Best and Worst Contracts in the NBA Right Now
At the root of sustained NBA prosperity is savvy financial workmanship by front offices. While a good contract like Stephen Curry's four-year, $44 million deal with the Golden State Warriors allowed the franchise to maintain monetary flexibility and vault up the Western Conference standings, a gross overpayment can hinder a team's ability to remain consistently competitive.
Take Eric Gordon's four-year, $58 million pact with the New Orleans Pelicans, for example. Or Josh Smith's four-year, $54 million agreement with the Detroit Pistons.
With those deals in mind, we started pondering which players currently represent the league's best and worst values, with some more recent signings in mind.
Not including rookie contracts—since they're controlled by the rookie scale in the league's collective bargaining agreement—it's time to explore which players are in possession of the NBA's most polarizing contracts.
However, we're not going to focus on some of the classic examples, such as Joe Johnson or Amar'e Stoudemire, since their deals have been discussed ad nauseam since 2010.
Instead, more topical agreements that possess a clear disparity in production and compensation will be examined in the slides ahead.
Best: Pau Gasol, PF, Chicago Bulls
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Contract: Three years, $22 million remaining
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 19.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.9 blocks, 21.5 PER
The Chicago Bulls stole Pau Gasol from the Los Angeles Lakers for an average annual value of $7.3 million, making him one of the biggest contractual gems in the NBA.
Although the Lakers offered Gasol a two-year, $22 million deal, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, Gasol spurned Hollywood for a chance to make another title run, this time in the Windy City.
Posting his highest scoring average since 2006-07, Gasol has proved to be one of the few constants in a Bulls lineup that's been hampered by injuries throughout the season's first month.
Additionally, Gasol has joined Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins as the only three players averaging at least 19 points and 11 rebounds this season, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
And when you consider other forwards like Jeff Green, Channing Frye and Andrea Bargnani all have higher base salaries this season, according to Spotrac.com, it's easy to view Gasol's deal as one of the most favorable in the league.
Worst: Gerald Wallace, SF, Boston Celtics
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Contract: Two years, $20.2 million remaining
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 0.7 points, 0.6 rebounds, 0.0 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.0 blocks, 0.2 PER
Rajon Rondo is the Boston Celtics' top earner at $12.9 million this season, but Gerald Wallace doesn't lag far behind at $10.1 million.
Due more than $20 million over the next two seasons, Wallace will rake in more during that span than Jeff Green, Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass.
Appearing in just seven games so far this season, Wallace has been relegated to the role of veteran reserve, averaging a meager 8.8 minutes per night as head coach Brad Stevens opts for a wing platoon consisting of Bradley, Green, Marcus Thornton and Evan Turner.
And while Boston was forced to acquire Wallace en route to snagging three first-round picks from the Nets in the Kevin Garnett-Paul Pierce blockbuster, the contract continues to look like one of the league's worst with each passing game.
Take a peek at his nightly averages, and it's clear Wallace's salary is hardly proportionate to such underwhelming production.
Best: Dirk Nowitzki, PF, Dallas Mavericks
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Contract: Three years, $25 million remaining
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 19.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.4 steals, 0.6 blocks, 23.2 PER
Dirk Nowitzki established himself as one of the most selfless players in the NBA when he sacrificed monetary gains for the good of the Dallas Mavericks this past summer.
In line for a hefty contract extension, Nowitzki made a massive financial concession so the Mavericks could sign Chandler Parsons to a three-year, $46 million deal.
"I told him every dinner on the road this year is on him," Nowitzki said of Parsons, according to ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon. "Because it's my money anyway."
By signing a three-year pact worth approximately $25 million, Nowitzki put pen to paper on a contract that will pay him only slightly more than O.J. Mayo is making with the Milwaukee Bucks through the 2015-16 season.
At 36 years old, Nowitzki is outplaying his new deal by miles, averaging 19.6 points while posting gaudy shooting splits of .485/.369/.864 in the league's most efficient offense.
Worst: Eric Gordon, SG, New Orleans Pelicans
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Contract: Two years, $30.4 million remaining
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 9.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.3 blocks, 8.8 PER
Since arriving in New Orleans as a piece of the Chris Paul blockbuster four seasons ago, Eric Gordon has been nothing short of a complete disappointment.
He was signed to a four-year, $58 million deal in the summer of 2012, but the Pelicans have yet to receive production commensurate with that generous financial commitment. Dating back to 2011, Gordon has shot at least 45 percent from the field just once while recording just two above-average player efficiency ratings, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
According to Bleacher Report's Dan Favale, plenty of numbers confirm Gordon's contract is the worst in the NBA: "Also of note: Gordon has collected just 3.3 win shares since his four-year deal began, the fewest of any player (minimum 100 appearances) who is averaging at least 30 minutes per game. Kendrick Perkins has amassed more during that same span (3.4) while playing fewer minutes (22.4)."
Prior to tearing the labrum in his left shoulder this season, Gordon was on track for another disastrous campaign, shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 34.1 percent from three.
Due a shade less than $15 million this season with a player option worth $15.5 million next season, per ShamSports.com, Gordon is virtually untradable due to the financial freedom he's been afforded next summer.
Best: Isaiah Thomas, PG, Phoenix Suns
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Contract: Four years, $28 million remaining
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 15.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.1 blocks, 22.8 PER
The Phoenix Suns moved swiftly to acquire Isaiah Thomas over the summer, and the team's quick thinking has paid serious dividends so far this season.
As the Suns bench has thrived, scoring 44.7 points per game, according to HoopsStats.com, Thomas continues to emerge as a bargain.
And it's not just because he's averaging 15.5 points while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three in a beautiful partnership with Gerald Green.
According to ShamSports.com, Thomas' annual salary actually decreases year after year. So while he's making $7.2 million this season, Thomas will earn just $6.3 million in the final year (2017-18) of the deal.
Over the next four years, here's precisely how Thomas' $28 million deal will be paid out:
- 2014-15: $7.2 million
- 2015-16: $6.9 million
- 2016-17: $6.6 million
- 2017-18: $6.3 million
The de-escalating nature of Thomas' contract will also make it easier for the Suns to offer Goran Dragic a bigger deal this summer, as the 28-year-old is capable of declining a player option worth $7.5 million at season's end.
Worst: Josh Smith, PF, Detroit Pistons
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Contract: Three years, $40.5 million remaining
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 13.2 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.6 blocks, 13.8 PER
It's a shame that we've become accustomed to Josh Smith's infuriating mediocrity.
Unfortunately, the Detroit Pistons decided to shell out $13.5 million annually over the course of four years for the right to be frustrated by his maddening shot selection.
After he posted shooting splits of .419/.264/.532 during his first season in the Motor City, it didn't look like things could possibly get worse. But under Stan Van Gundy, Smith's offerings have continued to underwhelm.
Through 19 games, Smith is shooting 37.3 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from three while posting his lowest scoring average since 2005-06, when he was 20 years old.
To make matters worse, the Pistons entered Wednesday night's contest with the Boston Celtics generating 11.2 points more per 100 possessions with Smith off the floor, according to NBA.com.
Now approaching 30, it's horrifying that Smith is making a higher average annual salary than more consistent weapons like Serge Ibaka ($12.3 million), David West ($12 million), Tim Duncan ($10.4 million) and Paul Millsap ($9.5 million).
Best: Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors
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Contract: Three years, $34.1 million remaining
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 23.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.6 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, 27.8 PER
Yes, that's right. Stephen Curry is making approximately $6 million less than Josh Smith over the next three years.
Not only that, but Curry is currently the fourth-highest paid player on the Golden State Warriors behind David Lee, Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala, and he will drop to the fifth spot when Klay Thompson's four-year, $70 million extension kicks in next season.
Firmly in the early-season MVP conversation alongside Anthony Davis, James Harden and Marc Gasol, Curry owns the NBA's second-best player efficiency rating and is in prime position to post the first 50/40/90 season of his career.
Through 17 games, Curry owns shooting splits of .495/.412/.926, and if he can find a way to enter the club, he'll be just the fifth guard in league history do so, alongside Mark Price, Steve Nash, Jose Calderon and his head coach, Steve Kerr.
On pace to shoot at least 40 percent from three for the sixth time in as many seasons, there's no question that Curry deserves to be paid like the game's top floor generals.
However, Curry doesn't even rank among the top 12, according to Spotrac.com, which makes him the biggest steal the NBA has to offer.
Worst: Jeremy Lin, PG, Los Angeles Lakers
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Contract: One year, $14.9 million remaining
2014-15 Per-Game Stats: 11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.4 blocks, 15.3 PER
In the long run, the Los Angeles Lakers' acquisition of Jeremy Lin and a 2015 first-round pick from the Houston Rockets will look like a smart gamble.
With cap room to spare, the Lakers were able to absorb the $8.3 million cap hit that accompanied the bloated final year of Lin's deal. However, that doesn't make the massive price tag any more palatable when examining Lin's production and salary relative to his peers.
As the stats above indicate, Lin has been merely average as a scorer and distributor while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from three.
Given that Lin is the NBA's fifth highest-paid point guard this season behind Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, that sort of production isn't exactly ideal.
And with John Wall, Rajon Rondo, Eric Bledsoe, Tony Parker and Kyle Lowry rounding out the 10 highest-paid floor generals, Lin is clearly the outlier in that esteemed group.
All contract information courtesy of ShamSports.com unless noted otherwise.
All statistics current as of Dec. 3 and courtesy of NBA.com unless noted otherwise.
