10. Jordan Poole (Washington Wizards)
Jordan Poole’s four-year, $140 million contract (signed 2022) is widely considered one of the NBA’s worst because his performance has sharply declined relative to his $29.7–$34 million annual salary. Analysts call his stats “empty calories” — decent counting numbers but poor efficiency, weak defense, and questionable decision-making.
After showing promise as a secondary scorer on the Warriors’ 2022 championship team (20.4 PPG, 37% three-pointers), his trajectory turned downward following a practice injury caused by Draymond Green. Now on the rebuilding Wizards (9–45 record), Washington’s defense ranks fourth-worst in the league, with Poole at the center. Teams view his $95.5 million remaining (2025–2027) as untradeable financial dead weight, making him a negative-value asset who hinders roster flexibility.
9. Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls)
Patrick Williams’ five-year, $90 million extension (averaging $18 million annually) ranks among the NBA’s worst contracts because his production drastically undercuts his salary. The 2020 No. 4 overall pick has posted meager career averages of 9.6 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting just 45.2% from the field. Chronic injury issues have derailed his development: he played only 17 games in 2021–22 (broken wrist) and 43 games last season before requiring season-ending foot surgery.
Williams has lost his starting role and offers little beyond stand-still three-point shooting (53.4% of attempts), while shooting abysmally on two-pointers (35.5%, including 50% at the rim). At 24, after four years and 175 starts, he shows no improvement and plays like a “sub-standard role player”. His production is worth roughly half his $18 million salary, making him functionally untradeable and a negative-value asset for the Bulls.
8. Jerami Grant (Portland Trail Blazers)
Jerami Grant’s five-year, $160 million contract is now considered the NBA’s worst because it pays high-level starter money ($32 million annually, rising to $36.4 million) to a solid but replaceable role player whose production doesn’t justify the cost. While Grant is a reliable scorer (20.4 PPG last season), he lacks playmaking, defense isn’t elite, and he’s never been a true building block.
The deal handcuffs rebuilding Portland, which is stuck with $88 million owed through his age-33 season, severely limiting roster flexibility. The Blazers have been unable to use Grant as salary filler in star trades (Dallas rejected a Giannis deal partly due to his contract) and must add money to move him. Despite being named one of the league’s worst contracts by Bleacher Report, Grant remains untradeable because teams won’t absorb his high salary for a player past his prime.
7. Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves/New York Knicks)
Karl-Anthony Towns’ contract is among the NBA’s worst because it pays supermax money ($57 million annually, rising to $61 million) to a player with critical flaws that limit team-building flexibility. Bleacher Report named his three-year, $171.2 million deal the league’s worst due to his defensive inconsistencies, poor post game, and inability to be a top-20 player despite the massive salary.
Towns’ cap hit consumes roughly 33.5% of the salary cap, preventing the Knicks from signing quality depth or flexibility around him. While he’s an elite scorer (26+ PPG, 54% shooting), his defensive lapses and lack of playmaking undermine championship contention. CBS Sports ranked him 10th-worst contract with $118 million owed over two years, making him nearly untradeable because teams can’t absorb his $50+ million annual cap hit for a player past his prime.
6. Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors)
Andrew Wiggins’ four-year, $109 million extension (signed 2022, averaging $27.3 million annually) is widely considered one of the NBA’s worst contracts because his production has plummeted from his 2022 championship form. Once an All-Star who averaged 17.2 PPG and was a lockdown defender in the Finals, Wiggins now frequently disappears from games, averaging just 13.2 PPG on 43% shooting while showing minimal effort.
The Warriors pay him superstar money for a replacement-level player who often sits out practices and lacks consistency. Despite his elite physical tools, Wiggins has become a “casual effort” player who never developed into the Paul George-type superstar scouts projected. His $29.5 million annual salary consumes excessive cap space for a role player, making Golden State’s luxury tax situation unmanageable and hindering their ability to add depth around Stephen Curry. The contract is effectively untradeable due to his negative value and lack of demand.
5. Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls)
Zach LaVine’s five-year, $215 million supermax contract (averaging $43 million annually) is among the NBA’s worst because chronic foot and knee injuries have made him a negative-value asset for the rebuilding Bulls. LaVine is coming off his worst season in years, missing 28 games last year after foot surgery ended his season early. His injury history is alarming: 30+ absence-related issues since 2019, including multiple foot surgeries, torn ACL (2017), patella injuries, and recurring ankle problems.
The $138 million owed over the next three years blocks Chicago’s pivot to younger pieces, making him untradeable as a “negative trade asset”. Despite being a two-time All-Star, LaVine’s production has declined (18.5 PPG last season on 43% shooting) while his durability concerns make him unreliable for a contender. His max salary consumes excessive cap space for a player who misses 20+ games annually, severely limiting the Bulls’ roster flexibility.
4. Jakob Poeltl (Toronto Raptors)
Jakob Poeltl’s four-year, $104 million extension (averaging $26 million annually) is now considered the NBA’s worst contract because it locks a traditional, injury-prone center through his age-34 season at a time when the Raptors are rebuilding. Poeltl is making $19.5 million this season and next, then rising to $27.3–$29.4 million annually, despite playing under 30 minutes per game and missing roughly half the season due to persistent back issues.
The contract is untradeable: no team showed interest in Poeltl at his salary during the trade deadline because of his chronic lower back strain and waning value at age 30. ESPN’s Zach Kram ranked extending Poeltl as one of last summer’s worst moves, noting he already had a reasonable $19.5 million player option. The deal prevents Toronto from using cap space to sign better players and severely limits their ability to acquire star talent in blockbuster trades, making Poeltl the league’s most prohibitive financial burden.
3. Bradley Beal (Phoenix Suns)
Bradley Beal’s five-year, $251 million supermax contract is widely considered the NBA’s worst before his July 2025 buyout because it paired an exorbitant $53.6 million annual salary with a full no-trade clause—rare for a non-star, making him effectively untradeable. The no-trade clause, granted when traded from Washington to Phoenix in 2023, forced Beal to approve any deal, and he refused all offers due to his massive salary.
Beal’s on-court production (17 PPG, 49.7% shooting) didn’t justify star money, delivering role-player value while Phoenix paid him $110.8 million over two years for inconsistent availability. The Suns had zero trade market because no team wanted his cap hit, leaving them stuck with two years and $111 million remaining. Ultimately, the Suns agreed to pay Beal $97 million to NOT play for them—giving back only $13.9 million while still amortizing $19.4 million annually in dead money for five years through 2030, crippling their roster flexibility.
2. Paul George (Philadelphia 76ers)
Paul George’s four-year, $212 million max contract with the Philadelphia 76ers is among the NBA’s worst because it pays a 35-year-old former All-Star superstar money despite his severe regression and declining production. Since signing in 2024, George has seen his scoring drop to 16.2 PPG on 40% shooting, with his paint presence nearly eliminated (3.2 attempts per game, down from 10+ in his prime). His three-point shooting has also slipped to 34%, and he’s lost the explosiveness that made him an elite two-way player.
George’s chronic injury history—missing 50+ games over the past three seasons—has turned him into an unreliable asset, costing the 76ers $160 million over the next three years while he plays less than 60% of games. The contract consumes roughly 25% of Philadelphia’s cap space, severely limiting their ability to add depth around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. CBS Sports ranked him 9th-worst contract with $160 million remaining, making him untradeable due to his age, health concerns, and prohibitive salary.
1. Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
Joel Embiid’s four-year, $205 million supermax extension (averaging $51.4 million annually, rising to $62.5 million) is among the NBA’s worst contracts because chronic knee issues have made the former MVP increasingly unreliable despite his superstar talent. Embiid has missed 100+ games over the past three seasons due to knee injuries, playing only 39 games last year while averaging just 34.7 PPG when healthy.
The contract obligates the 76ers to pay him $163 million over the next three years while he plays roughly 50% of games, making him a negative-value asset relative to his availability and cap cost. CBS Sports ranked him 1st-worst contract in the NBA due to his severe games-missed totals and the fact that his injury-prone knees threaten his long-term viability at age 31. The massive salary consumes roughly 35% of Philadelphia’s cap space, preventing the team from building adequate depth around him, and his untradeable status (due to health concerns and prohibitive cap hit) leaves the 76ers financially handcuffed for years.