5 Worst Contracts in the NBA

With all the money thrown around in recent years in the NBA, there were bound to be some deals that went wrong. Of course, the organizations cannot always be blamed for contracts gone awry, especially considering the injury issues of several star players who made the cut.

5. Kevin Love

After losing LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers made a desperate pivot to lock up Kevin Love into a four-year, $120 million extension in 2018. Not only is Love no longer a star, but he has proven time and again to be injury prone, and he missed the majority of the 2018 season after toe surgery. Now, the team will be stuck paying the forward an average of more than $30 million per year until 2023 unless they can trade him.

4. Chris Paul

Chris Paul's terrible contract has been a well-documented point of contention for the Houston Rockets organization, and it could prevent them from winning a championship during their current window. The 33-year-old signed a four-year, $160 million contract in 2018. His numbers declined last season, and he will become less of an asset to the team while his salary balloons to $44 million by his age-36 season.

3. Andrew Wiggins

After a breakout 2016 season, the Minnesota Timberwolves inked the shooting guard to a massive five-year, $148 million contract. While Wiggins is still only 24, his offensive numbers have declined and he's been incredibly inefficient, as he shot just 41 percent from the field in 2018. Add to that his status as a defensive liability, and the T-Wolves will rue the decision to pay him like a star through the 2022-23 season.

2. Russell Westbrook

This is an example of a contract that both sides likely regret. It looks as though Westbrook's loyalty to the Thunder has finally crumbled following the departure of Paul George. He has four years and more than $170 million remaining on the five-year deal he signed in OKC, and that contract will prove to be difficult to match up salary-wise as the team looks to honor his request for a trade.

1. John Wall

While extending John Wall seemed like a no-brainer for the Wizards in 2017, things could not have played out worse since. Wall's four-year, $170 million dollar extension will take effect in 2019, following a season in which the point guard tore his achilles less than halfway through. He's played in fewer than half his team's games in the last two seasons, and his injuries spell big trouble for the franchise which signed him to a max deal.