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Overpaid seems much more common than underpaid in today's NBA, and the continuous increase in revenue has led to some pretty absurd contract values. The best value deals in the league usually arise when a player signs a deal for three or more seasons, then proceeds to have a breakout season soon after.
After scouring the league for the best value contracts, I elected not to include any rookie-scale deals, as the first rounders are locked into set amounts based on their draft position. The list also does not include players that are heading into free agency after the 2021-22 NBA season.
Teams that are smart/lucky enough to benefit from having one of their key players on value contracts are able to work with additional financial flexibility moving forward - it is one of the greatest advantages an NBA organization can hold.
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Before listing my top five contracts in the NBA, I want to throw out some honorable mentions. Those mentions include, but are not limited to, Clint Capela, Larry Nance Jr., Domantas Sabonis, Richaun Holmes, and Seth Curry.
Top 5 - Value contracts in the NBA
#5 - Kemba Walker - 2-years/$17.8-million remaining
Kemba Walker's journey to becoming underpaid in the NBA is the definition of an outlier. After two injury riddled seasons with the Boston Celtics, new general manager Brad Stevens traded Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford, Moses Brown and a 2023 second-round pick.
The Thunder proceeded to buyout Walker, who was willing to sacrifice roughly $20-million of his remaining $74-million deal. The New York native then wasted little time before inking in a two-year, $17.8-million deal with his hometown Knicks.
Calling the acquisition of a player the caliber of Kemba Walker for less than $10-million annually is an understatement. While Walker has had some notable injury concerns throughout the last two seasons, he is only a year removed from making the All-Star roster for four consecutive seasons.
The New York Knicks have the 6'0" shifty guard locked up at an extreme discount considering he has averaged upwards of 19 points for each of the last six seasons. Injuries are the only setback that could lead to Walker not outperforming this contractual value.
#4 - Royce O'Neale - 3-years/$27.9-million remaining
Royce O'Neale has started 133 of the 142 games he was available for the Utah Jazz in the last two seasons. Last season, O'Neale started all but one game for the best regular season team in the NBA, while getting paid the salary of a typical bench player.
There is no flashiness to O'Neale's game, but understanding your role is an underappreciated mindset in the modern NBA. O'Neale stands at just 6'4" but possesses an impressive 6'9" wingspan paired with an astounding lateral quickness that makes him a valuable tool defending on the perimeter.
Players are often mislabeled as three-and-D in today's NBA, but O'Neale is deserving of that title. Along with the aforementioned defense, the Jazz wing knocked down 38.5 percent of his 278 attempts from three in 2020-21. 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 rebounds per contest should not go unmentioned either.
The Utah Jazz must be ecstatic to be getting this level of production from a player making less than $10-million annually on their championship contending roster.
#3- Jae Crowder - 2-years/$19.9-million remaining
Jae Crowder started in every playoff game for the Western Conference champions last season, and still has two years of phenomenal value remaining.
Throughout those playoff appearances, Crowder tallied averages of 10.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and just under one block and steal per matchup while knocking down 41.3 percent of his field goals, 38.0 percent of his threes, and 88.6 percent of his free throws.
Defensive versatility from players that are 6'6" to 6'8" is highly sought after in the modern NBA, and Crowder's 6'6" frame, impressive strength, and typical dogged mentality make him ideally fit that mold.
It remains shocking that the Phoenix Suns were able to obtain his talents at the price they did considering his proven playoff impact with the Miami Heat, Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics.
While his three-point shot can be inconsistent at times, his willingness to let it fly from downtown provides enough spacing even through his slumps. Jae Crowder is one of those players that every NBA player loves to suit up alongside and hates to matchup against.
#2 - Christian Wood - 2-years/$27.9-million remaining
Houston Rockets center Christian Wood finished fourth in Most Improved Player voting last season, and it's easy to tell why. After averaging 13.1 points and 6.3 rebounds during his final season with the Detroit Pistons, Wood bumped those averages to 21.0 points and 9.6 rebounds last season.
That type of jump deserves real consideration for Most Improved, and in other years could even secure the title. Along with a nightly average knocking on the door of 20 and 10, Wood was impressively efficient, securing 51.4 percent of his total field goals and 27.4 percent on 5.0 threes per night.
If Wood would have suited up for more than 41 total games last season, he could have won the award, but the Houston Rockets have to be thrilled with his growth no matter what. Just recently turning 26-years-old, the 6'10" big man can do anything on offense.
As aforementioned, he knocks down a significant amount of threes at an astounding rate, can put the ball on the floor and attack the rim, succeeds as a roll man, and is an active rebounder. His numbers knock on the door of All-Star production, and very few players making less than $15-million annually can claim that.
#1 - Luguentz Dort - 2-years/$3.7-million remaining
Luguentz Dort started 52 of 52 total games for the lottery-bound Oklahoma City Thunder last season. Defensive is the name of the game for the 6'3" Arizona State product who most people have seen perform exceptionally well against playoff James Harden in isolation during his rookie season.
With minimal guarantee of even making an NBA roster in his career, Dort converted his two-way deal to a 4-year/$5.4-million deal in June 2020. Since then, Dort has cemented himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.
Oklahoma City is sitting on a treasure chest full of assets and Dort's current deal is one of the most valuable in the vault. Dort is likely the only starting caliber in the NBA currently contracted for near minimum value.
When you also factor in that Luguentz Dort converted 34.3 percent of his 6.3 (!) attempts per game last season, his value skyrockets. It wouldn't surprise me if he was considered a better player than Royce O'Neale, who also made this list and makes over $7-million more than Dort annually.
