5 Biggest NBA contracts signed in the 2019-20 season

NBA franchises have authorized their front office personnel to hand out large contracts to the talent that determines each team's success. DeMarcus Cousins, due to repeated injuries, has fallen from grace and he had to settle for a second one-year contract at $3.5 million which is less than the $5.3 million the Warriors gave him last season.

Nikola Vucevic, of the Orlando Magic, turned his first All-Star appearance and a double-double season average in points and rebounds into a 4-year $100 million contract. Pascal Siakam, of the Toronto Raptors, got a 4-year $130 million contract extension. However, these deals are far from the richest deals signed this season.

It may also surprise many that neither of Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Kevin Durant signed the biggest deal this year. Here is a quick look at the five biggest contract signings this season.

Note: Only new contract signings and not contract extensions on existing contracts have been considered here. Hence, you will not find the likes of Ben Simmons or Damian Lillard on this list.

#5 Dallas Mavericks - Kristaps Porzingis: 5 years, $158 million

There must have been major advancements in the medical treatment of professional sports injuries because NBA franchises do not seem deterred in the least bit when it comes to handing out big deals for players injured or returning from a major injury. Kristaps Porzingis fits this category.

Formerly a first-round pick of the New York Knicks, Porzingis was traded last season before the trade deadline to the Dallas Mavericks. He was still recuperating from a left ACL tear and this caused him to miss the entire 2018/19 season.

The Mavericks front office is excited about the pairing of Luka Doncic and Porzingis because they gave him a 5-year $158 million contract. At the moment, he is averaging 19 ppg and 8.1 rpg.

#4 Brooklyn Nets - Kevin Durant: 4 years, $164 million

Kevin Durant is recuperating from an Achilles rupture

Until disaster struck in the second round of the playoffs in 2019 against the Houston Rockets, Kevin Durant was widely considered a top 3 player in the NBA. He likely still is but represents another player on this list with immense talent who is recuperating from a serious injury. Regardless, he just got a 4-year $164 million contract to leave Golden State and play in Brooklyn alongside Kyrie Irving.

It won’t be this season that Durant plays for the Nets. His future is unclear as the injury he suffered in the 2019 playoffs was first thought to be a calf strain and then worsened. In an NBA Finals game 5 return where Durant scored 11 points in 11 minutes, Durant wound up tearing his Achilles tendon. This type of injury is at least career-altering if not career-ending and Durant is 31 years old.

Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks has no plans for Durant’s return this season but could have a make your franchise or bust on his hands after this signing. However, Durant is a silky smooth player who is a perennial All-Star and a two time NBA Finals MVP.

#3 Milwaukee Bucks SF - Khris Middleton: 5 years, $178 million

Khris Middleton continues to impress for the Milwaukee Bucks

The 2018-19 NBA season was pretty good for the Milwaukee Bucks as they won 60 regular-season games, securing the first seed in the East, and had a decent playoff run which culminated after they lost the Eastern Conference Finals in six games to eventual NBA champions, the Toronto Raptors. The Bucks have also benefitted from having made limited changes to their roster from a season ago and re-signing small forward Khris Middleton helps the continuity of the roster and the development of the team.

Middleton signed a 5-year $178 million deal and resumed his role as the second most potent scorer on the Bucks as he averaged 18.3 ppg last season second only to Giannis Antetokounmpo. In eight games this season, Middleton has picked up where he left off averaging 18.6 ppg and shooting 37.3% from beyond three providing a good perimeter scorer to Antetokounmpo’s driving and penetration game.

#2 Philadelphia 76ers - Tobias Harris: 5 years, $180 million

The Philadelphia 76ers had three key free agents to decide on this past off-season. General manager Elton Brand allowed J.J. Redick to sign with the New Orleans Pelicans. He then completed a sign and trade with Miami for Josh Richardson sending Jimmy Butler and his newly minted 4-year $142 million deal to Miami. The free agent Brand chose to invest in the long term was Tobias Harris.

Elton Brand gave the forward he traded to acquire last season, from the LA Clippers, a 5-year $180 million deal meaning a core group of Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons, and Josh Richardson may be together for a long time competing for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. For his part, Harris is averaging 19.7 ppg and 8.6 rpg for Philly this season.

#1 Golden State Warriors - Klay Thompson: 5 years, $190 million

Klay Thompson is out for the 2019-20 season with injury

The Golden State Warriors are a depleted team at the moment with players like Andre Iguodala now a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Durant signed with Brooklyn, Shaun Livingston retired and now Stephen Curry out with a broken hand.

The Warriors did give shooting guard Klay Thompson a 5-year $190 million contract this year. Thompson tore his left ACL in the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors, in June, and will not play in the 2019/20 season. He will essentially receive $38 million this season for services rendered in the past. He is a key member of the core group of Warriors' players that appeared in 5 consecutive NBA Finals and won 3.

Edited by Raunak J