The best value contract in the NBA is a max deal for one of the league’s elite players. On a truly open market, prime LeBron James or Nikola Jokic would likely be commanding $100+ million per season. Instead, top players are forced to only take 35 percent of the salary cap under the league’s current CBA, limiting their salaries to a little more than $50 million per season, which in turn lifts the pay of the league’s middle class.
Getting players on team-friendly contracts feels more imperative than
ever. It’s impossible to consume NBA coverage these days without being forced to think about the “second-apron,” which essentially functions as a hard cap. To build a great team, a front office has to get at least a couple bargain contracts on the books.
We’ve already highlighted the league’s most overpaid players heading into the 2025-26 season. Now, here’s a look at the most underpaid players, aka “the best contracts” in the league from a team perspective.
Payton Pritchard, G, Boston Celtics
Contract: 4 years, $30 million (3 seasons remaining)
The Celtics locked up Pritchard just before his breakout year, and now have one of the most team-friendly contracts in the league on their books. Pritchard’s 255 made threes were top-five in the league this past season, and he hit them at a nearly 41 percent clip. He’s instant offense off the bench, and will have an opportunity for even bigger role and bigger numbers this year as he moves into the starting lineup with Jayson Tatum injured and Jrue Holiday traded.
Austin Reaves, G, Los Angeles Lakers
Contract: 4 years, $53.8 million (player option in 26-27)
The Lakers landed a massive bargain with Reaves in free agency back in 2023, and now he’s set to cash in. Reaves will obviously opt out of his $14.8 million player option after this upcoming season. He could get twice as much per year on a new deal. Whether or not his next contract will be a bargain remains to be seen, but Reaves has way out-played his current deal (which looked like a steal at the time) with his self-created offense built on fearless drives to the rim, and accurate shooting on both pull-up and spot-up threes.
Deni Avdija, F, Portland Trail Blazers
Contract: 4 years, $55 million (3 seasons remaining)
Avdija emerged as the Blazers’ best player this past season after the team traded two first-round picks to acquire him from the Washington Wizards. At 6’9, the former lottery pick is a gifted ball handler and playmaker for his size, and also made 36.5 percent of his threes on career-best volume last season. He’s at least neutral, maybe a little better than that, as a defender, and fits well into any lineup construction for Portland. It’s wild that he’s on a descending deal that will only pay him $11.8 million in 2027-2028 when he’s only 27 years old.
Coby White, G, Chicago Bulls
Contract: 3 years, $36 million (expiring deal)
White broke out as a scoring guard who can get up threes with volume during the first season of his extension, immediately making him one of the league’s biggest bargains. As he enters the final year of his deal, he’s in position to put up big numbers for the Bulls team that will play at or near the fastest tempo in the league. White’s next contract will be fascinating: the Bulls want to keep him as he seeks a deal that pays him $30 million annually, but scoring guards who don’t defend have been devalued around the league all summer. White’s defensive metrics are bleak (he finished in the 85th percentile for offense and 8th percentile for defense in EPM last season), but his speed and shooting is a natural fit for how the Bulls want to play. Is White and Josh Giddey really a winning backcourt long-term? The Bulls will be walking a tightrope trying to sign him to a deal that doesn’t feel like an overpay a year from now.
Keon Ellis, G, Sacramento Kings
Contract: 3 years , $5.5 million (expiring deal)
The Kings uncovered Ellis as an undrafted free agent in 2022, and helped develop him into an awesome role player. Ellis played 80 games last season where he provided tough defense and hit 43.3 percent of his three-pointers on four attempts per game. Sacramento had a golden opportunity to decline the final year of his minimum deal and extend him at a team-friendly number, but instead they picked up the option and chose to deal with trying to re-sign him a year from now. Gritty role players like Ellis usually don’t get huge bags in free agency, but there should definitely be a multitude of suitors for his services. He brings a skill set that every team in the league can use. The Kings are always a wild card (to put it kindly), but Ellis should fit into their long-term vision regardless of who their franchise pillars are.
Ivica Zubac, C, Los Angeles Clippers
Contract: 3 years, $58.6 million contract (3 years remaining)
The Clippers made a brilliant move locking up Zubac on a three-year extension before last season, when he suddenly morphed into one of the better two-way centers in the league. Zubac was my pick for Defensive Player of the Year for his work anchoring an elite Clippers defense (he finished sixth in the voting), and he was an effective rim roller on offense too in his pairing with James Harden. Zubac is an elite rebounder, a solid rim protector, and a pretty good interior scorer. He’s firmly in his prime at 28 years old, and he’s going to be a foundational piece for the Clippers moving forward. This might be the most team-friendly deal in the league excluding rookie contracts.
Aaron Nesmith, F, Indiana Pacers
Contract: 3 year, $33 million (expiring deal)
The Pacers took a chance on Nesmith — a former lottery pick who didn’t do much in his first two years in Boston — as part of their return in the Malcolm Brogdon trade. It proved to be a stroke of genius. Nesmith minted himself as one of the league’s most dependable 3-and-D wings during Indiana’s run to the NBA Finals, where he often took on the toughest assignment defensively, provided consistent floor spacing, and even won a playoff game by himself. It will be interesting to see what his contract year numbers look like with Tyrese Haliburton out for the season, but he should fit into Indiana’s long-term vision around their star point guard regardless.
Alperen Sengun, C, Houston Rockets
Contract: 5 years, $185 million (4 years remaining before player option)
The Rockets locked up Sengun just before he turned into an All-Star last season as the offensive hub for the No. 2 seed in the West. For a player who just turned 23 years old, it feels like Sengun’s extension — which averages $37 million annually — is already a major bargain. Sengun should have even more space for his post scoring this year with Kevin Durant lurking on the wing, and he’s already one of the league’s most creative passers. Where the Turkish big man really improved last season was on defense, where he helped hold together one of the NBA’s best units by buying into head coach Ime Udoka’s schemes. The Rockets are going to be really good for a long-time, and Sengun will either be in the middle of the action, or a valuable trade chip thanks to his team-friendly deal.
Jalen Brunson, G, New York Knicks
Contract: 4 years, $156 million (3 years remaining before player option)
Jalen Brunson took $113 million less than his max to help the Knicks build a championship-contending team around him. The first year of the deal resulted in a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, but that’s not good enough for a Knicks franchise that hasn’t won a championship since 1973. Brunson has an easy case as a top-15 player in the league, but he’s only the 46th highest-paid player this season, and he’s locked in two more years after that until he can opt out and sign a bigger deal. Brunson has proven himself as a big game player many times over with incredible play in the clutch, but his defense is a limitation the Knicks are still trying to work around. Tom Thibodeau very much tailored the offense to Brunson’s strengths, and now he’s out for Mike Brown. The Knicks are in championship or bust mode for the next few years, and having Brunson on a scam deal is a big reason why.
Jalen Johnson, F, Atlanta Hawks
Contract: 5 years, $150 million (5 years remaining)
Johnson was looking like an All-Star and maybe even the Hawks’ best player midway through last season when he suffered a torn labrum that cost him the rest of the year. As his extension kicks in this year, he’s set to make a flat $30 million per year for the next five years, and it should look like a massive bargain as the cap keeps rising. Johnson is a huge, athletic forward who can score going downhill, clean the glass as a rebounder, hit open teammates as a passer, and get Atlanta out in transition with his blocks and steals. His outside shot has always been a question mark, but Johnson already impacts the game in so many ways at age-23, and he’s only going to get better.
Aaron Gordon, F, Denver Nuggets
Contract: 4 years, $133 million (3 years remaining before player option)
Gordon will be massively underpaid this season on a $22 million deal that ranks as the 80th biggest deal in the league this year. His contract jumps up to between $31-37 million per year in the following three years, and even that feels like a bargain. Gordon took a leap as a three-point shooter last season by hitting 43.6 percent of his threes, and it helped him become one of the most efficient scorers in the league with 64.8 percent true shooting. Gordon’s defensive metrics slipped a bit last year as his offensive responsibility increased, but I’d still say he’s the second best Nugget at this point. This deal might not be a bargain for every team, but Gordon is such a good match next to Nikola Jokic that he should outplay this deal.
Lu Dort, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
Contract: 5 years, $82.5 million (2 years remaining)
Dort cemented his status as a Thunder legend this past season by earning First-Team All-Defense honors and locking down so many star scorers on OKC’s path to a championship. He still has two more seasons left at $18 million per year on his current deal, and that’s a very team-friendly deal for one of the best stoppers in the league. Dort just might get his jersey retired one day in OKC for helping build the culture that let SGA, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren thrive in starring roles. Teammate Aaron Wiggins could have made this list, too.
Herb Jones, F, New Orleans Pelicans
Contract: 5 years, $97 million
Jones still had two seasons left on a very team-friendly deal, but New Orleans did well to extend him at a slightly higher number for another three years. There aren’t many individual defenders better than Jones, who shines on-and off the ball, and forces steals as well as any player in the league. The Pelicans’ future seems pretty grim, but having a great role player like Jones around will help provide a good foundation whether its Zion Williamson or rookies Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen leading the way.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, G, Oklahoma City Thunder
Contract: 6 years, $364 million
SGA is the best guard alive, and the second or third best player in the world. This season, he will be the 35th highest paid player in the league at $38 million. He’ll be the most underpaid player in the league the following year as well when his salary jumps up to $40.8 million. The Thunder have already locked him up on a 4-year, $285 million extension that averages an astounding $71 million per season … and honestly, I think he’s still underpaid on that deal. Without the max contract rule in place, there’s no telling how high SGA’s salary could go on the open market. He’s an elite superstar, and there’s no better bargain in the NBA than signing a player like that to a max deal.
Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets
Contract: 5 years, $270 million (2 years remaining until player option)
Jokic on a supermax is a massive bargain for the Nuggets. He’s the best player in the world, and puts Denver in championship contention with his mere presence. He’s eligible to sign a four-year, $294 million extension next season, and as long as his game ages as gracefully as I think it will, he should be a bargain on that deal, too. Throw Giannis in this group with Jokic and SGA as elite players who are underpaid even on a supermax.
