The NBA is still in disbelief after All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins made a controversial move signing with the defending champion Golden State Warriors
Joining fellow All-Stars to get the best chance of winning a title — in other words, “Ring Chasing” — has become the norm in today’s game. But Cousins took it to the next level, becoming the 5th All-Star in the Warriors starting lineup. Accepting a far below-average salary of 1-year/$5.3 million, and as a man of his talent, it has become clear Cousin’s wants a championship. Here are some NBA players — with far less talent than Boogie — who will be paid more than DeMarcus Cousins this season.
10. Norman Powell: $9,367,200
The 25-year-old forward from the Raptors averaged 5.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists for the 2017-18 season. He is still relatively young, but only starting in 18 of the 70 games he played this season, it is fair to say Powell is overpaid.
9. Iman Shumpert: $11,011,234
From a promising rookie season averaging 1.7 steals per game, many thought Shumpert was going to be one of the best on-ball defenders in the league. However, many injuries caused Shumpert to sit out for a big amount of his career. Coming into the 2018-19 season with the Kings, he is averaging 4.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
8. Tristan Thompson: $17,469,565
After a great Finals series against Golden State in 2015, LeBron and the Cavs saw potential in Thompson and signed him to a 5-year, $82,000,000 contract. As the years go by, his performance keeps declining and less hope the Cavs have he’ll ever return to his 2015 form. Last season he averaged 5.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
7. Alex Abrines: $5,455,236
The 24-year-old guard from Spain provides some respectable scoring off the bench for the Thunder, averaging 4.7 points in 15 minutes per game. Abrines is the NBA’s average role player off the bench, but to be paid more than DeMarcus Cousins is something we thought would never be seen.
6. Timofey Mozgov: $16,000,000
The huge Russian Center signed a 4-year/$64 million with the Lakers the season before last. This year, the Hornets are hoping Mozgov can return to the form he showed in 2014-15, when he averaged 11 points and 7 rebounds starting in the middle after Cleveland acquired him from Denver. Now with averages of 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds a game, it isn’t looking likely.
5. Jason Smith: $5,450,000
The 31-year-old center from the Wizards is the usual bench player at his position for teams needing to fill the role. Averaging 3.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game, compared to Cousins’ 25 points 13 rebounds and 5 assists per game, clearly, it’s not right he’s getting paid more than Cousins.
4. Chandler Parsons: $24,107,258
With Parsons signing a 4-year/$94.5 million contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, signed in 2016, it has to be one of the worst free agency signings in history. Being on the sidelines for the majority of the seasons with a knee surgery has set him back a lot. Since then, he has averaged only 7.9 points per game.
3. Joakim Noah: $18,530,000
From the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year and ranking 5th in MVP voting with the Bulls, Noah is now watching the Knicks on the sidelines. He’s played only 7 games this past season averaging 1.7 points and 2 rebounds per game. It looks like it’s come to an end for Noah, but the Knicks are stuck with his big contract he signed in 2016.
2. Ian Mahinmi: $15,944,154
Another bench player from the center position at the Wizards. Sharing minutes with Jason Smith off the bench, that’s $21 million alone between the two of them. Averaging 4.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, he is the usual replacement and bench cover.
1. Cole Aldrich: $6,956,021
Not even averaging a single point, rebound or assist for Minnesota, it is fair to say his contract is way too high for his performance. Only getting 2 minutes a game, the Timberwolves are pretty much paying him to sit on the bench next season, if he is still on the team.
There is an excessive amount of players who will get paid more than DeMarcus Cousins next season. Signing to a $5.3 million contract next year, it’s come to the conclusion he wants a championship and joining Golden State may not have been the best decision according to the majority of NBA fans. But, it’s the best possible chance he can get.
