Image via Complex Original
While this is a comprehensive list of the worst contracts in NBA history, it trends towards the league’s most recent years. That, of course, is due to one reason: Michael Jordan. Yup, in a sense, this is all MJ’s fault. As Jordan’s popularity boomed, so did the league’s revenues, thus producing larger contracts. Which is fair. If owners are making more, so should the players who are earning it for them, right? Well that delicate balance reached a tipping point in 1996, when Jordan renegotiated his contract with the Bulls, re-signing for one year at a whopping $30 million. The following year, he re-upped again with Chicago for $33 million.
Sure, Money was underpaid; he generated billions for the league. But his paycheck was right there for the world to see and other agents began to use it as a measuring stick. “If Jordan is worth $33 milli, then my client is surely worth at least….” the reasoning went. Nah, son. He’s not. Michael paid the cost to get paid like the boss. The rest of these cats were just stealing money. But they got away with it, leading to these awful cases of fiscal irresponsibility.
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25. Shawn Kemp
Year: 1997
Contract: 7 years, $107 million
Also known as when The Reignman met The Lockout. Shawn Kemp wanted an extension. Management gave one to his teammate instead. Kemp threatened not to play the following season and forced his way into a trade to....Cleveland? Though things started well, when Kemp returned to the team after the lockout, he was barely recognizable. Massively overweight and unmotivated, his career went into a tailspin and he was never the same player again. Would this have happened in Seattle? Who knows. But Cleveland still had to foot the bill.
24. Amare Stoudemire
Year: 2010
Contract: 5 years, $99 million
Just another overpaid New York Knick. A bad back has, um, extinguished Stoudemire's legendary explosiveness, but making matters worse—untradeably worse—is that his deal is uninsured. The Knicks may be back, but until STAT is, their future is largely tied to this anchor of a contract.
23. Samuel Dalembert
Year: 2010
Contract: 6 years, $64 million
Career averages of 8PPG, 8RPG and 2BPG aren't bad. But those numbers don't shine so bright at $10mil a season, right?
22. Adonal Foyle
Year: 2004
Contract: 6 years, $42 million
Colgate's finest never averaged more than 6 PPG in his previous six seasons, but that didn't stop Golden State from showing him the money. The money didn't even stop Mr. Foyle from showing any effort. He was just never that good in the first place, remember? The Warriors waived him two years later with $30 million left on his contract.
21. Juwan Howard
Year: 1996
Contract: 7 years, $101 million
You could say Juwan was the one who started it all. An impressive rookie and sophomore campaign led to an $89 million offer from the Bullets. Enter eternal shit stirrer Pat Riley and a $101 million offer. Howard, no dummy, quickly accepted the deal only for the league to rescind it due to a miscalculation by Miami. They didn't have the cap room to make that offer. After a lengthy legal battle, Howard ended up back in Washington with $101 milli as the first NBA player to ever sign a $100+ million contract. After one appearance in his first two seasons, he was never an All-Star again. There's some trivia for ya.
20. Larry Hughes
Year: 2005
Contract: 5 years, $70 million
Larry Hughes was signed to complement a young LeBron James. In case you were wondering how that went, Larry had a fairly popular website named after him: (Heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com)
19. Jermaine O'Neal
Year: 2003
Contract: 7 years, $126 million
Another case of a deserved contract gone awry. O'Neal was one of the league's most productive and versatile forwards when he re-committed to Indiana and things went swimmingly; another All-Star berth and his first Defensive Player of the Year award came shortly after. Then Ron Armetta World War happened. The Malice at the Palace derailed the Pacers best shot at title contention and O'Neal was never the same. A separated shoulder gave host to a litany of other injuries and O'Neal missed more than 120 games over the following four seasons.
18. Peja Stojakovic
Year: 2006
Contract: 5 years, $64 million
Peja was once one of the league's most accurate marksmen. Then he turned his gun on the Hornets. An assortment of injuries hobbled the forward essentially ending his 2007 season. From there, his games played and stats progressively declined each season until he was traded to Toronto in 2011.
17. Elton Brand
Year: 2008
Contract: 5 years, $80 million
There was a time when this deal would've been a no brainer. Giving him this deal after a ruptured Achilles tendon wasn't the time. The February after signing the deal with Philly, Elton dislocated his shoulder and had season ending surgery. Though he would return, in each year of his contract, his salary was higher than his PPG. The Sixers would eventually amnesty him in 2012.
16. Kenyon Martin
Year: 2004
Contract: 7 years, $92 million
This was just remarkably stoopid. Players are often proactively rewarded for flashes of potential, which Kenyon Martin certainly possessed. However, he was also the sole proprietor of two fractured legs, a world class attitude problem, and a pair of lips tattooed on his neck. Does this sound like someone who will reward your gift of $92 million with hard work and dedication? Yea, let's just move on.
15. Jon Koncak
Year: 1989
Contract: 6 years, $13 million
Paltry by today's standards, but here's some context: Koncak made more money that year than Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Please direct your outrage to: ATLANTA HAWK$$$ 4 Ever Handing Out Shitty Contracts Boulevard, Atlanta, GA YRUSODUM
14. Brian Grant
Year: 2000
Contract: 7 years, $86 million
After three seasons on Portland's talented, yet underachieving teams of the late '90's, Brian Grant went looking for greener pastures. Specifically, Miami. The Heat offered Grant the max and he sure as hell wasn't going to turn it down. Unfortunately, things didn't pan out for Brian in Miami. His numbers remained steady, yet nowhere near worthy of his salary. Fortunately, the Heat found a willing taker for his contract: The Los Angeles Lakers and Shaquille O'Neal. Dumb luck or another Machiavellian move by Pat Riley? You decide.
13. Ben Wallace
Year: 2006
Contract: 4 years, $60 million
Big Ben's defense was instrumental to Detroit's dominance and the Bulls hoped he would replicate that role. Only problem is that Ben Wallace was already 32 years old. His knees immediately crumbled under the weight of these expectations, as did his production. He was traded two seasons later.
12. Bryant Reeves
Year: 1997
Contract: 6 years, $65 million
Big Country had a career season in 1997, averaging 16 PPG and 8 RPG. After receiving a hefty payday that summer, Reeves coincidentally developed back problems, dragging his averages into the ground before disappearing entirely three seasons later. Probably from carrying all that money.
11. Jayson Williams
Year: 1998
Contract: 6 years, $86 million
A solid player whose rebounding rivaled Rodman's in his heyday, Jayson Williams' deal wasn't a bad decision, just a regrettable one. Williams broke his leg in a collision with Stephon Marbury and 30 games into his contract he had career ending surgery. As you know, things didn't get much better after that.
10. Vin Baker
Year: 1999
Contract: 7 years, $86 million
As a four-time All-Star and highly touted college recruit, Vin Baker was certainly deserving of his contract. He just didn't live up to it, which makes him as disappointing as anyone else on our list. After signing his contract, Baker's play consistently dropped for three consecutive seasons before being traded to Boston in 2002, where his struggles with alcoholism were revealed.
9. Jerome James
Year: 2005
Contract: 5 years, $30 million
Not a lot of money, right? How about $30 million for 90 games over four seasons? Including just two games a piece in 2008 and 2009? For total averages of 2.5 PPG and 1.0 RPG? Yeah, thought so. Someone call the cops.
8. Raef LaFrentz
Year: 2002
Contract: 7 years, $70 million
Mark Cuban isn't shy about spending money. But Mark Cuban is generally known to be smart with his money. In his desperate push to secure a championship contender, Cuban was intent on signing a big man to slow down the three-peat Lakers centerpiece, Shaquille O'Neal. That obviously didn't happen and Raef was traded a year later.
7. Erick Dampier
Year: 2004
Contract: 7 years, $73 million
The Mavs followed up that Raef LaFrentz deal by giving this guy a hefty extension. We all know how that worked out. Washout. Rinse. Repeat.
6. Jim McIlvaine
Year: 1996
Contract: 7 years, $33 million
Remember the 1996 NBA Finals? When Shawn Kemp arguably outplayed Michael Jordan? That deserves a big payday, right? Duh. For Jim Fucking McIlvaine? Really? Sonics brass decided that locking up ol' Jim was more important than appeasing the Reignman, so they threw big money at the former and traded the latter to Cleveland just a year later. The Sonics never made it past the first round again. Welp. You get what you pay for.
5. Eddy Curry
Year: 2005
Contract: 6 years, $56 million
There's a fine line between truth and hyperbole. With that said, the Knicks would've been better off burning this money. After a career season in 2006-07, Curry became synonymous with overweight, including the strain he put on New York's salary cap. The big man played just 10 total games in 2008-2010, but collected more than $19 mil. Do the math on that and try not to pass out.
4. Stephon Marbury
Year: 2003
Contract: 4 years, $76 million
It's not that Stephon Marbury was injured or even that overrated. In fact, for a spell, he was one of the league's top point guards. He was just batshit crazy. Immediately after the trade from Phoenix, New York rejoiced at the return of their prodigal son. Then they got to know him. Marbury feuded with coach Larry Brown, contributing to Brown's untimely firing. Then Marbury feuded with GM Isiah Thomas over his minutes and starting position, including rumors of a fistfight, blackmail and a sex scandal with Knicks employees. Thomas was fired and replaced by Mike D'Antoni, whom Marbury also bumped heads with over minutes and playing time. Finally, New York had enough. They couldn't trade him at this point, but the problem became so bad that Steph was banned from team facilities, essentially earning $20 mil a year just to go away.
3. Gilbert Arenas
Year: 2008
Contract: 6 years, $111 million
There was a time when Gilbert Arenas was one of the league's top gunners. Yeah, we know. But really. The 2006-07 season was one full of buzzer beaters and high scoring performances for Gil, including a classic battle where he dropped 60 on Kobe himself. The Hibachi's ability to light a box score on fire paired with his out-sized personality made him a fan favorite. But then it all started to fall apart. Arenas played only eight games in 2007-08 with a crippling knee problem. The Wizards, desperate to maintain relevance, re-signed Arenas that summer for what many considered to be a ridiculous deal. They were right. Gil played in just two games in 2009 and even that wasn't until March. In 2010, things looked as though they were headed in the right direction, then Gil brought out the big guns. Literally. We all know what happened: storing guns in the locker room, finger guns, fake apologies, and finally, a season long suspension from Papa Stern. Gil was traded to Orlando 24 games after his return and waived under the amnesty clause just 49 games after that. Talk about going out with a bang.
2. Rashard Lewis
Year: 2007
Contract: 6 years, $118 million
Rashard Lewis skipped college and declared himself for the NBA Draft in 1998. He suffered one of the more embarrassing moments of his career that night, left by his lonesome in the green room until the second round when Seattle scooped him up. Rashard rewarded the Sonics with some sharp shooting and several signs of potential, including the franchise record for most made three pointers. But in May of 2007, he opted out of his deal and somehow convinced the Magic to a sign and trade maximum contract. Unfortunately, Shard learned of the expectations that come along with such a handsome reward and wasn't the leader or producer that his pay grade demanded. Stuck in salary cap hell and unable to rebuild with his burdensome contract, the Magic traded Lewis to the Wizards in 2010 for Gilbert Arenas. Yup. That's how much they wanted him gone.
1. Allan Houston
Year: 2001
Contract: 6 years, $100 million
The New York Knicks are back amongst the Eastern elite this year, but many are wondering: What took them so long? Well, this is one big reason why. Allan Houston had one of the biggest shots in Knick history with his Game 5 buzzer beater that upset the top seeded Heat and led New York on a road to the 1999 NBA Finals. Houston was able to leverage that popularity come contract time, but no one saw this coming. Of course no one saw the knee injuries that ended his career coming either. The Knicks got just two productive years out of Allan before his breakdown and eventual retirement in 2005, but he remained with the team in spirit. And on the salary cap: Even though he didn't play a game in '06 or '07, he was still the league's second highest paid player. Things got so bad that the NBA created a new regulation designed to alleviate pressure from the luxury tax that everyone knew was specifically for the Knicks. It even got a nickname, "The Allan Houston Rule."