Best and worst NBA contracts heading into the 2022-23 season

We’re left to think about two straightforward issues after free agency when teams spend billions of dollars while players walk away with the metaphorical bag. Who are the NBA’s most overpaid players? Who offers the best discounts?

Many excellent NBA models have been developed throughout the years with the goal of estimating the per-dollar value of each player in the league.

A fantastic one that Jacob Goldstein created for BBall Index years ago was later removed from the public eye once he was hired by the Wizards. With The Athletic, John Hollinger expanded on Goldstein’s work using the $BORD tool.

Continue scrolling for the best and worst NBA contracts 2022-23.

Below are the five best contracts for the 2022-23 NBA season:

The league’s lowest-paid player is Bane. He will earn less than veterans like Luke Kornet and DeAndre Jordan who make the minimum wage for NBA players. He is comparable in value to top players likeDeandre Ayton, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Michael Porter Jr. who are coming off of rookie contracts.

Those who closely followed Bane shouldn’t be overly shocked by that since he placed in the top 30 of EPM. If Bane keeps up his current production level, his next contract should pay him at Ayton’s level.

It also shouldn’t be shocking that everyone on this list is still bound by the terms of their rookie contracts. Because of the way rookie contracts are structured, elite young players return insane value in their first four years.

Below are the five worst contracts for the 2022-23 NBA season:

Westbrook remains a serviceable NBA player. However, only Stephen Curry earns more than him ($48.1 million), and Westbrook’s performance has only marginally improved since joining the Lakers.

Harris is yet another