Ever more powerful, the NBA continues to offer its players lavish contracts and eight-figure annual salaries. As proof of the skyrocketing sums earned by its stars, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signed the biggest deal in history this summer. A massive $285 million contract over four years. This trend still carries a certain amount of risk for franchises due to an uncertain return on investment.
With nearly a month to go until the start of the next NBA season, The Playoffs takes a look back at the worst contracts in the major league for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. This retrospective analysis is based on the amount of compensation received by the listed players in relation to their performance and/or the number of games played during the season due to injuries.
A scoring machine during his years in Washington, Bradley Beal seems to have been on a downward spiral for the past two seasons. Signed at a high price by Matt Ishbia and the Suns in the 2023 offseason, the former Florida player has never lived up to the expectations placed on him by the Arizona franchise and is coming off his worst statistical year since his rookie year. This situation prompted Phoenix to wipe the slate clean by buying out the St. Louis native’s contract this summer. A shame for a player recruited with great fanfare to restore the club’s reputation in the short term alongside Devin Booker.
Another player affected by a buyout this offseason, Damian Lillard, did not prove very profitable for the Bucks last year. Landed against his will in Milwaukee in 2023 after 11 years spent in Portland, Dame always seemed on the fringes of the Wisconsin franchise’s project, unable to create the relationship hoped for by the front office with Giannis Antetokounmpo. Productive from a strictly statistical point of view, his last season with the Bucks ended in failure despite winning the NBA Cup . Limited to 58 games over the season and 3 anecdotal playoff games before suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon (7.0 points at 22%), Lillard could not prevent Milwaukee from exiting in the first round of the playoffs for the second year in a row despite high ambitions. A failure that pushed the 2013 rookie of the year to return to the Blazers in the offseason.
Signed last summer by Philly for $212 million over 4 years, Paul George had his worst NBA season since 2013 in 2024-2025. Injured for half the year (41 games), the forward was unable to keep the Sixers afloat. The expected lieutenant of Joel Embiid, who ultimately missed most of the season, PG13 disappointed. With only 16.2 points at 43% shooting compared to 22.6 units at 47% in 2023-2024, the former Fresno State player has experienced a real decline. Enough to give the Pennsylvania franchise cold sweats considering the player’s lease, signed until 2028.
Currently without a club and in the middle of thinking about his future in basketball, Ben Simmons has completed another season unworthy of his talent and his XXL salary. Having played for the Nets and then the Clippers , the Australian produced his lowest career averages in 2024-2025 with notably 2.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists during the 18 games played in the LA jersey (0.8 points in 8 minutes in the Playoffs). Absurd figures for the 1st choice of the 2016 NBA Draft , aged only 29 and crowned All-Star 3 times.
It’s hard to imagine anything less profitable than the contract Philadelphia signed with Joel Embiid last year. At least for the Sixers’ front office! Limited to 19 outings in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the American-French-Cameroonian has posted his lowest production in 5 years with an efficiency that is, to say the least, suspect given his talent and his position (44.4% overall). Worse, the 2023 NBA MVP has proven incapable of carrying the team on his broad shoulders when he was on the court, posting a dismal record of 8 wins and 11 losses this season. A drop in performance due to injuries that could prove very costly for the 76ers, who are committed to their big man until 2029. While it is rumored that the 31-year-old player may never return to his best, Joel Embiid will in fact receive a whopping $243 million over the next four years.
Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images
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