15 NBA players certain to be overpaid in free agency

6. Pau Gasol

Make no mistake, Pau Gasol is still a very good NBA player. He averaged 16.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 blocks per game (in 31.8 minutes) for the Bulls this season, and while it may have been a flawed selection, Gasol’s inclusion on the Eastern Conference All-Star team is, at least, noteworthy.

With that out of the way, he’ll be overpaid… if he wants to be.

Gasol will be 36 years old at the start of the 2016-2017 season, and the consensus around the league is that he can command a huge contract on the free market. There are lesser teams that would love to have his production (and his name) on their books for the next few seasons, even if that means taking a hit in the final year or two of a long-term contract.

The problem, at least for me, comes on the defensive end. Gasol’s offense is still quite effective, even if his overall impact has lessened with age. Defensively, he is at best a neutral player and, in today’s free-flowing league, Gasol basically has to play center, where he is not particularly equipped to be a team’s primary rim protector. Is the offense enough to make him playable? Absolutely, but at what cost?

There is a school of thought that Gasol, who has made more than $160 million in NBA contract salary during his career, could take a discount to sign with a contender. If he does that, it won’t be an overpayment, but if he simply grabs the highest dollar figure available? Look out.

Next: 5. Jeff Green