What was the biggest contract in NBA history?
What was the biggest contract in NBA history? It is no secret that NBA players are among the highest-paid athletes in the world. There are a lot of details and individual accomplishments that play a role in the amount of money they get and somehow, every year the scale goes up.
Following is the list of the top 10 highest NBA contracts ever. Surprisingly, there are no names like LeBron James and Kevin Durant on the list.
Probably the most surprising name on the list. After he was traded from the Clippers, Harris played on the highest level which made him the highest-paid player on the team that features stars like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Anthony Davis was the key addition to the Lakers that made them a superstar, and his partnership with LeBron James will be the most important talking point this season. Davis won his first NBA ring with the Lakers and will be their franchise player when LeBron James finally calls it quits on a legendary career.
Klay Thompson is one of the two Golden State Warriors stars that were signed to some of the largest contracts in NBA history. Thompson earned his money by helping the Warriors make 4 NBA Finals appearances and winning 3 of them. Along with the likes of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, Klay Thompson was the player drafted by Golden State and eventually became a franchise star. He was sidelined for the past two seasons, but at least he got paid.
Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in NBA history, and there is no doubt about that. Curry shoots a career 3-point percentage of 43.5%%, and with the way the league is going now, he will be the most valuable point guard going forward. In fact, it was Stephen Curry’s marksmanship that made every NBA team follow the three-point shooting style that we are today. Curry is a 3-time NBA champion, 2-time MVP, and the best point guard in the league.
Rudy Gobert signed the largest contract in NBA history for a center, and that raises some questions. Gobert is a very dominant defensive player, but he doesn’t possess nearly enough on offense to make that kind of money. Gobert averaged a double-double last year and he can impact a game with his height and defensive awareness, but the Utah Jazz committed a massive part of their future to him.
Despite having a very poor season last year, Paul George managed to get a $226 million extension which puts him at number 5 all-time. George, when healthy and playing at his best, is easily worth that money because he can sell out seats with his play and can help create a title contender. With the Los Angeles Clippers, George is the most valuable asset on the team besides Kawhi Leonard.
The Rockets gave everything they had on Harden but failed to reach even the NBA Finals. Harden played the game the way he wants, winning the MVP award in 2018. Still, after numerous Playoff early exits he demanded a trade which sent him to the Brooklyn Nets. Somehow, he failed again.
Russell Westbrook, the triple-double king, signed the largest contract in NBA history for a point guard. Westbrook was supposed to be Mr. Oklahoma City Thunder for life, and that was the reason why they sign him to a huge amount. Unfortunately, he demanded a trade and was sent to the Houston Rockets which meant that OKC had to start over.
The Bucks tried everything possible to keep Giannis happy in Milwaukee, by signing his brother to the roster and even trading away 3 valuable first-round picks for Jrue Holiday. Fortunately for them, it paid off as they won their first NBA championship in 50 years. Giannis himself was absolutely brilliant showing that he is probably the best basketball player today.
Lillard signed his super-max extension with the Trail Blazers last year, which catapults him to the very top of the list. It’s not even funny how no one even comes relatively close to this amount of money. The offensive superstar means everything to Portland, and if he were to leave or request a trade, the Trail Blazers would become irrelevant in the West.
