When Tobias Harris signed a new contract in free agency with the Detroit Pistons last week, social media reactions were largely based around the same question. The comments section was flooded with rhetorical comments like these: “How can Tobias Harris continue getting money from teams?” Harris is far from a bad player. But his production-to-salary ratio is nothing to rave about. To be fair, he is not the worst player on an extremely rich contract. For a few years, Ben Simmons was the worst highest-paid player in the NBA. Is he still on the list? Once you finish reading our list, you might be surprised by some of the players included. It doesn’t make them bad players. Far from it. Some have achieved plenty in their careers. But their current contract doesn’t reflect their production on the court or their potential to approach the market value of that deal. Here is an example for further context. In November 2013, Kobe Bryant signed a two-year contract extension to remain with the Los Angeles Lakers until his retirement. It was the last contract he signed. There was some discussion about whether Kobe could take a significant pay cut and allow the Lakers to sign other impact players. It was a noble idea. But that was not reality. Instead, Kobe signed a two-year extension worth $48.5 million. Thanks to that contract, he remained the highest-paid player throughout the extension. Some Lakers fans appreciated the loyalty of the Buss family. Others scrutinized the deal. Sound familiar? The Lakers are back at it with the current contract for LeBron James. While he will not be the highest-paid player with the $104 million deal, he’s still in the top 15 highest-earning players. Unlike Kobe, LeBron was willing to take a pay cut for certain players, but when the Lakers struck out in that bid, James signed for the max. Let's get into the worst highest-paid players for the 2024–25 NBA season. We can argue that Beal has taken the title held by Ben Simmons. During the 2024–25 season, Beal will make more money than Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam and Devin Booker. Considered one of the best players on a bad team during his Washington Wizards days, Beal couldn’t remain healthy during his first year with the Suns. Some fans expected that. After vowing not to get swept in the first round of the 2024 playoffs, Beal scored nine points on 4-of-13 shooting, one rebound, two assists and six turnovers in Game 4 against Minnesota. Not bad for a player earning $50 million, right? What is worse, he will earn $53 and $57 for the two years after that. The good news is that Beal will be only 31 years old when the next season begins. The bad news? He hasn’t played more than 53 games since the 2020–21 season. He averaged 31.3 points and played in 60 games. His status depends on how far the Phoenix Suns will go next year. And he is not the only one shouldering that burden. Speaking of the Phoenix Suns and their highest-paid players, we have to mention Durant. Unlike Beal, KD has won a title and a Finals MVP. But that was 100,000 years ago, when he played with the Golden State Warriors. Durant left the Warriors to improve his legacy as the main dog on a championship-caliber team. The last meaningful game he played was Game 7 of the 2020–21 Eastern Conference semifinals versus the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, if he wore smaller shoes, we might be having a different conversation. Yet, the reality is that Durant hasn’t been on the biggest playoff stage since leaving the Warriors. He signed a four-year, $194 million contract with the Nets and has two more years remaining. KD will be the fifth-highest-paid player for the 2024–25 season. He will earn $51 million—more than Beal and Booker. The Suns have three players in the top seven highest-paid for the 2024–25 season. If they lose in the first round again, there is no denying that KD will face heavy criticism. This might be his last chance to show that he is the bus driver. Before the 2023–24 season began, Jerami Grant signed a five-year, $160 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. He hoped to play alongside Damian Lillard. Several days later, Lillard asked for a trade. Grant, a 30-year-old wing, earns close to $30 million per year. He has a player option for the last year of his contract, and by that time he will be 34 years old and earning $36.4 million. That’s too much for a player at that age who is reliant on athleticism to succeed. There are rumors that he might get traded to the Lakers or Warriors. If he ends up with the Warriors, he might have a year or two to contribute to a winning team. His athleticism can help the Warriors. There was a period when LaMelo was one of the top three young players in the league. GMs around the league considered him one of the best players to build around. Now you might say he is a victim of the mess in Charlotte. Since making it to the All-Star game in his second year, Ball has missed more than half of the season in the last two years. He played in 36 games in 2022–23 and 22 during the 2023–24 season. His production remained decent, averaging 23+ points and 8+ assists. The only hope the Hornets have for their future is if LaMelo can remain healthy. Availability will be the deciding factor as to whether Ball stays on this list. He’s got a lot of money to play 30 games per season. Ball will earn $35 million next year, followed by $37, $40, $43, and $46 million on his current deal. The good news is that he will be only 23 years old when the next season begins, giving plenty of time to change the narrative. We’ve established Harris is a good player. But he earns money like a star, not a role player. His previous contract will haunt the Philadelphia 76ers for years. They chose Harris and passed on Jimmy Butler, a fit of panic that involved the regrettable five-year, $180 million extension that nudged Harris into a popular target of Philly fan criticism. Harris secured another lucrative deal again in July when he signed a two-year, $52 million contract with the Detroit Pistons. In Detroit, Harris faces much less pressure. You can say he has a tradeable contract. And if things go well, the Pistons can flip him to a contender for some assets. But he will make almost the same amount as Isaiah Hartenstein, another free agent this summer. Harris checks a lot of boxes but also brings home a lot of zeros. He averaged 17 points per game last season, then was a no-show in the playoffs. All while netting $39.3 million from the Sixers. The Bulls have tried—and tried, and tried—but found no taker for LaVine’s contract in trade talks. LaVine has yet to turn 30, and he is already considered the worst-paid superstar. He is now in a spot where John Wall was several years ago. He has an Albatross contract that can only be traded for another Albatross contract. LaVine has three more years left on his contract. The final year is a player option for $49 million, but do you think he is declining that cash? And on top of that, his contract has a 15% trade bonus kicker. His last great season was the 2020–21 season. And even then, he played in only 58 games. Averaging 27.4 points on 50% shooting from the floor and 42% from the 3-point line, LaVine made the All-Star team. Since then, he has yet to find his touch. Last year, injuries kept him away from the court. The Bulls had him for 25 games. The Warriors have had a few hiccups over the past three years. Giving Jordan Poole a four-year, $128 million contract might be one of them. It was a bad contract, but now the joke is on the Wizards, who took on the deal via trade. At the time, Poole was the third-best player on the Warriors championship team. He peaked at the right time. When next season begins, he will be only 25 years old. But is he worth $30 million per year? Or $34 million in two years? The Portland Trail Blazers are a team with two bad contracts. But unlike the Phoenix Suns, they are not trying to win right now. So, why hold Ayton? Well, they took a flier on him when Phoenix traded for Kevin Durant. As a young team that just drafted Donovan Clingan, Portland has no interest in retaining Ayton and his $34 million salary. The good news is that he has two more years left. Next year, and the one after that for $35 million. Ayton is a former No. 1 overall pick. He is not a bust like, say, Greg Oden, Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown, or Anthony Bennett. Ayton has averaged a double-double for his career. That is not an easy feat. But he has yet to play like the second-best player on a championship-caliber team. He had one great season with the Suns when they made the Finals. And that is it. Since then, he has been hearing more about coaching problems than great games. In October 2023, San Antonio signed Devin Vassell to a five-year, $135 million contract in a move with visible parallels to the 76ers-Harris deal. Vassell is not a bad player. He is a decent role player. But he’s being paid like a star. Next season, he is set to make $29 million. Only one player on the New York Knicks earns more: Julius Randle at $30 million. Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges will earn $25 and $23 million, respectively. Now compare that to Vassell and his production. This one is an honorable mention. For the last two years, Simmons has been the highest-paid bad player in the league. And there is no debate about that. The good news for the Nets is that this will be his last season on his current deal. Simmons will be the 26th highest-paid player in the NBA next season. Is he in the top 50 players in the NBA? Top 100? Here are a few players that will earn less than the $40 million owed to Simmons next season: Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey, OG Anunoby, and Donovan Mitchell.
Defining “bad contract” in the NBA
Bradley Beal, Suns
Kevin Durant, Suns
Jerami Grant, Trail Blazers
LaMelo Ball, Hornets
Tobias Harris, Pistons
Zach Lavine, Bulls
Jordan Poole, Wizards
Deandre Ayton, Trail Blazers
Devin Vassell, Spurs
Ben Simmons, Nets