5 Worst Contracts In The NBA This Season And Moving Forward

The NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement has made massive contracts even more punishing than ever, especially with the second apron restrictions limiting teams’ ability to move bad deals. When a player who earns $35-50 million per season underperforms due to injuries, age, off-court issues, or just plain lack of interest in the game, it can have a severe impact on a franchise’s ability to compete for years. Of the current contracts in the NBA, here are five players who have become financially problematic for the 2025-26 season and beyond. 

How it is that the 76ers thought that signing Embiid to a 3-year / $193 million extension in September 2024 was a good idea is unfathomable. Yes, he is a former MVP, a 7-time All-Star, and a 5-Time All-NBA, but he had just come off a 39-game season, and only once in his career has he played 68 games. Coming off a 19-game season in which he was paid $51 million, Embiid is on route to earning $55 million, $58 million, $62 million, and $67 million (player option) this season through his age 34 season. An MVP-caliber talent when healthy, his chronic lower-body issues and contract have handcuffed the Sixers. 

Months before backing up the Brinks truck to pay Embiid, the Sixers handed Paul George a contract for 4-years/$212 million. One can only assume it didn’t take long for George to put pen to paper. After making $49 million last season, George is on pace to make $51 million, $54 million, and a player option for $56 million in 2027-28. At 37 years old, George would be crazy not to accept that option. While healthier than Embiid throughout his career, George also has a lengthy list of injuries, including ones that have him sidelined to start this season. A 9-time All-Star and 6-time All-NBA, George is in the twilight of his career. 

He has the potential skillset to justify the contract, but Williamson’s inability to stay on the court since entering the NBA as the first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft is a giant red flag. Having played just 214 games since that time and only 129 over the past three seasons, the Pelicans are still on the hook for $39 million, $42 million, and $44 million until the end of the 2027-28 season. While there is a weight and game clause in his contract that impacts his earnings, it seems mighty coincidental that Williamson came into camp in the best shape of his NBA career. 

Morant’s 5-year / $193 million rookie max extension runs through the end of the 2028-29 season. It’s questionable as to whether the talented, yet troubled point guard will be a member of the Grizzlies until that point. The question is, will any other team be willing to take a gamble on him? With on and off-court issues, suspensions, injuries, and conflicts with coaches, Morant’s contract becomes increasingly problematic. The Grizzlies already fired and hired a new coach because of Morant; now the question is, can they find a new team willing to take on the headache?

The two years after returning to Toronto for his second stint with the Raptors at the 2022-23 trade deadline, Poeltl appeared in 50 and 57 games, averaging 13 points, nine rebounds, and 1.3 blocks. This season, he is averaging 7.7 points and 6.7 rebounds, earning $19.5 million. While that isn’t the worst contract in the league for a serviceable big man, it is the money the Raptors will be paying in the future that lands Poeltl on this list. Signing a 3-year / $84 million extension, Poeltl will be making $30 million, $29 million, and $27 million between 2027-2030. That’s a lot of money for a player on his decline.