The most overpaid NBA players of all time

Today, we’ll examine our updated ranking of the most overpaid players in NBA history. While some names, like Chandler Parsons, may be expected, a few all-time greats on the list might surprise you.

To determine which players were most overpaid, we used Alberto De Roa’s Real Value metric (explained elsewhere) to compare players’ Real Values with their actual contracts each year. This analysis reveals which players were most overpaid (or underpaid) throughout NBA history.

1

Gordon Hayward

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 10-4

Real Value: $141,657,486

Career earnings: $272,742,175

Difference: -$131,084,689 (-48.06 percent)

The recently retired Gordon Hayward holds the title of Most Overpaid Player in NBA history, according to our Global Rating metric, though it’s very tough to fault him for that. Hayward played his way into a max deal with the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2017 after seven excellent seasons with the Utah Jazz, including one All-Star campaign. That deal was worth four years and $120 million.

Five minutes into that contract, Hayward sadly destroyed his leg going up for an alley-oop and was unable to stay healthy from then on, despite valiantly coming back and playing for another six seasons.

Regarding Hayward’s contract situations in his career, what was slightly harder to believe was the Charlotte Hornets deciding to give him another four-year, $120 million contract in 2020 despite it being clear the former Butler star was no longer the same player he was pre-injury, and that he’d have a hard time staying healthy. Hayward would never play in more than 51 regular-season games in a league year after signing that deal.

Hurts our hearts to put him here because he’s not to blame for his bad injury luck, but the reality is that Hayward was paid roughly $240 million over a stretch of seven seasons in which he appeared in just 319 games out of a potential 564 (he had roughly 56.6 percent availability from 2017-18 to 2023-24) while averaging 14.5 points.

For more of Gordon Hayward’s career salary info, click here.

2

Klay Thompson

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-5

Real Value: $143,363,771

Career earnings: $269,552,761

Difference: -$126,188,990 (-46.81 percent)

A player who could overtake Hayward as the Most Overpaid Player in NBA History, according to our metrics, is Klay Thompson, and it could happen over the next couple of seasons.

The biggest reason for that, as was the case with Hayward, has been injuries, as Thompson missed two full seasons – 2019-20 and 2020-21 – while earning a combined $73.3 million, a monstrous figure that has catapulted Thompson up these rankings.

Set to earn a guaranteed $32.6 million over the next two seasons (that number could go up to $50.1 million over the next three campaigns if Thompson opts into the final year of his deal in 2026-27 when he has a player option), Thompson will be earning a fairer annual value based on his recent output.

Plus, who knows? Now playing third fiddle on offense with the Dallas Mavericks and getting what should be great looks from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Thompson might be able to get back on the underpaid side of things if he stays healthy and keeps shooting 39.7 percent from three as he has over the past three league years.

For more of Klay Thompson’s career salary info, click here.

3

John Wall

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-8

Real Value: $161,517,595

Career earnings: $276,580,866

Difference: -$115,063,271 (-41.60 percent)

Another star player afflicted by injuries in his prime, former Washington Wizards star John Wall missed the entire 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons due to injury. Over those two campaigns combined, Wall was earning max money to the tune of $82.5 million, all while appearing in zero games.

Wall’s case is particularly sad and proof that money can’t buy happiness, as the former No. 1 overall pick shared how dark things got for him during this time in his life, even indicating that he considered taking his own life (via ESPN):

John Wall says he considered taking his own life during a time in the last three years when he was dealing with a torn Achilles and the deaths of family members at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. ….”Darkest place I’ve ever been in,” Wall said. “At one point in time, I thought about committing suicide. I mean, just tearing my Achilles, my mom being sick, my mom passing, my grandma passed a year later, all this in the midst of COVID and at the same time, me going to chemotherapy, me sitting by my mom taking her last breaths wearing the same clothes for three days straight laying on the couch beside her.”

Here’s hoping Wall’s in a better place mentally these days.

For more of John Wall’s career salary info, click here.

4

Tobias Harris

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 9-4

Real Value: $157,008,007

Career earnings: $251,084,872

Difference: -$94,076,865 (-37.47 percent)

Owner of the distinction of being the highest-paid player with zero All-Star appearances in NBA history, new Detroit Pistons forward Tobias Harris should be able to add to that total over the next two years after signing a two-season, $52 million contract in Detroit.

That’s not to knock Harris – if anything, good on him for cashing out as often as he has in his career. In fact, he’s a pretty good player when he’s out there, he doesn’t get injured and he can space the floor, drive the ball and play versatile defense from the 4-spot.

It’s just that Harris was never able to go from good starter to All-Star with Philadelphia. Nor did his huge contract with the Sixers (worth five years and $180 million signed in 2019) amount to much team success for Philadelphia, as the team still hasn’t gotten past the second round of the playoffs in the Joel Embiid era. Plus, the team choosing to sign Harris to that contract rather than pay Jimmy Butler to stay instead has looked like a very poor decision in hindsight.

According to Real Value, Harris has been overpaid by at least $20 million three times in his career, a huge number, with his most overpaid season coming in 2021-22 when our metric deemed him to be overpaid by $21.3 million ($36.0 million Real Value vs. $14.7 million actual value).

For more of Tobias Harris’ career salary info, click here.

5

Tyson Chandler

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 17-2

Real Value: $100,189,162

Career earnings: $189,644,026

Difference: -$89,454,864 (-47.17 percent)

Tyson 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.

But the analytics just didn’t love his output as Chandler was a somewhat limited player, one without much range on offense and who wasn’t much of a defender outside of protecting the paint or banging with other paint-bound centers down low. How would Chandler fare in today’s NBA where the majority of centers space the floor in one way or another?

Still, the former No. 2 overall pick wasn’t obscenely overpaid for any one season. It’s just the fact that he played for so long while earning so much money that he finds himself near the top of this list.

Chandler’s 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 of Tyson Chandler’s career salary info, click here.

6

Andrew Wiggins

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 6-4

Real Value: $107,837,976

Career earnings: $196,890,649

Difference: -$89,052,673 (-45.23 percent)

After impressively playing a large part in the Golden State Warriors’ 2021-22 championship run, former Kansas standout Andrew Wiggins has unfortunately dealt with family matters over recent years that have limited his time on the court and made him look like a shell of his 2022 playoff run self. (Wiggins’ father, former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins, passed away this summer.)

Because of that, Wiggins has been one of the most overpaid players in the league over the past couple of seasons, being overpaid by $22.6 million in 2022-23, according to our Real Value metric, and by $15.3 million last season, which is how Wiggins ended up so high up on this ranking.

The Canadian swingman also had some very overpaid seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, stemming from his max contract extension from the summer of 2017, one worth five years and over $147 million.

For more of Andrew Wiggins’ career salary info, click here.

7

Nicolas Batum

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 12-4

Real Value: $113,454,991

Career earnings: $199,548,957

Difference: -$86,093,966 (-43.14 percent)

French forward Nicolas Batum collected pretty big checks from two teams for a while, mostly coming from his 2016 contract with the Charlotte Hornets, a monstrous five-year, $120 million deal.

Obviously, Batum was never going to be able to live up to that contract, as he was just a very good role player who benefited greatly from the huge 2016 NBA spending bonanza, a product of the league’s salary cap spike.

Batum’s most overpaid season came in 2019-20 when he was overpaid by $22.6 million by the Hornets, according to Real Value, for a campaign in which he earned $25.6 million to average 3.6 points on 34.6 percent shooting over 22 appearances.

For more of Nicolas Batum’s career salary info, click here.

8

Juwan Howard

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 14-5

Real Value: $67,608,679

Career earnings: $151,839,471

Difference: -$84,230,792 (-55.47 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 of Juwan Howard’s career salary info, click here.

9

Bradley Beal

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-4

Real Value: $188,571,820

Career earnings: $269,568,863

Difference: -$80,997,043 (-30.05 percent)

Many would argue that right now, Phoenix Suns 2-guard Bradley Beal has the worst contract in the NBA, as it inexplicably contains a no-trade clause and has three years and $161 million left on it. And that’s with Beal not performing close to the All-Star level he showed at his peak a few years ago.

Beal was hugely overpaid in 2023-24, by a $35.0 million sum, according to our Real Value metric. Last season, the three-time All-Star made $46.7 million while averaging 18.2 points in just 53 appearances. Beal was sixth in salary that season but ranked outside of the Top 85 players in the NBA in WS/48, VORP and BPM, which explains why our metric believes the former Florida Gator was so greatly overpaid on the year.

Maybe with the Suns acquiring actual pure point guards this summer in Tyus Jones and Monte Morris, Beal will be able to get back to his game and have a better impact for Phoenix.

For more of Bradley Beal’s career salary info, click here.

10

Kevin Love

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 10-6

Real Value: $191,718,145

Career earnings: $272,362,518

Difference: -$80,644,373 (-29.61 percent)

2016 NBA champion Kevin Love was an elite player in his prime, a double-double machine with a fantastic post-game and great floor-spacing ability. But his game didn’t age all that well even if, to his credit, he does remain in the NBA today.

Hence, his four-year, $120.4 million contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers ended up being a pretty huge overpay by the Cavs, even if the franchise did feel Love earned it by sticking around after LeBron James’ departure. According to Real Value, Love was overpaid by over $21 million in each season from 2020-21 through 2022-23, peaking in 2022-23 at $24.5 million.

Once again, to his credit, Love went back to being underpaid this past season with the Miami Heat, earning $3.8 million while being worth $5.3 million, per our metrics.

For more of Kevin Love’s career salary info, click here.

11

Khris Middleton

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 7-5

Real Value: $145,867,171

Career earnings: $225,638,155

Difference: -$79,770,984 (-35.35 percent)

After spending a lot of the early part of his career being underrated and underpaid, Milwaukee Bucks bucket-getter Khris Middleton has had the opposite impact over recent years, at least in the eyes of our Real Value metric.

In 2022-23, Middleton averaged 15.1 points on 43.6 percent shooting in just 33 appearances, missing a lot of the year due to injury. In that campaign, he earned $38.0 million but had a Real Value of $9.8 million for a $28.2 million overpay, per our stats.

That wasn’t the only year Middleton was overpaid by a large sum by the Bucks, per our metric, as just this past season, he was overpaid by $18.9 million, although at least he was healthy enough to suit up in 55 regular-season games and post good playoff numbers, indicating that we could maybe see a return to form for Middleton in 2024-25.

For more of Khris Middleton’s career salary info, click here.

12

Dikembe Mutumbo

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 of Dikembe Mutombo’s career salary info, click here.

13

Danilo Gallinari

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 11-4

Real Value: $127,686,839

Career earnings: $205,014,876

Difference: -$77,328,037 (-37.72 percent)

Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari didn’t have a single season where he was egregiously overpaid, according to Real Value, with his most overpaid season coming in 2021-22. That year, the Italian shooting specialist earned $20.5 million but produced at the level of a player worth $7.3 million for an overpay of $13.2 million.

But due to injuries, Gallinari spent a lot of his career underperforming his salaries, as the 2008 draftee had four seasons where he was overpaid by at least $10 million, per our metric.

Gallinari having two other full seasons where he didn’t see action in a single game (2013-14 and 2022-23) due to injury also played a large part in his place in this ranking, with the now-36-year-old earning roughly $16.7 million combined in those two campaigns.

For more of Danilo Gallinari’s career salary info, click here.

14

Chandler Parsons

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 league 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 of Chandler Parsons’ career salary info, click here.

15

Tim Hardaway Jr.

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-4

Real Value: $61,285,992

Career earnings: $137,665,469

Difference: -$76,379,477 (-55.48 percent)

Veteran sharpshooter Tim Hardaway Jr. has been a solid player throughout his career, and being a solid player in today’s NBA means you can earn over $137 million over 11 years.

Our Real Value metric believes Hardaway has been overpaid by over $76 million throughout his career, with the largest overpay in a single season coming in 2021-22 when he earned $21.3 million. That year, the former Michigan standout made 42 appearances, averaged 14.2 points on 39.4 percent shooting and missed the entire season from late January through the playoffs due to injury. Real Value deemed his output that season worth $8.1 million for a $13.3 million overpay.

Overall, Hardaway Jr. signed two huge contracts in his career, one worth four years and $70.1 million in 2017 and another worth four years and $75 million in 2021. The veteran will spend the final season of that second deal with the Pistons with another player from this ranking in Harris, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can perform closer to his contract value now that he should have a larger role on offense.

For more of Tim Hardaway Jr.’s career salary info, click here.

16

Otto Porter

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 6-3

Real Value: $64,599,185

Career earnings: $140,520,040

Difference: -$75,920,855 (-54.03 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 of Otto Porter’s career salary info, click here.

17

Ben Simmons

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-3

Real Value: $88,836,961

Career earnings: $163,525,665

Difference: -$74,688,704 (-45.67 percent)

Former No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons probably wouldn’t be on this list if he had just remained on the trajectory he was on early in his career. After all, over his first four seasons, Simmons made three All-Star appearances, won Rookie of the Year, made a 3rd Team All-NBA and even got MVP votes in 2020-21.

Considering Simmons was on his rookie-scale contract for most of that stretch, the Australian point guard was actually severely underpaid early in his career, peaking in 2019-20 when Real Value believes he was underpaid by $15.8 million.

It’s been downhill since, obviously, as Simmons missed all of 2021-22 due to injury. Since then, the former LSU Tiger has played in just 57 games while averaging merely 6.7 points. Over those three seasons combined, Simmons has earned a total of roughly $106.4 million, which explains his place in this ranking pretty succinctly.

Simmons is reportedly heading into this upcoming season fully healthy, though, and his team, the Brooklyn Nets, isn’t exactly loaded with talent right now, so who knows? Maybe we’ll see vintage Simmons coming up and he’ll perform somewhat closer to his contract value.

For more of Ben Simmons’ career salary info, click here.

18

Steven Adams

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 7-3

Real Value: $85,669,739

Career earnings: $159,360,004

Difference: -$73,690,265 (-46.24 percent)

A fan favorite due to his infectious personality, big man Steven Adams has unfortunately missed a lot of time of late due to injury, including the entirety of the 2023-24 season when he made $12.6 million. That missed time and his low production when he has been healthy are the main reasons why Adams finds himself on this list.

The most overpaid season of Adams’ career came in 2020-21, a season in which he made $29.6 million while making just 58 appearances and averaging 7.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. Real Value deemed Adams’ output that season worth $7.6 million, meaning he was overpaid by $22.0 million, a rather large sum.

Adams’ salary is far more reasonable now as the center from New Zealand is set to earn $12.6 million this upcoming campaign, a figure Adams should have an easier time matching with his production as long as he gets back healthy.

For more of Steven Adams’ career salary info, click here.

19

Evan Fournier

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-4

Real Value: $72,749,158

Career earnings: $145,856,244

Difference: -$73,107,086 (-50.12 percent)

With his NBA career over – at least for now, as he signed with European power Olympiacos this summer – Evan Fournier will no longer move up these rankings for the time being, barring a surprising NBA return later.

The French guard did have some bright moments in the NBA, as he had a five-season stretch in which he put up 17.0 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting. But once he got into his late 20s and early 30s, Fournier’s athleticism left him, and with it, so did his effectiveness as a player.

Fournier’s most overpaid season came just last year when he was overpaid by $18.1 million, according to Real Value, which deemed his production (6.9 points per game on 35.7 percent shooting over 32 appearances) worth just under $787,000 when, in actuality, he was earning $18.9 million.

For more of Evan Fournier’s career salary info, click here.

20

Blake Griffin

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-6

Real Value: $188,897,218

Career earnings: $261,338,564

Difference: -$72,441,346 (-27.72 percent)

As has been the case for a lot of the stars on this list, injuries in his prime are the primary cause for Blake Griffin to be ranked on this list, as, per our numbers, he was overpaid in more seasons of his career than he was underpaid.

According to our Real Value metric, from 2019-20 through 2021-22, Griffin was overpaid by a combined $81.4 million, peaking that final campaign at $28.8 million. The main reason Griffin doesn’t rank even higher on this list is the fact that he started off his career so strong, greatly outperforming his rookie-scale contract. By the time his rookie-scale extension kicked in back in 2013-14, Griffin had already won Rookie of the Year, made three All-Star appearances and back-to-back 2nd Team All-NBAs.

It’s unfortunate that after that, Griffin’s knees gave out on him and although he did have some great years after that, including a 3rd Team All-NBA campaign in 2018-19 with the Detroit Pistons, he was never really able to live up to his monster contracts, namely, his five-year, $171.2 million deal from 2017.

For more of Blake Griffin’s career salary info, click here.

21

Brian Grant

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 of Brian Grant’s career salary info, click here.

22

Kevin Garnett

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 17-5

Real Value: $272,441,789

Career earnings: $343,862,398

Difference: -$71,420,609 (-20.77 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 three 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 of Kevin Garnett’s career salary info, click here.

23

Harrison Barnes

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-4

Real Value: $112,923,879

Career earnings: $183,981,290

Difference: -$71,057,411 (-38.62 percent)

A solid player throughout his career, former UNC star Harrison Barnes benefitted from two huge contracts in his career, a four-year, $94.4 million deal in 2016 and then a four-year, $85 million contract in 2019. Needless to say, he didn’t come all that close to living up to those contracts.

Barnes’ most overpaid season came in 2018-19. That year, he averaged 16.4 points on 42.0 percent shooting in 77 appearances for the Mavericks and Kings while earning $24.1 million. Real Value, though, believes his output was worth $8.7 million for a $15.4 million overpay.

Barnes will be paid a combined $37 million over the next couple of seasons, so we think there’s still a solid chance he will move up this list over the coming years.

For more of Harrison Barnes’ career salary info, click here.

24

Al Horford

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-9

Real Value: $210,357,085

Career earnings: $279,728,232

Difference: -$69,371,147 (-24.80 percent)

A product of spending so much time in the NBA and making more of an off-the-stat-sheet positive impact, Al Horford checks in next on our list coming off the first championship of his career. Horford wasn’t just a bystander in the Celtics’ 2023-24 title run, either, as he played an important role in the playoffs for the team, especially once Kristaps Porzingis went down with injury.

Horford was actually underpaid in 2023-24, in the view of Real Value, by approximately $4.7 million. And with his salary going down even further to $9.5 million next season, that could very well be the case once again in 2024-25.

Still, according to Real Value, Horford has been overpaid eight years of his career, peaking in 2020-21 when he earned $27.5 million but performed at the level of a $10.7 million player for a $16.8 million overpay. That was Horford’s lone season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, a year in which the team went 22-50 and missed the playoffs.

For more of Al Horford’s career salary info, click here.

25

Jermaine O'Neal

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 12-6

Real Value: $104,187,135

Career earnings: $168,794,021

Difference: -$64,606,886 (-38.28 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 of Jermaine O’Neal’s career salary info, click here.

26

Paul George

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-6

Real Value: $242,506,197

Career earnings: $307,094,937

Difference: -$64,588,740 (-21.03 percent)

A surprising addition on this list, Paul George has been quite overpaid of late, by $19.1 million in 2021-22, by $20.5 million in 2022-23 and by $17.5 million in 2023-24, his final year with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Those three seasons have caused George to fly up this list, and considering he just signed another huge deal, a four-year, $211.6 million contract with the 76ers which will peak in 2027-28 – when George is 37 – at $56.6 million, there’s a solid shot the star swingman makes a huge jump in these rankings over the coming years.

For more of Paul George’s career salary info, click here.

27

Mike Conley

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 9-8

Real Value: $213,514,959

Career earnings: $276,581,596

Difference: -$63,066,637 (-22.80 percent)

The underrated Mike Conley has two years left on his contract, which will pay him $20.8 million over the next two seasons, a very reasonable price for his steadying abilities at the lead-guard spot for Minnesota.

Even so, Conley has gotten some huge contracts in his career, including a five-year, $152.6 million deal in 2016, causing him to be overpaid in the eyes of Real Value. That’s not to say Conley hasn’t been a very good, and healthy, player throughout his career, it was just always going to be difficult for a low-volume player like him to live up to a deal with an annual average value of $30.5 million.

Conley’s most overpaid season, according to Real Value, came in 2019-20 when he earned $32.5 million but performed at the level of a $11.7 million player for an overpay of $20.8 million, per our metrics. That season, Conley averaged just 14.4 points and 4.4 rebounds on 40.9 percent shooting from the floor in just 47 appearances for Utah.

For more of Mike Conley’s career salary info, click here.

28

Theo Ratliff

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 12-4

Real Value: $39,503,013

Career earnings: $102,351,958

Difference: -$62,848,945 (-61.40 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 of Theo Ratliff’s career salary info, click here.

29

Joe Johnson

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 9-9

Real Value: $154,900,797

Career earnings: $217,468,696

Difference: -$62,567,899 (-28.77 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 of Joe Johnson’s career salary info, click here.

30

Timofey Mozgov

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 of Timofey Mozgov’s career salary info, click here.