The NBA’s Biggest Active Contract Nightmares: How Supermax Deals Are Sinking Franchises
The NBA’s financial landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade. With ballooning salary caps and the rise of supermax contracts, teams are betting bigger than ever on star power. But in a league where injuries, regression, and misfit rosters can derail a season overnight, these massive financial commitments can quickly turn into franchise-crippling liabilities. As the 2025 season unfolds, several teams find themselves suffocating under the weight of contracts that no longer match the production or availability of the players they were meant to secure.
This article examines the worst active contracts in the NBA—deals that are draining team resources, limiting flexibility, and, in some cases, holding entire franchises hostage.
#6 Jeremy Grant: Portland’s Cornerstone Conundrum
Jeremy Grant’s contract with the Portland Trail Blazers is a case study in asset mismanagement. Grant signed a five-year deal worth $160 million—a salary reserved for franchise cornerstones or second options on a championship team. Yet, Portland is deep in a rebuild, years away from contention, and Grant’s presence on the roster is puzzling.
Grant’s production has regressed sharply. Last season, his scoring dropped to 14 points per game from previous years where he averaged over 20. This decline is particularly troubling for a player supposedly in his prime and earning top-tier money. While he’s had a slightly better start this season, his availability is already an issue—only five starts so far.
The real problem is Grant’s contract as an asset. In today’s NBA, contracts are tradable commodities. Teams pay players either to win with them or to trade them for future value. Grant’s deal is considered one of the league’s least moveable contracts. If Portland wanted to pivot and trade him, they’d likely have to attach draft picks just to get another team to absorb his salary.
Grant is a solid role player, but he’s being paid like a superstar on a team going nowhere. His contract is a millstone around Portland’s neck, blocking cap flexibility and the development of younger talent.
#5 Kawhi Leonard: The Clippers’ $150 Million Gamble
The Los Angeles Clippers’ commitment to Kawhi Leonard has become a cautionary tale about risk and reward in the supermax era. Leonard signed a three-year, $150 million extension—$50 million per year—on the hope that load management would pay off with a healthy postseason run. Instead, the Clippers are floundering.
Currently sitting 13th in the Western Conference, the Clippers have a roster full of recognizable names, but most are past their prime. The average age is 33, and the team looks more like a retirement home with a basketball court than a contender. Leonard’s contract and his inability to stay on the floor are at the heart of the problem.
In the first year of his new deal, Leonard played only 37 games. This season, he started injured, missed significant time, and has only played eight games so far. The Clippers went all-in, trading away future assets to pair Leonard with Paul George. Now, the Oklahoma City Thunder control LA’s first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 through swap rights. The Clippers are bad, expensive, and don’t even own their own failure—they’re tanking for another team.
Adding to the chaos, a scandal is brewing. Journalist Pablo Torre reported that Aspiration Partners, partly owned by Clippers owner Steve Balmer, allegedly paid Leonard $28 million for endorsement work he never performed. Investors have sued Balmer, and the NBA is investigating potential salary cap circumvention. While both sides deny wrongdoing, the combination of injury, contract size, and scandal makes Leonard’s deal look disastrous.
#4 Jordan Poole: From Star-In-Waiting to Dead Money
Jordan Poole’s fall from grace is one of the fastest in recent memory. Once seen as the heir apparent to Steph Curry and a key piece of the Warriors’ championship run, Poole secured a four-year, $128 million contract based on potential. But just 18 months later, he’s gone from future star to arguably the worst dead money contract in the league.
Now with the New Orleans Pelicans, Poole is putting up 17 points per game on a catastrophic 35% shooting. Advanced metrics consistently rank him among the league’s worst in value, plus-minus, and cost per point. On defense, he’s a liability—offering little resistance and often being benched even by teams actively trying to lose games.
The Pelicans, in desperate need of a rebuild, traded for Poole and are now paying him like a franchise scorer while he performs like a low-efficiency sixth man. His contract is a glaring example of how betting on potential can backfire and leave a team hamstrung for years.
#3 Zion Williamson: The NBA’s Biggest “What If”
Zion Williamson’s rookie max extension—five years, $197 million—was supposed to be the foundation of the Pelicans’ future. When healthy, Zion is an unstoppable force. But those moments are increasingly rare.
Since being drafted, Zion has played just 214 games over six seasons—an average of 35 games per year. He’s a part-time player earning full-time superstar money. Injuries and conditioning issues have plagued his career, and the infamous “fat clause” in his contract underscores the team’s concerns about his weight management and commitment.
Every advanced value model tanks Zion’s ranking due to his availability. Trade rumors swirl, but his contract and injury history make him nearly untradable. The Pelicans are stuck: they can’t fully embrace a tank because of Zion’s salary, but can’t compete because he’s rarely on the court. He’s robbing the franchise of direction and flexibility.
#2 Joel Embiid: MVP Money, May Injury Risk
Joel Embiid, the reigning MVP, is a superstar with a terrifyingly fragile financial commitment. The Philadelphia 76ers have $247 million remaining on Embiid’s deal, with $55 million this season and a three-year, $193 million extension kicking in after. The Sixers extended Embiid without external pressure—a bet against themselves.
Since his MVP season, Embiid has struggled physically. This year, he’s played only six games, looking slow, hurt, and disinterested. The real horror is the future: by the 2028-29 season, Philadelphia will be paying Embiid $69 million at age 35, accounting for more than 30% of the team’s salary cap.
Fans and media are increasingly skeptical that a championship team can be built around a player who is never healthy in May. Even when available, Embiid has a reputation as a playoff underperformer—never advancing past the second round. The Sixers are paying quarter-billion-dollar money for a player who is constantly injured and disappears in the postseason. It’s a high-risk, high-cost gamble that may never pay off.
#1 Paul George: The Franchise Hostage
Topping the list of active contract disasters is Paul George, who signed a max deal in 2024 worth $212 million over four years. At 35 years old, George’s athleticism is waning, his availability is non-existent, and his contract is a franchise killer.
Last season, George’s decline was noticeable, but he at least played some games. This season, it’s a catastrophe—just three games and 66 total minutes played. Based on his salary, George has earned $11 million for a single hour of playtime. By the end of his deal, the Sixers will be paying him $55 million at age 38.
The Sixers have capped themselves out for half a decade on two players—George and Embiid—who cannot stay on the floor. The odds of trading either for meaningful assets are slim. George isn’t just robbing Philadelphia; he’s holding the entire franchise hostage.
The Broader Impact: How Supermax Mistakes Cripple Teams
The stories of Grant, Leonard, Poole, Williamson, Embiid, and George are cautionary tales for front offices across the NBA. It used to be that a bad contract would set a team back a few years. But with the size of today’s supermax deals, mistakes can sink a franchise for a decade.
Teams are learning the hard way that throwing max money at past performance or unproven potential is a surefire way to ruin their future. The stakes have never been higher. With salary caps rising, the risks of long-term deals are magnified. Franchises that make the wrong bet can find themselves locked into years of mediocrity, unable to rebuild or compete.
Conclusion: The New Reality of NBA Risk
As the NBA continues to grow, the financial risks for teams are greater than ever. The Sixers and Pelicans are cautionary examples—locked into contracts that are draining resources and limiting options. The lesson for GMs and owners is clear: in the supermax era, due diligence, health, fit, and future planning are more important than ever.
The money in the NBA has never been higher, but as these cases show, the risk has never been higher either. For fans and franchises alike, the hope is that the next generation of deals will be smarter, more flexible, and less likely to leave teams suffocating under the weight of their own mistakes.
