The most overpaid players in the NBA– those who hold both rosters and organizations at ransom for the love of a big fat paycheck. Several of the players included on this list have either failed to meet expectations, are on the tail end of their career, or simply not worth the salary received. Jared Cortes and Jr. Williams join forces to discuss their picks for the 2014-15 most overpaid players in the NBA.
Jared Cores: Top-5 Overpaid Athletes Prediction
1. Amar’e Stoudemire - $23,410,988
Image Courtesy of NY Knicks
The former All-Star big man known as “STAT” (Standing Tall And Talented) is truly the most overpaid player in the entire NBA. Amar’e makes over 23 million dollars despite producing barely half of what he formerly produced. Stoudemire started just 21 games last year and only averaged 12 points with 5 rebounds. Stoudemire looked like his former self when he first started with the Knicks, but after suffering back and eye injuries, he’s nothing but a shell of what he once was. Who knows though, maybe bathing in red wine will return this former All-Star to the upper echelon of the NBA.
2. Joe Johnson - $23,180,790
Image Courtesy of losthatsportsblog.com
Joe Johnson was formerly known as one of the most underrated players in the entire league during his Atlanta Hawk days. Though he’s still a very capable player, his 23 million dollar contract does not warrant the amount of production he puts out. Joe is aging and his playing ability is diminishing. Many people were shocked when Brooklyn initially signed Johnson to the outrageous contract, but as the years pass by people tend to forget how much value the contract actually held. With Paul Pierce out, his 15-3-3 line will possibly see improvement, but not 23 million dollars worth of improvement.
3. Chris Bosh - $20,644,400
Photo Credit: Nathaniel S. Butler
Chris Bosh is still very capable of putting up All-Star numbers and starting nearly every game in a season, but when Miami gave him a max contract they made a mistake. Bosh is aging along with his other two Miami Big-3 teammates, but his skill set isn’t nearly as good as theirs. Dwyane Wade took a pay cut down to 15 million, while his teammate Bosh somehow swindled a max contract out of the Heat organization. There’s no doubt we will see a spike in Bosh’s numbers this year, but they will not be max contract worthy.
4. Deron Williams - $19,754,465
Courtesy of Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports
The former Utah Jazz All-Star came to Brooklyn about a year before they actually became Brooklyn. Williams was traded to New Jersey and looked exactly like he looked in Utah, putting up dazzling numbers. Whether its age, injuries, or just not trying, his stats have completely plummeted. Deron managed to average just 14 points and 6 assists in 32 minutes per game last year. With a nearly 20 million dollar contract on a team with the also overpaid Joe Johnson, that is unacceptable. Deron will look to breathe new life into his career as a new, more experienced head coach in Lionel Hollins takes over.
5. Rudy Gay - $19,317,326
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
It’s a bit tough to call Rudy Gay overpaid as he puts up stats relative to his nearly 20 million dollar contract, but he puts up most of his stats due to his teams being, to put it delicately, very bad. Memphis finally started to win more consistently when they ridded themselves of Rudy, and Toronto was fairly disastrous with him on the team. Strangely, once Rudy was traded, Toronto turned into the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Now on Sacramento, a perennial loser, Rudy puts up about 20 points per game (on a very unattractive 39% shooting) and 7 rebounds. Until Rudy Gay can learn to be more efficient while putting up All-Star stats and actually lead a winning team, he will remain one of the most overpaid players in the league