Sports
NBA Rankings: The most overpaid players in NBA history – Hoops Hype
September 5, 2023– by Frank Urbina, Raul Barrigon
By Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon |
We recently discussed the most underpaid players of all time, a list led by future Hall-of-Famers like LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Today, we’re going to take things in the opposite direction and talk about the most overpaid players in NBA history. Just like with the most underpaid players list, this ranking is going to be made up of a lot of current players, as the modern money and statistical craze has made it so that records are being set yearly with regard to contract sizes and scoring totals.
Below, check out the most overpaid players in NBA history, according to our own Real Value metric.
Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-8
Real Value: $161,517,595
Career earnings: $276,580,866
Difference: -$115,063,271 (-41.60 percent)
Another season of minimal playing vaulted John Wall to the No. 1 spot in this ranking (he was No. 6 before 2022-23), as our metric now values the five-time All-Star as the most overpaid player in NBA history. Of course, that’s no fault of Wall’s, as he underwent multiple major injuries during what should have been his prime, a peak that had him looking like one of the best point guards in the league for a time. Wall was never able to regain that borderline All-NBA form after the injuries. In 2022-23, he played 34 unimpactful games for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 11.4 points on 40.8 percent shooting while earning $47.4 million. Real Value had him worth $4.8 million for an astronomical $42.6 million overpay.
Most of the money Wall earned came from the Houston Rockets, though the contract itself was signed when Wall was still with the Washington Wizards. It must also be pointed out that Wall still had more seasons in which Real Value believed he was underpaid (he had eight of those, per Real Value, to five seasons where he was overpaid). The problem is, the returns from his massive last contract from the Wizards were borderline non-existent leading to Wall now being in first place in our ranking of the most overpaid players in NBA history.
For more on John Wall’s career salary info, click here.
Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 9-4
Real Value: $137,483,413
Career earnings: $239,422,778
Difference: -$101,939,365 (-42.58 percent)
Surprisingly enough, Wall’s lead in the most overpaid player ever department isn’t all that safe, as Charlotte Hornets swingman Gordon Hayward is set to earn $31.5 million in 2023-24, a number he’s unlikely to come close to matching with regard to his impact. Last season, Hayward appeared in just 50 games while averaging 14.7 points on 47.5 percent shooting for a Real Value of $8.8 million. His actual salary, meanwhile, was $30.1 million for a $21.3 million overpay.
Considering Wall is out of the NBA right now and not super likely to be picked up by a team barring something unexpected – and even if he is, it’ll be for the veteran minimum – that means another similar season by Hayward impact-wise would vault him into first place. It’s likewise impossible to blame Hayward for this, though, as he also was a borderline perennial All-Star but got severely injured at the worst possible time; what was confusing was the Charlotte Hornets giving Hayward a four-year, $120 million contract after that severe injury.
For more on Gordon Hayward’s career salary info, click here.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 7-5
Real Value: $130,271,046
Career earnings: $226,333,321
Difference: -$96,062,275 (-42.44 percent)
This one might come as somewhat of a surprise, as Golden State Warriors 2-guard Klay Thompson is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the purest shooters basketball has ever seen. The issue, at least for this exercise, is that his game – even before the injuries – was never well-liked by analytics. Even in 2015-16, arguably his best season ever when he made 3rd Team All-NBA and was part of the 73-9 Warriors squad, Thompson was barely a Top 50 player, according to the analytics.
Regardless, Thompson’s back-to-back major injuries to his ACL and Achilles didn’t help matters as just this past season, Real Value had him worth $8.7 million while he actually earned $30.1 million for a $21.3 million overpay. Maybe that’s why Golden State opted not to sign Thompson to an extension this offseason and is letting him unrestricted free agency next year. That will be a fascinating free agency to watch unfold.
For more on Klay Thompson’s career salary info, click here.
Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 17-2
Real Value: $100,214,306
Career earnings: $189,644,026
Difference: -$89,429,720 (-47.16 percent)
Former NBA big man Tyson Chandler fell from first last time we did this exercise to fourth thanks to the enormous salaries Wall, Hayward and Thompson were just paid in 2022-23. Even so, Chandler probably isn’t thought of as someone who was hugely overpaid in his NBA career – in fact, he’s one of the only players ever to win NBA, World and Olympic titles in their career. He also made an All-Star team and was Defensive Player of the Year once.
He wasn’t obscenely overpaid for any one season, but the fact that he played for so long while earning so much money is why he finds himself near the top of this list. His most overpaid season, according to Real Value, came in 2018-19 when he made $13.6 million to average 3.1 points and 3.9 rebounds, an $11.5 million overpay, per our metric.
For more on Tyson Chandler’s career salary info, click here.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 14-5
Real Value: $67,627,323
Career earnings: $151,839,471
Difference: -$84,212,148 (-55.46 percent)
After just two seasons in the NBA and one All-Star appearance, Juwan Howard’s services were already the subject of a bidding war between the Miami Heat and Washington Wizards, one in which the latter party came out victorious. Howard got a seven-year, $105 million deal with the then-Bullets, an enormous deal for the time. The problem for Washington was Howard didn’t develop much after his first two seasons, never making another All-Star campaign and experiencing little team success until late in his career. Howard’s most overpaid season came in 2002-03 when he earned $20.6 million while averaging 18.4 points over 77 games, a $13.4 million overpay, according to Real Value.
For more on Juwan Howard’s career salary info, click here.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 10-5
Real Value: $186,446,817
Career earnings: $268,526,780
Difference: -$82,079,963 (-30.57 percent)
For a minimum-salary player, which he will be for the Heat for possibly the next two seasons, power forward Kevin Love would actually be a value player. Just last season, Love posted a Real Value of $6.0 million, which, if he were to repeat it next campaign, would be $2.2 million more than his salary, meaning an underpay.
The problem, at least where these rankings are concerned, is that Love has been on a big salary for quite some time while his impact and production have dwindled. Last year, he earned $30.6 million overall, $24.5 million more than Real Value deemed he was worth. Nevertheless, Love proved a quite useful addition for Miami, helping play a part in the team making it all the way to the NBA Finals thanks to his charge-drawing abilities and floor-spacing from the frontcourt. His crosscourt passes to open up transition opportunities for the Heat were also invaluable in the postseason.
For more on Kevin Love’s career salary info, click here.
(MATT CAMPBELL/AFP/Getty Images)
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 16-2
Real Value: $63,928,441
Career earnings: $143,666,581
Difference: -$79,738,140 (-55.50 percent)
One of the best defensive players ever, ranking second in NBA history in blocks, Dikembe Mutombo was highly paid throughout his career, almost to an inflated extent. Mutombo never developed into much of an offensive threat outside of lobs and near-bucket finishing and yet ranked Top 11 in salary nine times throughout his 18-year career, even peaking as the league’s second-highest-paid player in 2004-05 when he made $19.5 million. Needless to say, that was an overpay. In fact, that year was Mutombo’s most overpaid campaign, per Real Value, as he averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 rebounds over 80 appearances for an overpay of $17.3 million, according to the metric.
For more on Dikembe Mutombo’s career salary info, click here.
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 11-4
Real Value: $108,646,635
Career earnings: $187,838,139
Difference: -$79,191,504 (-42.16 percent)
Like Love, fellow veteran forward Nicolas Batum wouldn’t be thought of as overpaid if he were on a salary more appropriate for his age and current production. He’s making a good amount more than that, however, earning $19.7 million last season while averaging 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds on 42.0 percent shooting, contributions that Real Value valued at $4.7 million. Next season doesn’t look to be much better for the Los Angeles Clippers’ wallet, either, as Batum is set to earn another $11.7 million in 2023-24, an amount the French swingman likely will not match in terms of production or impact.
For more on Nicolas Batum’s career salary info, click here.
Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 6-3
Real Value: $49,902,469
Career earnings: $127,164,774
Difference: -$77,262,305 (-60.76 percent)
Considered one of the worst contracts in NBA history, former NBA forward Chandler Parsons signed a four-year, $94.5 million deal with the Memphis Grizzlies in the summer of 2016, despite showing signs of injury troubles in the seasons just prior to that. The contract went even more disastrously than expected, as Parsons would go on to play in 34, 36, 25 and five games in the four campaigns of the deal, never averaging more than 7.9 points in that span of time before being out of the league by his age-32 season. In that five-game season, Parsons was paid $25.1 million for contributions Real Value deemed worth roughly $509,000, a gargantuan $24.6 million overpay.
For more on Chandler Parsons’ career salary info, click here.
Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-8
Real Value: $195,741,071
Career earnings: $269,728,232
Difference: -$73,987,161 (-27.43 percent)
Former Florida Gator Al Horford finding his way on this list probably shouldn’t be too surprising considering he has earned a lot of money in his career and makes more of an impact than even advanced stats can measure, meaning he’s going to be undervalued by any metric. Real Value is no different, as our stat believes Horford was among the 25 most overpaid players in 2022-23, earning $26.5 million for contributions deemed worth $12.1 million by Real Value, an overpay of $14.4 million by the Boston Celtics. That doesn’t tell the whole story, however, as Horford was a vital part of what was another very good Celtics team, which got to the last game of the Eastern Conference Finals before falling to Miami. Horford’s versatile defense and frontcourt three-point shooting were hugely valuable for Boston.
For more on Al Horford’s career salary info, click here.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-4
Real Value: $98,848,246
Career earnings: $172,560,292
Difference: -$73,712,046 (-42.72 percent)
Although he’s only one year removed from the best season of his career in terms of impact, Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins is still considered overpaid for the entirety of his career by our Real Value metric, something that might not come as a huge surprise to fans who have followed him closely. 2022-23 was another overpaid season for Wiggins, per Real Value, as the Canadian two-way player earned $33.6 million while posting a Real Value of $11.0 million for a huge $22.6 million overpay. Wiggins missing so much time on the season due to personal reasons and failing to catch a rhythm is mostly at fault for that, though, and Golden State will be hoping that next season Wiggins will return to his 2021-22 self.
For more on Andrew Wiggins’ career salary info, click here.
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-4
Real Value: $138,855,849
Career earnings: $211,814,722
Difference: -$72,958,873 (-34.44 percent)
Philadelphia 76ers swingman Tobias Harris is similar to Wiggins in that he’s a better player than the advanced metrics give him credit for, as his off-the-dribble and face-up scoring, and his versatile defense, are all rare attributes for a power forward. Even so, Real Value believes Harris was overpaid in 2022-23 once again, with the metric valuing him at $16.9 million while the forward was actually paid $37.6 million by Philadelphia, an overpay of $20.7 million. Harris is under contract for one more season with the Sixers, who will pay the veteran $39.3 million in 2023-24. Bold prediction here: Real Value will say Harris is greatly overpaid when we run this exercise back in one year, too.
For more on Tobias Harris’ career salary info, click here.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-6
Real Value: $188,897,218
Career earnings: $261,338,564
Difference: -$72,441,346 (-27.72 percent)
The days of former star big man Blake Griffin being overpaid are over, as the veteran has been on a minimum salary for the past two seasons and currently isn’t even under contract. Whether or not Griffin’s NBA career continues, he was still one of the best power forwards of his era, an explosive threat attacking the basket who could dunk over anyone – and a player who developed into a good playmaker once his athleticism began to abandon him.
Still, Real Value has him as one of the most overpaid players ever due to his injury history, which forced him to miss a whole lot of games when he was earning a whole lot of money. Griffin’s most overpaid season came in 2021-22 when he was on the last season of a monster contract, earning $32.4 million to average 6.4 points and 4.1 rebounds over 56 appearances. Real Value valued his worth that season at $3.6 million for an overpay of $28.8 million.
For more on Blake Griffin’s career salary info, click here.
Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 10-3
Real Value: $38,098,237
Career earnings: $109,842,052
Difference: -$71,743,815 (-65.32 percent)
Former NBA big man Brian Grant was a solid player in his prime, battling and finding some success against the much bigger centers of his time thanks to his tenacity and instincts. Even so, Grant was overpaid in his career, earning a six-year, $56 million contract from the Portland Trail Blazers and following that up with a seven-year, $86 million deal from Miami. Grant’s most overpaid season came in 2005-06 when he averaged 2.9 points over 21 appearances while earning $16.0 million, an overpay of $15.6 million, per Real Value. Little did we know that Grant was already being affected by Parkinson’s disease around that time, which would eventually end his NBA career far too early.
For more on Brian Grant’s career salary info, click here.
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 17-5
Real Value: $272,535,063
Career earnings: $343,862,398
Difference: -$71,327,335 (-20.74 percent)
One of the greatest power forwards of all time, Kevin Garnett was always compensated at that level, ranking as the league’s highest-paid player ever until LeBron James took over the distinction two years ago. Garnett led the league in salary seven times in his career and ranked in the Top 5 six other times. So if you’re wondering how our metric could consider a 15-time All-Star and a former league MVP overpaid, that’s how, as Garnett is one of the league’s all-time greats without a doubt, but he was always compensated that way. Garnett’s most overpaid season came in 2008-09 when he averaged 15.8 points and 8.5 rebounds while earning $24.8 million, an overpay of $10.6 million, per Real Value.
For more on Kevin Garnett’s career salary info, click here.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 10-4
Real Value: $126,067,477
Career earnings: $197,164,814
Difference: -$71,097,337 (-36.06 percent)
Injuries have a lot to do with Italian swingman Danilo Gallinari finding his way on this list, as he has missed a ton of games in his career due to physical ailments, including missing all of last season with a torn ACL, which was supposed to be his first with the Celtics. As far as overpaid seasons in which he actually saw action, Real Value believes Gallinari’s most overpaid season was in 2021-22 when he earned $20.5 million while playing in merely 51 games and averaging 13.3 points and 4.1 rebounds, contributions valued at $7.3 million by Real Value, equalling an overpay of $13.2 million.
For more on Danilo Gallinari’s career salary info, click here.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 6-3
Real Value: $1,987,758
Career earnings: $134,220,040
Difference: -$132,232,282 (-98.52 percent)
Similar to Gallinari, another swingman who finds himself on this list mostly due to injuries is Otto Porter. Porter looked like a very promising talent early on in his career back when he was with the Washington Wizards, parlaying his best career season in 2016-17 (13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 steals on 43.4 percent accuracy from three) into a four-year, $106.5 million contract in the summer of 2017. Needless to say, Porter failed to live up to that contract, lasting roughly another season and a half in Washington before getting traded to the Chicago Bulls and missing a lot of games before that contract expired. Porter’s most overpaid season came in 2020-21 when he averaged 9.7 points over 28 games while earning $28.5 million, which Real Value deemed to be a $22.5 million overpay.
For more on Otto Porter’s career salary info, click here.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 7-4
Real Value: $101,944,484
Career earnings: $166,981,290
Difference: -$65,036,806 (-38.95 percent)
Veteran forward Harrison Barnes is another player in the mold of Wiggins and Harris in that the advanced metrics don’t capture his impact as well as they should, as the former Carolina standout has been a solid player throughout his career, providing floor-spacing, slashing and defensive versatility in his prime.
Even so, according to Real Value, Barnes has been overpaid by approximately over $65 million in his career, with the biggest disparity in actual value vs. Real Value taking place in 2018-19 when he put up 16.9 points and 4.7 rebounds on 42.0 percent shooting. Barnes earned $24.1 million that season while Real Value had him worth $8.7 million for an overpay of $15.4 million. Just to console Sacramento Kings fans a bit, Barnes wasn’t overpaid by that much in 2022-23, earning $18.4 million with a Real Value of $15.7 million.
For more on Harrison Barnes’ career salary info, click here.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 12-6
Real Value: $104,243,742
Career earnings: $168,794,021
Difference: -$64,550,279 (-38.24 percent)
One of the underrated big men of his era, Jermaine O’Neal blocked shots at an elite level, provided toughness down low and had some face-up abilities for a center, often knocking down shots from the short midrange area. Regardless, Real Value believes O’Neal was greatly overpaid in his career, the biggest reason being the seven-year, $126.6 million contract he signed with the Indiana Pacers in the 2003 offseason. O’Neal lived up to the contract initially, posting his best NBA campaign in 2003-04, a season in which he made 2nd Team All-NBA, but injuries later on turned that contract into an ugly one pretty quickly.
For more on Jermaine O’Neal’s career salary info, click here.
Robert Skeoch /Allsport
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 12-4
Real Value: $39,515,307
Career earnings: $102,351,958
Difference: -$62,836,651 (-61.39 percent)
Former NBA big man Theo Ratliff enjoyed a long NBA career despite being a limited offensive player thanks to his elite shot-blocking prowess. Ratliff led the league in nightly rejections three different times in his career and made two All-Defensive teams. However, due to injuries later in his career, Ratliff wasn’t able to live up to the three-year, $35 million extension he got from the Blazers in 2004 when Real Value considers he was most overpaid, After that extension, Ratliff played more than 55 games in a season just once and fewer than 50 games five times, with his career coming to an end after 2010-11.
For more on Theo Ratliff’s career salary info, click here.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 9-9
Real Value: $155,031,368
Career earnings: $217,468,696
Difference: -$62,437,328 (-28.71 percent)
Real Value may believe Joe Johnson was overpaid a lot throughout his career but he was definitely a better player than his reputation indicates. Johnson was a seven-time All-Star and one-time 3rd Team All-NBAer for a reason. Nevertheless, Johnson’s most overpaid year, according to Real Value, came in 2015-16 when he split time between the Nets and Heat, averaging 12.2 points and 3.9 assists on 43.9 percent shooting while making $22.3 million. Real Value valued Johnson at $6.0 million that season, making that a $16.4 million overpay.
For more on Joe Johnson’s career salary info, click here.
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 10-1
Real Value: $20,253,667
Career earnings: $82,132,279
Difference: -$61,878,612 (-75.34 percent)
One of the first signings of the crazed 2016 offseason came when the Lakers picked up Russian big man Timofey Mozgov, fresh off a championship run with the Cavaliers. What made the signing odd, even by that offseason’s standards, was the fact that in the playoffs prior, Mozgov was injured, only seeing action in 13 games and averaging 1.2 points as Cleveland won the title. The four-year, $64.0 million contract L.A. signed Mozgov to was an immediate albatross, as the lumbering center would only play in 85 NBA games the rest of his career. His most overpaid season was his final NBA campaign of 2017-18. Mozgov averaged 4.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 31 games for the Nets that year while earning $15.3 million, a $14.0 million overpay, per Real Value.
For more on Timofey Mozgov’s career salary info, click here.
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-8
Real Value: $180,838,675
Career earnings: $242,110,053
Difference: -$61,271,378 (-25.31 percent)
Following the departure of LeBron James, it was seen as a major victory when the Heat re-signed Chris Bosh to a max contract in the summer of 2014. Unfortunately for both parties, Bosh had issues with blood clotting that prematurely ended his career, with Miami paying him three seasons of a max contract while the former star big man played zero games in that stretch. Real Value doesn’t believe Bosh was obscenely overpaid in his career when he did play, however, with his most overpaid season coming in 2013-14 when he earned $19.1 million while averaging 16.2 points and 6.6 rebounds on 51.6 percent shooting. Real Value believes that that season by Bosh was worth $11.3 million for an overpay of $7.8 million.
For more on Chris Bosh’s career salary info, click here.
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 7-3
Real Value: $85,669,739
Career earnings: $146,760,004
Difference: -$61,090,265 (-41.63 percent)
Another player whose numbers don’t reflect his impact, Grizzlies center Steven Adams is one of the best screen-setters in the league and an elite box-out guy, often opening up rebounding opportunities for teammates. A prime example of Adam’s impact came last season, a campaign in which the former Pitt Panther only played the first 42 games before missing the rest of the year with an injury. In the stretch with Adams, Memphis was 31-15 and ranked second in the league in net rating (+5.4). Following his departure, the Grizzlies were 20-17 with a +2.1 net rating.
Still, Adams’ lack of box-score production leads to him being underrated by advanced metrics, including Real Value, which believes Adams was overpaid by $7.7 million last season, despite how impactful he clearly was to Memphis’ early success.
For more on Steven Adams’ career salary info, click here.
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 6-5
Real Value: $135,476,906
Career earnings: $196,317,167
Difference: -$60,840,261 (-30.99 percent)
An injury-plagued 2022-23 season for forward Khris Middleton caused the former All-Star to be quite overpaid last year, according to Real Value, which believes Middleton was among the six most overpaid players in 2022-23. Middleton earned $38.0 million last campaign while posting a Real Value of $9.8 million for an enormous overpay of $28.2 million by the Milwaukee Bucks. Middleton only played in 33 games last season due to the aforementioned injury troubles, never appearing fully healthy even when he did play as he averaged 15.1 points (his lowest clip since 2016-17) on 43.6 percent shooting. So, naturally, the Bucks re-signed Middleton to a three-year contract this offseason that could be worth up to $102.2 million. We’ll see how that works out for the Bucks with Antetokounmpo already extension-eligible.
For more on Khris Middleton’s career salary info, click here.
JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 12-4
Real Value: $83,126,259
Career earnings: $143,906,333
Difference: -$60,780,074 (-42.24 percent)
Hall of Fame center Alonzo Mourning nearly retired during his prime due to a rare kidney condition, one that forced him to miss the entire 2002-03 season as well as most of the following campaign. That’s the biggest reason why he’s on this list, because prior to that, in his prime, he was one of the top centers in basketball. Still, just like in the prior case, injuries and illnesses are part of the risk teams undergo when signing players to huge contracts. Mourning was rightfully paid his full $20.6 million for the ’02-03 season he missed out on, which obviously is by far the biggest chunk of the money Real Value believes he was overpaid.
For more on Alonzo Mourning’s career salary info, click here.
Ezra O. Shaw /Allsport
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 11-2
Real Value: $58,274,424
Career earnings: $117,556,500
Difference: -$59,282,076 (-50.43 percent)
Former NBA 2-guard Allan Houston got a boost in profile thanks to playing some of his best basketball as a member of the New York Knicks in one of the biggest markets of the league. Houston parlayed back-to-back All-Star seasons into a six-year, $100 million contract with New York in the summer of 2001. The 2-guard would only play four seasons of that deal, eventually retiring due to recurring knee problems, last seeing NBA action in the 2004-05 campaign. By that year, Houston’s production had fallen off a cliff, as the former star averaged 11.9 points on 41.5 percent shooting in just 20 games while earning $17.5 million.
For more on Allan Houston’s career salary info, click here.
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-4
Real Value: $61,285,992
Career earnings: $119,767,741
Difference: -$58,481,749 (-48.83 percent)
In 2022-23, Tim Hardaway Jr. averaged 14.4 points and 3.5 rebounds on 40.1 percent shooting (38.5 percent from three) while appearing in 71 games for the Dallas Mavericks, earning $19.6 million for the campaign. According to Real Value, those contributions were worth $9.6 million, meaning our metric believes Dallas overpaid Hardaway Jr. by roughly $10.0 million. Hardaway Jr. is a solid player, an outside shooter with athleticism who can get hot from three from time to time, but he’s too inconsistent of a sniper to be beloved be the advanced metrics. He also doesn’t contribute much outside of his three-point shooting, which isn’t even elite.
For more on Tim Hardaway Jr.’s career salary info, click here.
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-8
Real Value: $193,971,361
Career earnings: $252,221,596
Difference: -$58,250,235 (-23.09 percent)
Once quite underrated, veteran point guard Mike Conley’s impact and production have grown much more appreciated over recent seasons. However, as he has started to age, Conley’s impact and production have both started to dwindle, leading to him finding himself on this list. In 2022-23, Conley earned $22.7 million while posting a Real Value of $12.2 million, a $10.4 million overpay by the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves. Still, Conley had a positive swing rating for both teams, so his impact hasn’t crossed over into the negative. Conley has one season left on his dead, which will pay him $24.4 million, a number he’s unlikely to match in terms of production, at least in Real Value’s eyes.
For more on Mike Conley’s career salary info, click here.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 11-4
Real Value: $115,587,308
Career earnings: $173,674,449
Difference: -$58,087,141 (-33.45 percent)
In part thanks to him hitting his peak at a time when the center position was quite down around the NBA, veteran big man DeAndre Jordan has earned $173.7 million in his career. In his prime, Jordan was an elite pick-and-roll finisher and rim-defender, as well as a top-level rebounder. Obviously, Jordan, now 35, is far from being at that level. As a result, in 2022-23, Real Value believes the former Texas A&M standout was overpaid by $7.5 million even though he merely earned $10.7 million. The good news for Denver Nuggets fans is that Jordan will return to Denver but on a minimum $3.2 million contract, a number Jordan can probably match in terms of production and impact, according to our metric.
For more on DeAndre Jordan’s career salary info, click here.
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