Philly Front Office

In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, not many Spurs had a good second half, but one particular person was above and beyond the worst player on the court: De’Aaron Fox. He rushed shots, had costly turnovers, but worst of all, made the worst decisions possible at the worst possible times. It got me looking at his contract and…YIKES! Where does Fox rank among the worst deals in the NBA? Let’s find out.

10 Most Tradeable NBA Stars

NOTE: These rankings come down to a simple question: if offering to trade one contract for another, who says no?

Graduating (only one year left on bad deals)

• Jordan Poole – One of the worst and most unlikeable players in the NBA is making $34m in the final year of the 4/$128m contract he signed with the Warriors, 3 teams ago. One year deals, no matter how bad come with the ability to be traded, so Poole is finally off the list.
• Zach LaVine – Lavine has a player option for 2026-27, but he seems likely to opt in to $49m because no one is making that mistake again. LaVine has always been a fun player, but his defensive allergy and max deal make him impossible for a serious team to roster. LaVine at $25m to be a 3rd or 4th option makes a ton more sense. Here’s hoping he gets himself to a good situation.
• Trae Young – Like LaVine, Young can opt out of his contract and is probably discussing an extension with the Wizards right now. The reason he’s here and not at #5 on the list is because we really don’t know what kind of extension he’s going to get. Young on a max contract is a death knell to contendership and will vault to the top of this list. Young at $40m? That might work.

Jury Is Still Deliberating

• Chet Holmgren – Other than Fox and Jalen Duren, no one looked worse these playoffs than Holmgren who just signed a 5/$239m max contract with the Thunder. If the West is an arms race between the Spurs and Thunder, the Spurs have won the center matchup handily. There’s simply nothing this max player will be able to do against Wemby for the next 5 years and that stinks for the Thunder. He’s still very good and teams would trade for him (hell, Milwaukee might want him for Giannis), but giving a max deal to a guy who is clearly not a max talent is a tough pill.
• Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner – The Magic just priced themselves into the same place they’ve been for years, mediocrity. Now they have two forwards who can’t rebound, can’t shoot, and don’t play much defense. While the thought of Banchero is impressive, the reality is that he is only good-ish at everything but elite at nothing. Wagner brings even less. Now they are both locked up for 5 years at $40m-$50m per year. They have two max players, neither of which are stars. With Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane, they are about to get VERY expensive very quickly and will probably be forced to get rid of Anthony Black because of it.

NBA Mock Draft 1.0: MCU Edition

Dishonorable Mention

• Christian Braun – Once bitten by the departure of Bruce Brown, the Nuggets were twice shy about letting Braun leave and gave him a 5/$125m contract that starts next season. That’s a lot for 12 points and a .301 3-point shooting percentage. Denver is now locked into a mid-end role player long term while falling behind their rivals.
• Jakob Poetl – No idea why the Raptors love Poetl so much and they should have traded him years ago. Instead, they signed him to an early extension that doesn’t start until 2027-28. Anytime you can pay a backup center 4/$104m, you have to do it!!!
• Patrick Williams – Williams is bad and has always been bad, but because the Bulls drafted him 4th overall they gave him a 5/$90m extension. There are still 3 years left on that one. It’s tradeable because it’s only $18m, but no one would actually ever want him.
• All the Fringe All-Stars on 2-Year Deals – I am talking about Domantis Sabonis, Anthony Davis, Darius Garland, Ja Morant, Julius Randle, Dejounte Murray, Jalen Green, Jerami Grant, Jrue Holiday, and Brandon Ingram. All of these guys have 2 years left and are all flawed in some way. None of them will really propel your team to victory or change your fortunes in any way, but all could theoretically be traded for each other and should under no circumstances get raises on their next deals.

First Look at the 2026-27 Sixers

Top 5

5. Jalen Duren’s Next Contract – 5/$230m (rumored)

I considered Devin Booker and his 4/$251m remaining for this spot, but he benefits from being in Phoenix and away from the spotlight. Teams would trade for him (the Spurs would swap him for Fox and picks in a heartbeat). Instead, let’s focus on the deal that is about to ruin a promising team. With Cade Cunningham already under contract, the Pistons are reported to be ready to drop 5/$230m on Duren. It will ruin them. Duren had a great regular season but an atrocious playoffs, but that’s only half the reason for the problem. Simply, he’s replaceable. If team building right now is based on 2 max slots and role players, the Pistons are about to fill one of those slots with someone who doesn’t deserve it because they are afraid to lose him. That’s a classic way teams cripple their futures. Cade needs and deserves a better second banana. Hell, the Pistons would trade Duren for Booker the minute that deal is signed.

4. Jamal Murray – 3/$161m

Unlike Booker, Jamal Murray is in the spotlight playing next to one of the best players of all time in Nikola Jokic. What they have done to this roster over the last few years has been a valiant effort, but it ultimately falls well short of the Spurs and Thunder in the West. They do not have the two-way horses those teams do, and it starts with Murray. He has 3/$161m remaining on his max contract signed two seasons ago. Despite a solid offensive season where he stayed relatively healthy, he can’t provide the two-way play the Nuggets need to keep up. What they are left with is a collection of aging players who probably make more sense apart than together. He has also been playing in the most ideal situation for his talents possible. Throw in his injury history and teams are not exactly going to line up to pair Murray with their own current star. Any of the following 3 would do it in a heartbeat though.

3. Paul George – 2/$110m

What’s the difference between PG’s 2-year deal and the 2-year deals of the Honorable Mention guys? George’s deal is not only bigger, but he is the oldest of the bunch (by a lot). The Sixers are also uniquely desperate to move him unlike the check writers of the others. By combining 3 max contracts, the Sixers have absolutely no maneuverability and other teams know it. The league has them by the balls. George at half his deal would be a helpful player considering he can still shoot and play defense. Unfortunately, you can’t trade half a contract. Theoretically, he would be a great fit for Denver, but they wouldn’t even consider swapping him for Murray. Combine his huge deal with his injury history and you have a player grounded in Philadelphia unless the Sixers paid the draft pick price to get rid of him.

20 Years of the Worst Contracts in Philadelphia

2. Joel Embiid – 3/$188m

No one in the NBA is set to receive more cash over the next 3 seasons than Embiid. Think about that. This is the extension he received 2 seasons ago that is finally kicking in and there is very little the Sixers can do about it. Last year was considered successful and he still missed 46 games. No one would put significant money on things getting better next year. While he has generational talent on the floor and had his best playoff series ever this year in knocking off the Celtics, no team could realistically put their budget in his hands over the next 3 years without some kind of significant extra incentive. For better and for worse, Embiid is a Sixers.

1. De’Aaron Fox – 4/$222m

Before you consider this to be an overreaction to his Finals performance, think of just what he is providing the Spurs in terms of value. His scoring and minutes were down considerably this year and he has never been a great shooter or defender. His 72 games played are one of the higher marks for his career, as he always seems to have some kind of leg injury. He used to be one of the fastest guys in the league but is starting to settle for shots outside the paint as he is slowing down (and not likely to get faster in his 30s). Then take into consideration that he is very clearly their 3rd best guard on the team behind Dylan Harper and Stephen Castle. Wemby is about to get a monster contract and Fox is going to be his contractual wingman for the near future. That’s not good. For a team that has done so much right over the last few years, the Fox trade and then extension are very costly unforced errors. This won’t cost them the ability to resign any of their guys, but it will prohibit them from getting better via free agency or trade.

In the end, who says no between the Spurs and the Sixers in a potential one for one deal (assuming the money worked, which it doesn’t), Embiid for Fox? It’s interesting because Fox fits in on the Sixers (you can’t play him with Maxey at all) even worse than he does on the Spurs and playing Embiid with Wemby probably wouldn’t work either. So again, who says no? Would the Spurs rather have Embiid and Wemby mostly splitting minutes at center or Fox as their 6th man with both making max money? Would the Sixers want to pair Fox with Maxey and Edgecombe for the next 4 years knowing that he would at least play the majority of the games? Well, Embiid would at least be moveable a year earlier and has a much higher ceiling. It’s very close.

Contracts: Spotrac.com

Stats: Basketball Reference