CBS Sports has published a ranking of the 15 worst contracts in the NBA as the 2025-26 season nears its end, highlighting deals that burden teams with high salaries amid injury concerns, declining performance, and limited trade value. Joel Embiid tops the list due to his supermax deal and persistent durability issues, followed by Jakob Poeltl and Ja Morant. The analysis emphasizes factors like salary, length, age, durability, and portability in a post-2023 CBA era where financial management is crucial.
The ranking, authored by CBS Sports, evaluates contracts based on seven key factors: salary, length, age, durability, guarantees, portability, and structure. It notes that bad contracts can derail team-building more severely than good ones help, especially with luxury tax and apron restrictions limiting roster flexibility. Unlike the prior best contracts list, this one includes max deals and focuses on future years from 2026-27 onward.
At No. 1, Joel Embiid's $188,244,000 deal with the Philadelphia 76ers is criticized for his injury history; he has never played 70 games in a season and has only appeared in 33 games this year, currently sidelined by an oblique injury. The analysis states that building around Embiid requires planning for both his dominance when available and substantial backup center minutes, complicating roster construction as centers gain importance league-wide.
Jakob Poeltl ranks second with $103,584,000 owed to the Toronto Raptors, who extended him despite his average performance and declining defense. He missed time this season with a back strain, allowing rookie Collin Murray-Boyles to emerge, and his offensive output has dropped to six shots per game.
Ja Morant comes in at No. 3 with $87,053,440 for the Memphis Grizzlies. At 26, his declining rim and free-throw rates, combined with poor shooting and defense, make him a risky asset at point guard, a position the analysis calls oversaturated. The Grizzlies failed to trade him at the deadline.
Paul George (No. 4, $110,713,050, 76ers) is seen as a role player at age 35, with only 27 games played this season due to durability issues. Anthony Davis (No. 6, $121,243,248, Lakers) faces criticism for rare appearances (29 games since trade) and poor jump shooting (25.8% from three since 2020 bubble).
Other notable entries include Karl-Anthony Towns (No. 10, $118,093,920, Knicks), showing shooting decline to 36.7% from three; Devin Booker (No. 14, $251,351,098, Suns), with signs of regression at age 30; and De'Aaron Fox (No. 15, $223,104,000, Spurs), a borderline max player whose speed is waning. The piece underscores how these deals limit teams' ability to contend or rebuild effectively.
