In professional basketball, signing a multi-million dollar contract is often seen as a sign of success and prestige. However, for some NBA teams, a big contract can be a burden rather than a blessing.
As a result, the league has seen its fair share of bad deals, from players who underperformed to those who were plagued by injuries.
Here are some terrible contracts that have plagued teams this season and likely will for years to come.
1. Dāvis Bertāns- F, Dallas Mavericks, Three years-$49 million
Bertāns contract is the first of a couple on this list that has had NBA fans shaking their heads from the moment the ink met the contract.
Originally re-signing with the Wizards on this deal, Bertāns earned premium NBA pay due to his effective three-point shooting ability. The year Bertāns signed with the Wizards, he was hitting 39.5% of his threes. This season, Bertāns is shooting a slightly worse 39% from three.
What makes this contract such a burden for the Mavericks is the fact that Bertāns sees little to no playing time on the court. Bertāns is averaging 10.9 minutes a game this NBA season, as opposed to his glory days in Washington, if you can even call them that, where he saw 29.3 minutes per game.
While Bertāns last deal of his contract isn’t fully guaranteed, it remains a benchmark for one of the worst NBA contracts in today’s game.
2. Duncan Robinson- F, Miami Heat, Four years-$74.4 million
Similar to Bertāns contract, Robinson was paid handsomely due to his elite three-point shooting. In fact, Robinson’s original five-year $90 million contract remains the largest contract given to an undrafted player in NBA history.
Robinson initially resigned with the Heat in the 2021 off-season after his original summer league contract was up. During the 2020-21 NBA season, Robinson remained one of the league’s top shooters despite seeing a dip in three-point percentage.
However, as time progressed, Robinson’s three-point percentage continued to decline. At his peak in the 2019-20 NBA season, Robinson knocked down 44.6% of his threes, giving him the fourth-highest three-point percentage in the NBA. In comparison, this season, Robinson is making threes at a rate of 32.8%, making him a below-average three-point shooter, as the NBA average sits at 36.1%.
Robinson has also seen a considerable decline in minutes this NBA season. While he still plays 16.1 minutes per game, that is half the time he saw on the court just two seasons ago.
This contract is arguably much worse than the Bertāns contracts. The Heat have witnessed their undrafted three-point specialist diminish into an average role player. While the Mavericks will still have two seasons with Bertāns following this one, the Heat will have to endure Robinson’s contract for another three years.
3. Evan Fournier- G, New York Knicks, Three years-$55.9 million
Fournier’s contract is a prime example of what can go wrong when one doesn’t consider one of the most overlooked things when giving out an NBA contract: age.
Fournier was traded to the Knicks in a sign-and-trade deal with the Boston Celtics during the off-season of 2021.
What makes this contract terrible is Fournier’s production or lack thereof. After starting almost every game for the Knicks during the 2021-22 NBA season, Fournier has seen his role condensed to bench warmer.
This NBA season, Fournier played a total of 27 games despite being available in almost every NBA game this season. In addition, Fournier is shooting a career-low 33.7% from the field and 30.7% from deep.
While the contracts above are bad, at least Bertāns and Robinson see consistent time on the court in most games. The Knicks essentially pay Fournier the amount of money an average NBA starter or exceptional role player would get to ride the bench.
On the bright side, Fournier’s last deal on his contract is not guaranteed, as the last year is a team option. This means the Knicks will only have to put up with one more season of paying the 30-year-old benchwarmer big-time money.
4. Bradley Beal- G, Washington Wizards, Five years-$251 million
Yes, you read that right; Beal is earning over $250 million over the course of five years.
Let’s start with the obvious: Beal is a great player in the NBA. But is Beal worth being paid the 5th highest salary in the NBA? Arguably, no.
This past season, Beal averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds on 50.6% shooting and 36.5% from deep. In comparison, point guard Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks averaged 24 points, 6.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds this season.
Notably, Brunson was a part of the same free-agency class as Beal, and he’s also three years younger than Beal. Brunson is also paid more than $15 million less than Beal.
When you consider Beal’s injury history, things get more convoluted. In the past five years, Beal has dealt with 18 different kinds of injuries, most of them being knee and hamstring injuries.
While Beal is only 29, his contract will continue until he turns 33. Considering the numerous injuries Beal has dealt with, it would be surprising if he can maintain the level of play he’s at now moving forward.
In the event Beal starts declining as a player, the Wizards will be stuck in a terrible situation, as no other teams will likely want to take on a declining Beal’s enormous contract.
5. Damian Lillard- G, Portland Trail Blazers, Five years-$258.7 million
Lillard makes this list for similar reasons Beal does.
Lillard has been nothing short of excellent for the Trail Blazers this season, tallying 32.2 points per game and 7.3 assists per game, which were the 3rd and 10th most in the NBA this season, respectively.
However, Lillard has the same concerns as Beal since Lillard is reaching the age where players typically start to decline. Lillard will be 33 at the start of the next NBA season, and Lillard will be 36 at the end of his contract.
For reference, let’s look at point guard Russell Westbrook. While Lillard and Westbrook have different playstyles, Westbrook is 34 and is making over $47 million this season. Even though Westbrook’s contract ends this season, Westbrook has already shown signs of decline and has no chance of being signed for the same money he’s making this season next season.
Now let’s consider what happens if the same happens to Lillard; the Trail Blazers would be stuck paying an outrageous amount of money to a declining point guard until the 2026-27 NBA season. The situation barely improves in a world where Lillard doesn’t decline as he ages.
The Trail Blazers had a terrible year this season, notching a 33-49 record on their way to becoming the 5th worst team in the league. Therefore, it’s apparent that Lillard needs help to raise the Trail Blazers out of this situation. Yet, due to his contract, this task will be nearly impossible to complete, as Lillard’s contract takes up a whopping 34% of the Trailblazer’s entire cap space. As the NBA continues to evolve and players’ salaries rise, the pressure on teams to sign big contracts will only increase. But with the lessons of the past in mind, teams may be more mindful of the risks involved and make more prudent decisions when signing contracts.
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