Being a top-tier NBA player can net someone deals amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. In order to stay competitive, NBA franchises pay top dollar to enlist the services of some of the best players in the league. However, there are times when teams invest in the wrong player or at least pay a player way over what he is actually worth.
Based on how disproportionate their salary is to their quality of play, these are the 5 most overpaid players in the league right now based on their salary for the 2021-22 season:
- Rudy Gobert – $35,344,828
There’s no doubt that Rudy Gobert is a generational defensive talent. He is undeniably the best defensive center in the league right now and is a key piece in a Utah Jazz team that ended the previous season with the league’s best record.
What Gobert does on defense can’t be matched by any other big man in the NBA right now, so the Jazz signed him to a five-year, $205 million contract in 2020. The two-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year signed the heftiest deal for a center in NBA history.
$205 million for five years sounds like a fair deal for a one-of-a-kind defensive talent and franchise cornerstone who has helped make the Jazz become the most competitive that it has been in recent years.
However, despite his defensive prowess, Gobert can’t compete with superstar centers such as Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic because he has rarely shown that he has much to contribute outside defense. Contracts worth $205 million are meant for players who do it all and are the best at their position.
- Tobias Harris – $35,995,950
Tobias Harris has all the makings of a star and is a prototype of what a modern NBA forward should be. Harris has the size, the scoring ability, and has shown that he can step up in the clutch, but he is yet to show that he is a superstar.
Harris is under a five-year, $180 million contract that he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019. Some NBA fans viewed Harris, Joel Embiid, and Ben Simmons as Philadelphia’s Big Three, but others think that Harris doesn’t have the star power that his All-Star teammates have to form a true Big Three.
Despite having zero All-Star appearances under his belt, Harris is getting paid more than his All-Star teammates Embiid and Simmons. Harris however is yet to show that he is the most important player in Philadelphia.
- Kristaps Porzingis – $31,650,600
Kristaps Porzingis was once projected to be a generational European talent similar to Dirk Nowitzki, and signing with the Dallas Mavericks definitely contributed to that narrative. But Porzingis as of yet hasn’t even shown that he’s a top-five big man in the NBA.
The one-time All-Star Porzingis signed a max contract for five years and $158 million with the Mavs in 2019, which was at the time the largest contract ever signed by a player in the Mavericks’ franchise history. The dynamic duo of Porzingis and Luka Doncic was supposed to usher in a new era of contention for Dallas.
While Dallas has indeed become a perennial playoff team again, mostly thanks to the spectacular play of Doncic, the franchise still has room to grow before it becomes a legitimate title contender. Porzingis’ play has been inconsistent since he has been signed and his most recent playoff performance was disappointing, but he will be making more money next season than players like Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokic.
- Andrew Wiggins – $31,579,390
At some point, Andrew Wiggins was viewed by some as the next LeBron James. The 2014 first overall pick had all the hype surrounding him.
Wiggins showed immense potential and together with Karl Anthony Towns was expected to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves’ young core and bring the franchise back to contention. The Wolves signed him to a five-year, $148 million deal in 2017. However, Wiggins and Towns weren’t enough to make Minnesota a contender, and Wiggins was eventually traded to the Golden State Warriors in 2020.
While Wiggins is far from being a draft bust, the 26-year-old has shown minimal growth in recent years. Wiggins will get paid more than $31 million next season, yet he will essentially be the fourth option in a Warriors squad that has Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. $31 million for a season is a number meant for franchise players, not fourth options, no matter how good they may be.
- John Wall – $44,310,840
Before all the injuries, John Wall had a solid case as a top-five point guard in the league, but injuries have prevented the 30-year-old from playing in some of his prime years in the NBA.
The 2010 first overall pick was a franchise player for the Washington Wizards in the 2010s, and together with Bradley Beal comprised one of the best backcourts in the league’s recent history. Wall is currently under a four-year, $170 million contract with the Wizards, but was since traded to the Houston Rockets.
Wall is yet to regain All-Star form ever since he came back from injury, but he will be the third highest-paid player next season. Wall will get paid more than some of the best players in the NBA, such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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