20 NBA players who are probably earning more than they should
Basketball fans often express their discontent and criticism towards highly paid NBA players who fail to meet expectations on the court. These individuals tend to command a significant portion of the salary cap, so when their performance falls short, it causes plenty of anger.
Furthermore, numerous talented players receive big contracts, but struggle with frequent injuries, preventing them from playing or performing well. As a result, their contracts often exceed their actual value.
Here are the 20 most overpaid NBA players at the moment:
#1 - Ben Simmons
Ben Simmons has a long-term contract with the Brooklyn Nets, yet he appeared in only 42 games in the 2022-23 season. The point guard averaged career-low numbers across the board, making his contract one of the worst in the league.
The worst thing? Simmons has two more years left on his contract.
Season stats (42 Games Played): 6.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 6.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG
#2 - Bradley Beal
With a $43.3 million contract, Bradley Beal is the third highest-paid player in the NBA this season, trailing only Steph Curry and LeBron James. However, he's nowhere as good as these two players and also has problems with injuries.
Beal is under contract until the summer of 2027 and will receive $57.1 million in his final year of it.
Season stats (50 GP): 23.2 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG
#3 - Paul George
Paul George is a fantastic player who can do a great job on both ends of the floor. However, his 2022-23 salary was the fourth-highest in the league, making him one of the most overpaid NBA players.
PG13 is great, but his injuries have caused him to miss a lot of games.
Season stats (56 GP): 23.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG
#4 - Kawhi Leonard
Similar to Paul George, Kawhi Leonard's health has been a huge issue. He's one of the best players in the league when healthy, but missing 30 games in a season is simply too much.
Despite having both George and Leonard on the roster, the LA Clippers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The two forwards were not healthy, which was a big reason for their elimination.
Season stats (52 GP): 23.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG
#5 - Tobias Harris
Unlike a few other players on the list, Tobias Harris has no injury issues. However, he's simply not good enough to justify a contract worth $37.6 million for the 2022-23 season.
It seems that Jimmy Butler knew that Harris was going to become one of the most overpaid NBA players. However, the Philadelphia 76ers gave him big money in 2019 and will have to pay him for one more year.
Season stats (74 GP): 14.7 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG
#6 - Deandre Ayton
Deandre Ayton has become one of the overpaid NBA players this season. He's making $30.9 million, yet has shown no improvement. The Phoenix Suns center is struggling in the playoffs as well, which makes his contract even worse.
The Suns extended him last summer, locking him until the end of the 2025-26 season.
Season stats (67 GP): 18.0 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.8 BPG
#7 - Davis Bertans
Davis Bertans went from being one of the deadliest shooters in the league to being one of the most overpaid NBA players. The 6-foot-10 forward receives $16 million for his services, yet he's nearly unplayable.
The Dallas Mavericks big man averaged only 10.9 minutes per game in the 2022-23 campaign, the lowest playing average of his career.
Season stats (45 GP): 4.6 PPG, 1.2 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG
#8 - Gordon Hayward
Gordon Hayward's injuries have completely derailed his career. He used to be one of the most exciting players in the league, but he's far from that now. Hayward is no longer even capable of posting great stats on a bad team.
The good news for the Charlotte Hornets is that they'll have to pay him for only one more year. He received $30.1 million for his services in the 2022-23 season.
Season stats (50 GP): 14.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG
#9 - Kyle Lowry
With $28.3 million, Kyle Lowry was the 42nd highest-paid player in the league in the 2022-23 season. While the Miami Heat have benefited from his presence, there is no doubt that he's one of the most overpaid NBA players.
The veteran point guard is showing his value in the playoffs, however, which will make Pat Riley feel much better about giving him almost $30 million next season.
Season stats (50 GP): 11.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.4 BPG
#10 - Andrew Wiggins
Andrew Wiggins is the 25th highest-paid NBA player with a $33.6 million contract. He's certainly a great player, but is not even the second scoring option on his team.
The Golden State Warriors have locked him until the summer of 2027, which may turn out to be a bad move if he doesn't improve.
Season stats (37 GP): 17.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.8 BPG
#11 - Lonzo Ball
Calling Lonzo Ball one of the most overpaid NBA players sounds wrong. However, the Chicago Bulls star didn't log a single minute in the 2022-23 season. Ball was shut down for the season due to his knee issues and no one knows when he'll be back.
The 6-6 guard is a fantastic playmaker who's worth every cent when he's healthy. Unfortunately for the Bulls, Ball may never go back to his 100%.
Season stats: Did not play
#12 - Klay Thompson
The list of overpaid NBA players usually features players who don't meet their expectations. However, Klay Thompson is certainly a great player who's a deadly three-point shooter.
While Klay is great, he's also the eighth highest-paid player in the league with $40.6 million. Is he really worth this much money? Certainly not!
Season stats (69 GP): 21.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG
#13 - Evan Fournier
Evan Fournier received $18 million from the New York Knicks to chill on the bench. He appeared in only 27 games, averaging 17.0 minutes per game. The 6-7 swingman was also completely taken out of the rotation in the playoffs.
Fournier's contract will jump to almost $18.9 million next year and $19 million in the 2024-25 season. However, the Knicks have a team option in the final year of his contract and will likely decline it.
Season stats (27 GP): 6.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.1 BPG
#14 - Derrick Rose
Derrick Rose is in an almost identical situation as his teammate. He also appeared in only 27 games, yet the Knicks paid him $14.5 million, making him the 88th highest-paid player in the league.
Rose's injuries have completely derailed his career and turned him into one of the most overpaid NBA players. While the veteran presence he provides is valuable, it's certainly not worth more than a few million dollars a year.
Season stats (27 GP): 5.6 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 1.7 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.2 BPG
#15 - Danilo Gallinari
Danilo Gallinari signed a two-year contract with the Boston Celtics last summer. However, he hasn't logged a single minute for the team so far. In essence, Boston paid him $6.5 million to recover from his knee injury.
The NBA veteran is under contract for one more year. He'll be paid $6.8 million next season and will hopefully be healthy.
Season stats: Did not play
#16 - Rudy Gobert
What makes Rudy Gobert one of the most overpaid NBA players is his lack of offensive skills. The 7-1 center is a great defender, but is not skilled enough to take advantage of his height and score over smaller opponents.
Gobert was acquired in a blockbuster trade that involved five first-round picks and five players. With a salary of almost $38.2 million, he's the ninth highest-paid player in the league, which makes his contract one of the worst in the league.
Season stats (70 GP): 13.4 PPG, 11.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.4 BPG
#17 - Malcolm Brogdon
Make no mistake, Malcolm Brogdon is a fantastic player. However, he received $22.6 million for his services in the 2022-23 season, which earns him a spot on the list of the most overpaid NBA players.
The Celtics guard is a decent scorer and playmaker, but it's unlikely that he'll ever be more than just a good bench player.
Season stats (67 GP): 14.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 3.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.3 BPG
#18 - Joe Harris
Joe Harris was one of the league's deadliest three-point shooters for a couple of years. However, injuries have completely derailed his career and he's no longer as good as he once was.
The Brooklyn Nets swingman can still knock them down from long range, but his role on the team has drastically decreased. He received $18.6 million in the 2022-23 season and will get $19.9 million next year.
Season stats (74 GP): 7.6 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG
#19 - Duncan Robinson
Duncan Robinson is another lethal shooter that stopped being as valuable as he once was. In the 2022-23 season, the Miami Heat forward had the lowest scoring average since his rookie season.
Robinson received $16.9 million and is under contract for three more seasons. On the bright side, he started knocking down shots in the playoffs, which is exactly what the Heat need from him.
Season stats (42 GP): 6.4 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.0 BPG
#20 - Khris Middleton
Khris Middleton missed more than half of the regular season and didn't look like himself in the games he played. His scoring average was the lowest in the last seven years and he shot a career-low 43.6% from the field.
The Milwaukee Bucks forward did a much better job in the playoffs, averaging 23.8 points per game. However, this doesn't justify his $37.9 million salary, which is the 11th-highest in the league.
Season stats (33 GP): 15.1 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG