The NBA offers riches for the leading superstars in the league, who provide entertainment and excellence on the court. The best players in the NBA are worth their weight in gold to their respective franchises, bringing success and a chance to compete for the crown every season. They end up getting huge NBA contracts.
Names alone fill out stadiums and generate millions of dollars in revenue from merchandise sales. Teams offer lucrative contracts in order to retain their star men to reward them for past performance and with hope for maintaining their standards in the future.
However, some contracts do not always go to plan. A look at highest paid athletes in the NBA has shown that some players in the league are not living up to the billing for their teams based on their performances. We’ll now look at some of the worst contracts that teams have taken on in the 2020-21 campaign.
Worst Current NBA Contracts
Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Kevin Love was a central figure in guiding the Cleveland Cavaliers to their inaugural NBA crown in 2016, and their subsequent two trips to the NBA Finals. After the departure of LeBron James in 2018, the franchise moved to lock down the center to a four-year $120m (£86m) deal as noted by NBA.com. However, Love has not lived up to the billing and is currently the 20th highest-paid player in the league.
Since signing his deal, the 32-year-old has struggled for fitness, while his production has decline ten-fold. Love has another 18 months left on his contract, which will certainly hinder the Cavaliers’ ability to turn over their roster unless they are able to find a way out from the deal.
Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics)
Kemba Walker was signed by the Boston Celtics as a replacement for Kyrie Irving. The point guard penned a four-year contract worth up to $141m (£101m). Walker’s initial performances were impressive during the regular season, averaging a solid 20.4 points per game, while allowing Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to flourish alongside him. However, his displays in the post-season were lackluster, especially in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.
Walker has since suffered knee problems that have limited his time on the court, leaving Boston wondering where their value for money is regarding the 14th highest-paid player in the league. The Celtics have suffered as a result of his absences among others as explained on CBSSports.com, although their odds will favor an outside wager on Brad Stevens’ men. Through sites such as howtobet.com, you will find a comprehensive guide on betting on the NBA, including how to find optimum value on a struggling but talented team such as the Celtics in the Eastern Conference. They also include information on a range of informative areas such as the bonuses available at the various site and provide a review score for each.
Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons)
Six months after signing a five-year $173m (£124m) deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, Blake Griffin was traded to the Detroit Pistons. It’s fair to say the move has not worked out for Detroit, who have failed to compete in the Eastern Conference with the centre in their ranks. The franchise got the best season of Griffin’s career in the 2018-19 campaign, but he was unable to sustain that form into the next term.
The 31-year-old has struggled with a litany of injury problems over the last two years. He is the ninth highest-paid athlete in the NBA, earning $36m (£26m) this term alone. On his day Griffin is a potent player, but he’s not worth the deal that Detroit took on in 2017.
Teams can have the best of intentions when splashing the cash to land free agents or reward their stars. However, the three contracts above highlight that franchises do not always get value for money.
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