Ranking the 10 worst contracts in NBA history

9. Kawhi Leonard (4 years, $176 million)

So you might think that a two-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP shouldn’t make his way onto this list of the worst contracts in league history, but Kawhi Leonard’s four-year, $176 million extension might be one of the most egregious deals on this list.

Injuries have plagued Kawhi throughout much of his career, but he inked this max extension in the summer after the 2021 season, after suffering a knee injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the playoffs. The contract was signed knowing that Leonard would miss most if not all of the 2021-22 season.

Unfortunately, we’re more than a quarter of the way through the 2022-23 season, and Leonard has only played in six games, averaging a mere 23.3 minutes in those games. Kawhi Leonard is one of the most talented players in the league, and the Clippers needed to sign him to a max contract in order to keep him in Los Angeles. But it’s starting to feel like he’ll only remain a shell of his former self, and this $176 million that went into this deal would’ve been much better spent on someone who, perhaps, might find his way to the court.