008-09 (13 years)

Notable Stats: 19.3 PPG, 7.6 APG, two All-Star games

Much like several other players on this list, it's not necessarily the cumulative number we're worried about. It's the last few years of his elephantine contract.

Stephon Marbury was an exciting dual-threat floor general in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and his salary was well-earned.

Once he entered his third season with the New York Knicks, his productivity took a nosedive, and the back-loaded contract became more and more burdensome as the years went on.

Elton Brand

Cumulative salary: $161.4 million

Career span: 1999-00 to present (14 years)

Notable Stats: 17.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG, two All-Star games

Elton Brand has always been a rock-solid forward who can knock down shots, rebound and play an efficient brand of hoops.

Even though he was a consistent performer for the Philadelphia 76ers (albeit sporadically injured), he never lived up to the contract he signed when he made the move from Los Angeles.

His four seasons in Philly yielded an excess of $60 million in salary, but he was clearly past his prime. Brand rapidly went from being a featured offensive weapon to a more supplementary scorer.

Thus, his departure from the Clippers in 2008 marked the end of his stardom, and it marked the end of him being worth his giant salary.

Rashard Lewis

Cumulative salary: $161.4 million

Career span: 1998-99 to present (15 years)

Notable Stats: 15.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, two All-Star games

The 2006-07 season was the last time Rashard Lewis' performance value matched his salary.

He earned $9.4 million, but he played the part with 22.4 points per game and a 20.7 PER. Since then, he's been one, big expensive headache for the general managers trying to deal with him.

Lewis is a one-dimensional player, a tall shooter who doesn't rebound or effectively create his own shot. But for some reason, he was afforded a six-year, $112 million contract in 2007. It will go down as one of the worst deals in the history of professional sports.

Jermaine O'Neal

Cumulative salary: $165.4 million

Career span: 1996-97 to present (17 years)

Notable Stats: 13.4 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 2001-02 Most Improved Player, six All-Star games

Journeyman power forward Jermaine O'Neal wasn't overpaid during the prime of his career, as he was one of the best two-way big men in the Eastern Conference.

From 2007-2010, however, he made far too much money in proportion to the results on the court.

During that three-year span, he banked more than $64 million and played like a worn-out version of the vintage O'Neal.

He was getting paid like a 20-point, 10-rebound player, but those All-Star days had long passed.