Looking at the 5 best value contracts in the NBA right now
Overpaid seems much more common than underpaid in today's NBA, and the continuous increase in revenue has led to some pretty absurd contract values. The best value deals in the league usually arise when a player signs a deal for three or more seasons, then proceeds to have a breakout season soon after.
After scouring the league for the best value contracts, I elected not to include any rookie-scale deals, as the first rounders are locked into set amounts based on their draft position. The list also does not include players that are heading into free agency after the 2021-22 NBA season.
Teams that are smart/lucky enough to benefit from having one of their key players on value contracts are able to work with additional financial flexibility moving forward - it is one of the greatest advantages an NBA organization can hold.
Before listing my top five contracts in the NBA, I want to throw out some honorable mentions. Those mentions include, but are not limited to, Clint Capela, Larry Nance Jr., Domantas Sabonis, Richaun Holmes, and Seth Curry.
Top 5 - Value contracts in the NBA
#5 - Kemba Walker - 2-years/$17.8-million remaining
Kemba Walker's journey to becoming underpaid in the NBA is the definition of an outlier. After two injury riddled seasons with the Boston Celtics, new general manager Brad Stevens traded Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick.
"I'm home. I'm from here, born and raised. And it feels like it. I'm getting a lot of love."
- Kemba Walker https://t.co/eYGG9QJ3h1
The Thunder proceeded to buyout Walker, who was willing to sacrifice roughly $20-million of his remaining $74-million deal. The New York native then wasted little time before inking in a two-year, $17.8-million deal with his hometown Knicks.
Calling the acquisition of a player the caliber of Kemba Walker for less than $10-million annually is an understatement. While Walker has had some notable injury concerns throughout the last two seasons, he is only a year removed from making the All-Star roster for four consecutive seasons.
The New York Knicks have the 6'0" shifty guard locked up at an extreme discount considering he has averaged upwards of 19 points for each of the last six seasons. Injuries are the only setback that could lead to Walker not outperforming this contractual value.
#4 - Royce O'Neale - 3-years/$27.9-million remaining
Royce O'Neale has started 133 of the 142 games he was available for the Utah Jazz in the last two seasons. Last season, O'Neale started all but one game for the best regular season team in the NBA, while getting paid the salary of a typical bench player.
There is no flashiness to O'Neale's game, but understanding your role is an underappreciated mindset in the modern NBA. O'Neale stands at just 6'4" but possesses an impressive 6'9" wingspan paired with an astounding lateral quickness that makes him a valuable tool defending on the perimeter.
Players are often mislabeled as three-and-D in today's NBA, but O'Neale is deserving of that title. Along with the aforementioned defense, the Jazz wing knocked down 38.5 percent of his 278 attempts from three in 2020-21. 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 rebounds per contest should not go unmentioned either.
2021 Utah Jazz Player Profile: Royce O’Neale #TakeNote slcdunk.com/the-downbeat-l…
The Utah Jazz must be ecstatic to be getting this level of production from a player making less than $10-million annually on their championship contending roster.