Ranking: The most underpaid NBA players of all time

Today, we're going to talk about the most underpaid NBA players (dating back to 1990, an era for which we have the most accurate salary/contract info for NBA players).

To determine this, we used our own Alberto De Roa’s Real Value metric (explained here) to compare players’ Real Values with their actual contracts each year. This analysis reveals which players were most underpaid (or overpaid) throughout NBA history.

As you're about to find out, some all-time greats are even outperforming their monstrous modern-era max salaries.

1. LeBron James

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-16

Real Value: $703,305,189

Career earnings: $482,593,428

Difference: $220,711,761 (45.73 percent)

Potential GOAT (we already have him rated as such) LeBron James checks in once again as the most underpaid player in NBA history, per our numbers, which is nuts considering he's also the highest-earning player in league history. James has just been that above-and-beyond throughout his career that even earning a max salary in every season after his rookie-scale deal (so for like 17 years), he's still been underpaid by $220.7 million, according to our Real Value metric.

On the other hand, 2023-24 was just the fifth season in which James has been overpaid, per our metric, as the four-time league MVP made $47.6 million but had a Real Value of $39.7 million, meaning the Los Angeles Lakers overpaid him by roughly $8 million. Considering James still had a Real Value of nearly $40 million, however, that's still elite production by the 21-year veteran.

According to our metric, James’ most underpaid season was in 2008-09, when he was paid $14.4 million by the Cleveland Cavaliers but had a Real Value of $44.4 million, a monstrous disparity of $30.0 million. James won league MVP that season after averaging 28.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.1 blocks and leading Cleveland to a 66-16 regular season, though the team did disappointingly fall in the Eastern Conference Finals.

For more of LeBron James' career salary info, click here.

2. Nikola Jokic

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-9

Real Value: $349,831,374

Career earnings: $198,343,831

Difference: $151,487,543 (76.38 percent)

It's so hard to predict anyone overtaking James in any record considering his longevity and how long he's remained an elite player, but if anyone has a chance to one day surpass him as the most underpaid player ever, it might be Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, who is still just 29 years old and showing no signs of slowing down.

Even earning a max salary last season of $47.6 million, Jokic was still underpaid in the eyes of our Real Value metric for 2023-24, which deemed the reigning league MVP's worth at $83.0 million – a $35.4 million underpay by Denver.

In 2022-23, a 2nd Team All-NBA, All-Star season for Jokic, the big Serbian made $33.1 million from the Nuggets while his Real Value was actually $70.1 million for an underpay of $37.0 million, making him the most underpaid player of 2022-23. Add that to all of those years early on in his career in which Jokic was being paid a second-round pick salary while performing at a near All-Star level and you see why our metric considers Jokic to be so underpaid.

For more of Nikola Jokic's career salary info, click here.

3. Luka Doncic

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-6

Real Value: $258,862,928

Career earnings: $109,636,871

Difference: $149,226,057 (136.11 percent)

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic overtook two-time league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo for the No. 3 spot in this ranking between last year and this one after a very impressive 2023-24.

Doncic is coming off a year in which he posted the most underpaid season in NBA history, according to Real Value, which also came in a year in which the 25-year-old got to the NBA Finals for the first time in his career. In 2023-24, Doncic earned $40.1 million while posting a Real Value of $81.1 million for an underpay of $41.1 million, the largest our Real Value has metric ever seen.

Doncic might also have a shot at overtaking James, and maybe even Jokic, on this list if his career continues on this otherworldly path. He got off to a great start in his NBA career, too, as far as being underpaid. Doncic was a borderline All-Star in Year 1 and a 1st Team All-NBAer from his second season on and as such, he's already the third-most-underpaid player ever with so much of his prime still left to go.

For more of Luka Doncic's career salary info, click here.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-11

Real Value: $354,463,927

Career earnings: $236,092,616

Difference: $118,371,311 (50.14 percent)

A future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, Giannis Antetokounmpo was once again underpaid in 2023-24, albeit not by as much as in years past. Antetokounmpo earned $45.6 million last season and proceeded to finish fourth in MVP voting, make 1st Team All-NBA and earned All-Star honors for the eighth time in his career. According to Real Value, the 29-year-old was underpaid by $10.2 million last season.

The largest underpay of Antetokounmpo’s career came in 2016-17 when he was named an All-Star and to 2nd Team All-NBA while earning $3.0 million in player salary, still on his rookie-scale contract. Real Value had him worth $27.3 million that season for a difference of $24.3 million, a hugely valuable deal for Milwaukee that year.

For more of Giannis Antetokounmpo's career salary info, click here.

5. Jayson Tatum

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-7

Real Value: $219,750,295

Career earnings: $121,128,660

Difference: $98,621,635 (81.42 percent)

From being eighth on last year's list to being in the Top 5 this time around, new NBA champion Jayson Tatum was vastly underpaid by the Boston Celtics in 2023-24, earning $32.6 million but being worth, in the view of Real Value, $60.9 million for an underpay of $28.3 million by Boston.

Tatum has one year left on his previous contract before his extension kicks in, meaning the Celtics, who will owe Tatum $34.9 million for 2024-25, will probably be grossly underpaying him next season, too. After that, however, things change, as Tatum signed the richest contract in league history this past summer, one worth five years and up to $315 million.

Let's say Tatum keeps up the same level of play from 2023-24 for years to come, which we already noted Real Value deemed worth nearly $61 million. On his new contract, Tatum would be getting overpaid by 2027-28 when he'll be owed $62.8 million, and he'll be getting seriously overpaid by the player-option year on his deal (2029-30), when the Celtics will owe him an astronomical $71.5 million.

These new max contracts in the NBA are going to make it so that even superstar elite players will be getting overpaid pretty soon. In fairness, that's a well-deserved honor for the players, who are simply signing for what the current market deems them worth.

For more of Jayson Tatum's career salary info, click here.

6. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-6

Real Value: $173,381,055

Career earnings: $81,265,732

Difference: $92,115,323 (113.35 percent)

Another player who made a huge leap in the ranking this year, Canadian superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander jumped from being No. 15 last year to being No. 6 this season after the best campaign of his career in 2023-24.

Gilgeous-Alexander, according to our Real Value metric, put up a season worth $67.1 million last year but was only paid $33.3 million by the Oklahoma City Thunder, meaning he was underpaid by $33.8 million for 2023-24.

Considering Gilgeous-Alexander continues to get better year over year, even finishing second in the MVP vote last season, along with the fact he's got three years left on his current contract (his salary peaks in 2026-27 at $40.8 million), it wouldn't be surprising to see the two-time All-NBAer overtake some of the players still above him on this list over the coming years.

For more of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's career salary info, click here.

7. Dwyane Wade

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 6-10

Real Value: $287,225,122

Career earnings: $199,499,205

Difference: $87,725,917 (43.85 percent)

The first non-active player on this list, Dwyane Wade maintains his spot in the Top 10 of the most underpaid players in NBA history.

Wade’s most underpaid season – which was one of the most underpaid campaigns for any player ever, per Real Value – came in 2005-06, when the former Marquette standout was still on his rookie-scale deal earning $3.0 million yet leading the Miami Heat to a championship while being named an All-Star, 2nd Team All-NBAer and Finals MVP.

His Real Value that season was $27.0 million for an enormous $24.0 million disparity.

For more of Dwyane Wade's career salary info, click here.

8. James Harden

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 3-12

Real Value: $423,166,570

Career earnings: $340,720,428

Difference: $82,446,142 (24.20 percent)

With the twilight of James Harden’s prime upon us, his days of being underpaid might be behind us for good. As such, for just the third time in his career, Harden was overpaid last season, per our Real Value metric. In 2023-24, Harden made $35.7 million from the Los Angeles Clippers while posting a Real Value of $26.8 million for an overpay of $8.9 million by Los Angeles.

It'll be interesting to see how the next few years of Harden's career go, as the former league MVP is due to be paid $33.7 million this season and $36.4 million in 2025-26. Could the 35-year-old go back to putting up huge numbers on a Clippers team with just one other high-usage star – Kawhi Leonard – on it? With Leonard heading into the season already hobbled, Harden will certainly have his opportunities.

For more of James Harden's career salary info, click here.

9. Anthony Davis

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 2-10

Real Value: $342,052,340

Career earnings: $268,301,708

Difference: $73,750,632 (27.49 percent)

Nine-time All-Star Anthony Davis is coming off the healthiest season of his career, as the future Hall-of-Famer had never appeared in 76 games as he did in 2023-24. He also earned All-Star honors on the campaign while putting up nearly 22 points and eight rebounds per contest. Real Value did deem Davis' 2023-24 season as an underpay, but not by as much as you may think, as our metric believes the Lakers only underpaid the former Kentucky standout by $7.9 million last season.

Of late, Davis hasn't been quite as underpaid as he had been early on in his career. Davis' most underpaid season came all the way back in 2014-15 when he made $5.6 million while being a 1st Team All-NBAer. That year, Davis averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 rebounds and a league-leading 2.9 blocks for a Real Value of $27.0 million – an underpay of $21.3 million by the New Orleans Pelicans, according to our metric.

For more of Anthony Davis' career salary info, click here.

10. Tyrese Haliburton

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-4

Real Value: $86,111,768

Career earnings: $17,878,995

Difference: $68,232,773 (381.64 percent)

Underpaid by a whopping 381-plus percent so far in his career, Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has yet to earn more than $5.8 million for a single season in his career. As such, he's one of the most underpaid players in NBA history already, with his most underpaid season coming just last year, 2023-24, when he was on the final year of his rookie-scale deal. Last season, Haliburton was underpaid by $30.5 million as Real Value deemed his output to be worth $36.3 million.

That checks out pretty clearly, as Haliburton was making under $6 million for the season while putting up 20.1 points, a league-leading 10.9 assists and 1.2 steals. Haliburton also led Indiana to the Eastern Conference Finals and earned All-Star and 3rd Team All-NBA honors for his efforts.

With Haliburton's monster extension kicking in, however, the newly crowned Olympic gold medalist could start to see his place in this ranking slip rather than rise, as his salary is about to blow up. Haliburton is now signed through 2028-29 when he will be owed $55.7 million. Simply put, no matter how good Haliburton is by then, he'll have a hard time outplaying that contract in the eyes of our Real Value metric.

For more of Tyrese Haliburton's career salary info, click here.

11. Donovan Mitchell

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 2-5

Real Value: $171,081,482

Career earnings: $106,743,301

Difference: $64,338,181 (60.27 percent)

Despite star 2-guard Donovan Mitchell still ranking as one of the most underpaid players in league history, that may not be the case five years from now, as Mitchell's monstrous extension kicks in during 2025-26 when he'll earn $48.8 million. That is followed by $52.7 million in 2026-27 and will peak in 2027-28 at $56.6 million, a campaign Mitchell will even have a player option on.

Considering Mitchell's Real Value this past season was $28.2 million (according to our metric, he was already overpaid by $4.9 million in 2023-24 by the Cleveland Cavaliers), that means we could be looking at a few years in which Real Value will deem Mitchell to be greatly overpaid.

We'll wait to pass judgment on how that contract ages.

Regardless, Mitchell spent years being greatly underpaid so he deserves the money he has coming to him, as the former late-lottery pick was putting up All-Star-quality numbers by Year 2 when he was still on his rookie-scale deal. Real Value believes Mitchell was most underpaid in 2020-21. That year, the former Louisville Cardinal was an All-Star for the Utah Jazz, putting up a 26/4/5 stat line while leading his team to a 52-20 regular season. Mitchell earned just $5.2 million that season, the final year of his rookie contract, while posting a Real Value of $29.2 million for a $24.0 million underpay by Utah, per our metric.

For more of Donovan Mitchell's career salary info, click here.

12. Isaiah Thomas

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 2-9

Real Value: $96,146,112

Career earnings: $32,697,809

Difference: $63,448,303 (194.04 percent)

It may come as somewhat of a surprise to former Celtics star Isaiah Thomas rank so high on this list but the reason for that is that Thomas’ ridiculous peak came and went before he could cash in during free agency.

In the 2014 offseason, Thomas agreed to a four-year, $27 million contract that saw him sign with the Phoenix Suns. Then, in 2015-16 and 2016-17, when Thomas was already in Boston, the diminutive floor general’s game exploded, with Thomas earning 2nd Team All-NBA honors in that latter season.

Unfortunately for Thomas, after that, injuries kicked in and the former Washington star was never able to regain that magic. For what it’s worth, in 2016-17, Real Value had Thomas worth $29.1 million when his actual salary was $6.6 million, a huge underpay of $22.5 million.

For more of Isaiah Thomas' career salary info, click here.

13. Domantas Sabonis

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 2-6

Real Value: $163,281,928

Career earnings: $99,879,554

Difference: $63,402,374 (63.48 percent)

The much-discussed trade between Indiana and Sacramento from 2022 has been a win-win for both teams, with both Haliburton and Domantas Sabonis ranking as two of our most underpaid players ever.

Sabonis' most underpaid season came in 2019-20 when he was still on his rookie contract. That year, Sabonis earned $3.5 million from Indiana while earning All-Star honors and averaging 18.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game for a 45-28 Pacers squad. Real Value put Sabonis' worth at $23.5 million that year for an underpay of $20.0 million by Indiana.

The good news for Kings fans is that even with his max contract now kicked in, Sabonis was still underpaid in 2023-24, when he had a Real Value of $40.9 million vs. an actual salary of $29.3 million.

We'll see how that progresses as Sabonis' salary continues to rise (he's set to earn $49.9 million in 2027-28) but for now, it's impressive that the three-time All-Star remains underpaid despite earning a good chunk of money from the Kings.

For more of Domantas Sabonis' career salary info, click here.

14. Jalen Brunson

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-6

Real Value: $122,432,884

Career earnings: $60,192,768

Difference: $62,240,116 (103.40 percent)

A player we expect to take a leap in these rankings over the coming years is New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson, especially considering he just re-signed with New York for less than he would have gotten next summer to give the team flexibility going forward. (Brunson might already have Knicks fans building his statue outside of Madison Square Garden at this point.)

Brunson's most underpaid season so far obviously came in 2023-24, when he put up nearly 29 points and seven assists per game while earning 2nd Team All-NBA and All-Star honors, leading the Knicks to 50 regular-season wins in the process. New York paid Brunson $26.4 million last season while Real Value had him worth $54.3 million for a huge $27.9 million underpay.

With the former Villanova standout set to make just $25.0 million in 2024-25, we expect another huge underpay for Brunson next year and for the 28-year-old to take another big jump on this list.

For more of Jalen Brunson's career salary info, click here.

15. Tyrese Maxey

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-4

Real Value: $73,585,586

Career earnings: $12,152,560

Difference: $61,433,026 (505.52 percent)

The reigning Most Improved Player and a one-time All-Star now, Tyrese Maxey's new max contract is set to kick in for 2024-25, so it could be tough for him to make a big jump on this ranking anytime soon.

We say that because Maxey is coming off his most underpaid season last year, one in which he was paid $4.3 million by the Philadelphia 76ers but had a Real Value of $33.4 million for a $29.0 million underpay. But his salary starting in 2024-25 will be at least $35.2 million and will actually peak in 2028-29 at $46.4 million. That second figure especially is a whole lot more than his current career-high Real Value of $33.4 million.

Still, job well done by Daryl Morey and Co. to lock down their young star guard to a long-term contract. We're just not sure right now how valuable Real Value will think Maxey's next contract is.

For more of Tyrese Maxey's career salary info, click here.

16. Tim Duncan

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 6-14

Real Value: $305,344,228

Career earnings: $245,964,351

Difference: $59,379,877 (24.14 percent)

Hall of Fame big man Tim Duncan often left money on the table during his career to help the San Antonio Spurs build a contender around him, which worked out very well for both parties, as Duncan still earned nearly $246 million in his career just in player salary while almost always suiting up for title-contending teams, winning five championships in his career.

According to Real Value, Duncan’s most underpaid season came in 2002-03 when he earned $12.1 million while winning regular-season MVP and Finals MVP as he led the Spurs to a championship that year. Duncan also got 1st Team All-NBA and All-Star distinctions that season. Real Value believes Duncan was underpaid by $12.6 million that year, a number we're surprised isn't even bigger. But considering how good Duncan was and for how long, it makes sense how he eventually got underpaid enough to make his way onto this ranking.

For more of Tim Duncan's career salary info, click here.

17. Anthony Edwards

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-4

Real Value: $102,552,169

Career earnings: $44,271,137

Difference: $58,281,032 (131.65 percent)

One of the best young players in the NBA today, Anthony Edwards has a strong case to be considered the best 2-guard in basketball at this point. Considering he's just now set to come off his rookie-scale contract, it only makes sense that Edwards has also been greatly underpaid thus far in his career.

Edwards' most underpaid season came just last campaign in 2023-24 when he was named an All-Star, made 2nd Team All-NBA and finished seventh in the MVP vote. He also led the Minnesota Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals. That year, Edwards earned just $13.5 million from Minnesota, but our Real Value metric actually had him worth $50.6 million for a $37.1 million underpay.

However, as was the case with other players like Maxey and Haliburton who are about to come off their rookie-scale deals for the first time, Edwards is going to have a tougher go of outperforming his salary over the coming years as the former No. 1 overall pick is set to earn $55.7 million in 2028-29.

Of course, Edwards could also take a leap and still outperform his next contract, too, which wouldn't totally shock us considering the trajectory he appears to be on.

For more of Anthony Edwards' career salary info, click here.

18. Kevin Durant

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-12

Real Value: $464,107,250

Career earnings: $405,940,020

Difference: $58,167,230 (14.33 percent)

That former league MVP Kevin Durant was able to miss a full season in his prime due to injury and still rank as one of the most underpaid players ever tells you all you need to know about just how great the future Hall-of-Famer is when he's healthy.

Real Value believes Durant was most underpaid in 2009-10, with a $22.1 million disparity that year between his Real Value and actual salary, which was just $4.8 million that year. That season, Durant was absurdly valuable, leading the league in scoring at 30.1 points per game to go with 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals while appearing in all 82 outings. Durant's Thunder went 50-32 that season, too, as the Washington D.C. native finished second in the MVP vote for his efforts, and second in Most Improved Player along with being an All-Star and 1st Team All-NBAer.

To do all that while earning less than $5 million for the season is truly hard to believe in hindsight.

Of course, with Durant being older now and still making so much money, Real Value believes he's been overpaid a bit over the past two years, including in 2023-24 when our stat says he was overpaid by $11.3 million. Even then, the Phoenix Suns have to be thrilled with what they got out of the veteran scorer in his age-35 season, as Durant still put up over 27 points per game on 52.3 percent shooting in 2023-24 while earning 2nd Team All-NBA and All-Star honors.

Durant's Real Value is still extremely high, as our metric had his output worth $36.3 million just last season, it's simply that new-age max contracts (Durant made over $47 million last year) are so massive that even the best of players are having a hard time outperforming them.

For more of Kevin Durant's career salary info, click here.

19. Dirk Nowitzki

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 6-15

Real Value: $311,800,526

Career earnings: $255,371,800

Difference: $56,428,726 (22.10 percent)

Like Duncan, newly minted Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki was extremely loyal to the team that drafted him but in his case, it was almost to a fault, as the Dallas Mavericks weren’t nearly as well-run as the Spurs. Thankfully for all parties involved, the partnership still was able to win a championship together back in 2010-11 when Nowitzki went on an all-time run, leading Dallas to the only championship in franchise history.

But it was before that when Nowitzki was truly underpaid. In 2001-02, the German superstar earned just $2.2 million for a season in which he was named to 2nd Team All-NBA, was an All-Star and averaged 23.4 points and 9.9 rebounds while shooting almost 40.0 percent from three, a nearly unheard-of figure for a big man back then. Nowitzki was underpaid by $15.1 million that season.

For more of Dirk Nowitzki's career salary info, click here.

20. Chauncey Billups

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-12

Real Value: $161,207,188

Career earnings: $106,227,720

Difference: $54,979,468 (51.76 percent)

Many may not remember now, as Chauncey Billups today is mostly thought of for his accolades with the Detroit Pistons, particularly leading the team to a championship in 2003-04 and winning Finals MVP for his efforts, but it took a while for Billups to reach those heights, as the 1997 No. 3 overall pick played for four teams before getting to Detroit in merely his sixth season.

As far as why we’re here, Billups was most underpaid in 2005-06 when he made $5.9 million while averaging 18.5 points and 8.6 assists and leading the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals. Real Value believes Billups was worth $20.0 million that season, a $14.1 million disparity.

For more of Chauncey Billups' career salary info, click here.

21. Allen Iverson

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 2-12

Real Value: $207,455,634

Career earnings: $154,494,445

Difference: $52,961,189 (34.28 percent)

A Morant-like point guard in his prime purely based on explosiveness and scoring ability, Hall of Fame ball-handler Allen Iverson was one of the NBA’s most underpaid players in his heyday, and that’s just considering his on-court production. Off the court, Iverson produced even more value as a cultural icon, one of the NBA’s biggest draws of his era and a player who was must-see television whenever the Sixers played.

Regardless, 2000-01 is the year Iverson was most underpaid, per Real Value, an MVP campaign for the legendary floor general in which he led Philadelphia all the way to the NBA Finals with a weak roster around him. That season, Iverson earned $10.1 million while Real Value believed he was worth $20.5 million for a $10.4 million disparity.

For more of Allen Iverson's career salary info, click here.

22. DeMarcus Cousins

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 1-11

Real Value: $143,787,834

Career earnings: $91,978,289

Difference: $51,809,545 (56.33 percent)

It makes sense to see DeMarcus Cousins here, as he outperformed his rookie-scale contract and lived up to his first big contract. He then unfortunately suffered a major injury in the last season of that deal, right before he was set to hit unrestricted free agency. Because of that, Cousins went from almost certainly landing his second max contract to signing a one-year deal worth $5.3 million with the Golden State Warriors. (Remember how mad people were about that signing?)

Cousins saw the biggest disparity in Real Value vs. actual value while on his rookie deal. That came in 2013-14 when he was making $5.0 million while putting up 22.7 points and 11.7 rebounds, a campaign in which Real Value had him at $14.8 million, roughly a $9.9 million difference.

For more of DeMarcus Cousins' career salary info, click here.

23. Karl Malone

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 2-12

Real Value: $152,632,429

Career earnings: $101,723,378

Difference: $50,909,051 (50.05 percent)

Because we only keep salary data from 1990 onward, this exercise doesn’t capture players who may have been underpaid before that. Hall of Fame big man Karl Malone certainly applies, as he made a bunch of All-Star appearances in the ’80s while not earning much money. And yet, Malone still found his way on these rankings.

The biggest disparity in Malone’s career came in 1997-98, per our database, the year after Malone’s first MVP award and before his second, when he was earning $5.1 million while putting up 27.0 points and 10.3 rebounds and leading the Utah Jazz to their second straight Finals appearance. Real Value had his worth in ’97-98 at $14.5 million, a huge number at the time, a $9.4 million disparity.

For more of Karl Malone's career salary info, click here.

24. Trae Young

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 2-4

Real Value: $152,282,943

Career earnings: $103,695,271

Difference: $48,587,672 (46.86 percent)

Just to prove why we were hesitant to say players like Haliburton and Maxey would for sure continue to climb up our underpaid rankings as they shift from rookie-scale money to max money over the coming years, we can use Trae Young as an example.

This time last year when we last ran this exercise, Young finished as the seventh-most underpaid player in league history with a $72.2 million difference between his Real Value and actual career earnings. He is now No. 24 on the list. That other number is also down to $45.6 million after just one season, as the former Oklahoma standout has had a hard time outperforming his max contract. It's easier for ready-made college-to-NBA stars to greatly outperform and outproduce their rookie-scale contracts; it takes another level of special to outperform max money, which shows how different guys like LeBron James, Jokic and Doncic are.

Anyway, Young was greatly underpaid early in his career, with his most underpaid season being in 2020-21 when he made $6.6 million but had a Real Value of $31.0 million (a $24.4 million disparity). Young actually had three seasons in a row where he was underpaid by at least $21 million, according to our stat.

But since his max extension kicked in, the opposite has been true - at least in the eyes of our Real Value metric – as Young was just overpaid by a whopping sum of $23.7 million by Atlanta in 2023-24, per our metric. We'll see if Young can buck the trend a bit in 2024-25.

For more of Trae Young career salary info, click here.

25. Steve Nash

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-14

Real Value: $195,301,969

Career earnings: $146,936,620

Difference: $48,365,349 (32.92 percent)

The Mavericks opted not to throw big bucks at Steve Nash to keep him despite his two All-Star appearances while with the team, a decision they would go on to regret. Had Mark Cuban and Co. decided to pay Nash in free agency, they would have had a hugely valuable contract on their hands, as Nash would go win the next two MVP awards in his first two years with the Suns.

Real Value believes Nash’s most valuable campaign came after his MVP seasons, however, in 2006-07. Nash earned $10.5 million that year while Real Value had him at $19.7 million for a $9.2 million difference. Nash was almost always a high-value contract during his time in the NBA, never ranking higher than 33rd league-wide in salary.

For more of Steve Nash's career salary info, click here.

26. Sam Cassell

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 3-13

Real Value: $104,066,449

Career earnings: $58,419,775

Difference: $45,646,674 (78.14 percent)

Unlike many of the other players on this list who were underpaid while on their rookie-scale contracts, Sam Cassell is unique in that not only was he a late bloomer in the NBA, but his most underpaid season didn’t come until his 11th NBA league year.

In 2003-04, the first and only All-Star year on Cassell’s resume, the former Florida State star averaged 19.8 points and 7.3 assists while making $5.1 million, when Real Value had him at $14.3 million for a $9.2 million difference. Cassell’s value contract that year was a big reason why the Timberwolves were able to make a run to the Western Conference Finals, as he greatly outperformed his deal that year.

For more on Sam Cassell'scareer salary info, click here.

27. Louis Williams

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 5-12

Real Value: $128,443,634

Career earnings: $87,208,319

Difference: $41,235,315 (47.28 percent)

Former Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams finding his way onto this list shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Williams was often thought of as one of the most underpaid players in the league during his NBA career. Williams’ highest salary came between 2018-19 and 2020-21 when he was earning a meager $8.0 million per year.

The biggest difference in Real Value and actual salary of Williams’ career came before that, though, in 2017-18 when he put up 22.6 points and 5.3 assists while making $7.0 million, a year where Real Value deemed his output worth $17.8 million, a sizable $10.8 million difference.

For more of Lou Williams' career salary info, click here.

28. Joel Embiid

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 4-6

Real Value: $256,277,993

Career earnings: $215,298,426

Difference: $40,979,567 (19.03 percent)

Former league MVP Joel Embiid makes his debut on our Most Underpaid ranking this year but his time on this list may be short-lived, especially if what he recently said about never playing in another back-to-back for the rest of his career proves to be true.

Couple Embiid having less playing time in the future (we're not even talking about potential missed time due to actual injury, either) with his outrageous salary (Embiid will earn $69.1 million in 2028-29, his age-34 season) and we could be looking at the star center having a better chance of ending up on our Most Overpaid Players Ever list than making another appearance on our Most Underpaid rankings.

That's not to say we expect some huge fall-off from the big man, it just sounds like even Embiid expects to see his playing time load managed quite a bit for the rest of his career, making it tough to see him statistically outperforming his upcoming contract(s).

Regardless, Embiid's most underpaid season came in 2022-23 when he won league MVP, leading the league in scoring at 33.1 points per game to go with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.7 blocks over 66 appearances. Real Value believes the seven-time All-Star was underpaid by $23.6 million that season despite him having a $33.6 million actual salary that year, an impressive feat by the new Olympic gold medalist.

For more of Joel Embiid's career salary info, click here.

29. Darren Collison

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 0-11

Real Value: $82,079,803

Career earnings: $43,494,962

Difference: $38,584,841 (88.71 percent)

It came as a surprise when Darren Collison retired from the NBA in the midst of his prime, just after the 2018-19 season. Despite a couple of attempted comebacks, Collisons hasn’t found a way on another NBA roster since then outside of a three-game stint with the Lakers in 2021-22. When he first retired, Collison was an above-average starting point guard, a reliable creator on offense with elite shooting abilities from beyond the arc, to go with his pest-like defending.

Collison’s impact often outweighed his numbers, too, which our Real Value metric agrees with. The biggest disparity in Real Value of Collison’s career came in 2010-11 when he put up 13.2 points and 5.1 assists as a second-year player while making $1.4 million. Collison’s Real Value that year was $6.9 million for a $5.5 million difference.

For more of Darren Collison's career salary info, click here.

30. Andre Miller

Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 3-14

Real Value: $136,060,208

Career earnings: $97,709,070

Difference: $38,351,138 (39.25 percent)

Long-time NBA point guard Andre Miller lasted 17 seasons in the league even as a borderline non-threat from beyond the arc, thanks to his pace, ball-handling and solid finishing down low. He also had a feathery push shot that he could sink from the floater area.

In 2001-02, Miller – still on his rookie contract at that point – averaged 16.5 points and a league-leading 10.9 assists while earning $1.9 million. Real Value believed he was worth $12.7 million, a difference of $10.8 million, the biggest disparity of his career. Although that isn’t as big of a difference as most others on this list, Miller’s longevity – being so good and so underpaid for so long – is why he’s on this list.

For more of Andre Miller's career salary info, click here.

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Ranking: The most underpaid NBA players of all time