NBA teams pay over $5.9 billion in player salaries across 30 teams and a range of contracts, ranging from 10-day contracts worth five figures or more all the way to supermax contracts, which could lead to annual salaries of over $60 million. As a result, there is a wide range of contracts in the middle as teams are mandated by the NBA salary floor to have contracts worth at least 90% ($139.1 million in 2025-26) of the salary cap.
When it comes to bad contracts, they’re almost always on the highest end of this spectrum. Given it’s a salary-capped league, big contracts need to have big production backing it up. No team would think twice before paying the likes of Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, or other stars in perennial MVP talks the most money they can offer.
However, some teams do wind up giving equivalent contracts to players who are, at best, No. 2 options or, at worst, barely making an impact. Today, we’ll take a deeper look at the NBA contracts that are considered the worst in the NBA. This could be due to their lack of production, poor availability due to injuries, or the overall impact on roster flexibility due to poor trade value.
10. Zion Williamson – 5-year, $197.2 Million (2023-2028)
2025-26 salary: $39,446,090
Season stats: 21.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 2.0 TOPG, 60.2 FG%, 25.0 3P%, 71.5 FT%, 29.7 MIN
Judging the contract the New Orleans Pelicans gave Zion Williamson is tricky. While large swathes of his contract are non-guaranteed based on levers on games played and his weight over a season, it still is one of the worst in the NBA. Williamson is having a good season, but that hasn’t vaulted the Pelicans into even Play-In contention.
Regardless of what’s guaranteed, the Pelicans or a team that might acquire Williamson via trade will have to honor his salary on their cap sheet, even if absences reduce what they wind up paying him. Having $40+ million on the cap for an injury-prone 6’5″ forward who can’t shoot and has never played a Playoff game will never be justifiable, especially with the ‘potential’ argument losing steam with Williamson entering the prime years of his career.
9. Immanuel Quickley – 5-year, $162.5 Million (2024-2029)
2025-26 salary: $32,500,000
Season stats: 16.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 1.5 TOPG, 44.5 FG%, 37.4 3PT%, 82.1 FT%, 32.4 MIN
The Toronto Raptors clearly wanted Immanuel Quickley to be the point guard of the future for the team after acquiring him and RJ Barrett for OG Anunoby three years ago. While Quickley has been productive, averaging 17.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists, it’s hard to imagine his player-archetype leading a team to Playoff runs.
The NBA is quickly moving on from small score-first guards who can’t defend or be high-level playmakers. With his efficiency and production taking a slight downward dip, it’s hard to imagine how this flat contract till 2029 will be worth it for the Raptors if his best use case is as a sixth man.
8. Myles Turner – 4-year, $108.8 Million (2025-2029)
2025-26 salary: $25,318,251
Season stats: 11.8 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.6 BPG, 1.2 TOPG, 43.7 FG%, 38.7 3PT%, 74.0 FT%, 27.0 MIN
This is the only contract that was handed out in the summer of 2025 to make this list. The Milwaukee Bucks worked hard to make room to sign Myles Turner away from the NBA finalists Indiana Pacers, but Indiana’s decision not to pay Turner what he wanted might have been the best long-term decision.
Turner’s addition didn’t move the needle even slightly for the Bucks with Giannis Antetokounmpo, as the Greek superstar clearly hasn’t been satisfied with Turner’s performances as his co-star. He will always have value as a shot-blocking center who can shoot threes, but his inconsistent production and poor offensive efficiency for a center have made him comfortably one of the worst contracts in the NBA until the end of this decade.
7. Ja Morant – 5-year, $197.2 Million (2023-2028)
2025-26 salary: $39,446,090
Season stats: 19.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 8.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 3.6 TOPG, 41.0 FG%, 23.5 3PT%, 89.7 FT%, 28.5 MIN
It’s hard to put Ja Morant on this list, given how bright his future looked when he signed his rookie max after leading the Memphis Grizzlies to multiple Playoff appearances while on his rookie contract. However, things haven’t gone well after that, with Morant averaging 22.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists in a paltry 79 games over the three seasons he’s had this deal.
Outside the multitude of Morant’s off-court issues, he’s taken a step back on the court with his waning athleticism and mounting injury concerns. With the Grizzlies already sending his co-star Jaren Jackson Jr. away, it seems the franchise is ready for a future without Morant. He’ll definitely have some trade value, but given the reports over this winter, it doesn’t look like the Grizzlies can expect a big haul for their once-ascendant point guard.
6. Jerami Grant – 5-year, $160 Million (2023-2028)
2025-26 salary: $32,000,001
Season stats: 18.6 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 2.1 TOPG, 45.3 FG%, 38.9 3PT%, 81.4 FT%, 29.7 MIN
Despite being over halfway done with the contract the Portland Trail Blazers gave Jerami Grant in 2023, it still ranks as one of the worst contracts in the NBA. Grant doesn’t even generate trade rumors anymore due to his dismal production and availability under his contract. He’s averaged 18.2 points and 3.5 rebounds per game over this deal so far. Even with the Blazers pushing for a Playoff spot, Grant has been a role player in this quest, although he’s had a production bump this year after a terrible 2024-25 season.
He’s declined on both ends of the court, and the 32-year-old doesn’t look like he will suddenly have a career resurgence at this point. The Blazers might have a bright enough future to let this deal expire after two more seasons ($36 million player option in 2027-28), but it’s going to clog their books until then.
5. Domantas Sabonis – 4-year, $186.01 Million (2024-2028)
2025-26 salary: $42,336,000
Season stats: 15.8 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 4.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 2.7 TOPG, 54.3 FG%, 18.5 3PT%, 72.7 FT%, 29.7 MIN
Paying Domantas Sabonis after the season he led the Sacramento Kings in ending a 16-year Playoff drought made sense. However, Sabonis hasn’t looked the same since, especially after the Kings traded De’Aaron Fox. It’s hard to see how the Kings can get positive value for Sabonis in the trade market. It’s also hard to imagine how the team rebuilds its roster around his contract.
Sabonis is too good to be a role-playing center on a winning team, but might not be good enough to lead a Playoff team as other star centers in the NBA have been. As a result, the Kings have a problem on their books to figure out.
4. Paul George – 4-year, $211.5 Million (2024-2028)
2025-26 salary: $51,666,090
Season stats: 17.8 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 1.7 TOPG, 44.2 FG%, 39.7 3PT%, 84.0 FT%, 30.8 MIN
The Philadelphia 76ers spent big to make Paul George their marquee free agency signing in the summer of 2024. However, they haven’t gotten All-Star George, as he’s averaged 16.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 74 games since joining the franchise. Outside of a 25-game suspension this season, George’s been injury-prone since the second he joined the 76ers, and his production has decidedly fallen to role-player levels.
The only reason he isn’t higher is that he’s shown great flashes of high-level play since returning from his suspension. While that brings a tinge of hope, it’s still hard to justify George making over $50 million annually for two more seasons as the 35-year-old forward looks decidedly on the decline.
3. Jakob Poeltl – 3-year, $84.08 Million (2027-2030)
2027-28 salary: $27,300,000
Season stats: 10.8 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.1 TOPG, 69.6 FG%, 63.3 FT%, 25.5 MIN
This is the first (not only) contract extension on this list, as the Raptors do not need to start paying Poeltl under this contract extension until he enters his age-31 season.
Poeltl has played 98 games out of the total 164 he could’ve played in the last three seasons. He’s an injury-prone big man who will be in his mid-thirties when this deal kicks in, presumably in the middle of Scottie Barnes’ prime. The Raptors are also on the hook for Quickley’s contract through these years, so they’ve created an impossible situation for themselves between these deals. At least Quickley is young and productive, unlike Poeltl.
2. Patrick Williams – 5-year, $90 Million (2024-2029)
2025-26 salary: $18,000,000
Season stats: 6.6 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.0 TOPG, 37.1 FG%, 34.7 3PT%, 67.7 FT%, 19.6 MIN
The Chicago Bulls were shooting for the stars when they drafted Patrick Williams with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. They were hoping they had potentially drafted the next Kawhi Leonard, but the reality has been very disappointing. He’s averaged 7.8 points and 3.3 rebounds over the last two seasons, barely factoring into the Bulls’ rotation even when they’re tanking. If they hope to return to contention soon, it might be impossible to maneuver around this contract, which will stay on the books until the end of the decade.
1. Joel Embiid – 3-year, $187.8 Million (2026-2029)
2026-27 salary: $57,985,752
Season stats: 26.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 4.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 2.8 TOPG, 49.1 FG%, 33.3 3PT%, 85.4 FT%, 31.4 MIN
It might be harsh to call Joel Embiid’s contract extension the worst contract in the NBA, but there isn’t much evidence to say otherwise right now.
Embiid’s played 95 of 246 games in the last three seasons, with his production slipping way below the MVP levels we had grown accustomed to. It seems the 32-year-old center’s lower-body injuries have permanently changed how he plays. It’s hard to imagine this improving from this point on, as Embiid is growing older and more injury-prone.
With the 76ers having a young duo of Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe creating a promising future, it seems Embiid’s contract could wind up holding the franchise back, especially because it kicks in from next season onwards. This dollar value might be impossible to absorb for another contending team with assets in the second-apron era of the NBA, so unless Embiid can somehow reverse his entire career trajectory in the next three seasons, this contract will not be worth the price.
