There is a good case to be made that with the advent of the NBA salary cap players are actually underpaid. In the context of that cap, however, quite a few players earned more than the value they brought to their clubs. The Boston Celtics are not excluded from that reality.
The folks over at HoopsHype have put together a metric to try to measure such things. The real value metric was developed by HoopsHype analyst Alberto De Roa. In a recent H/H article, authors Sam Yip and Frank Urbina sorted the top 30 players who have fleeced teams in terms of their real value.
Let’s dive into where former Celtics appear on this list.
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No. 28 - Vin Baker
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 9-5
Real Value: $43,595,533
Career earnings: $97,390,894
Difference: -$53,795,361 (-55.24%)
“This one is difficult to talk about considering Vin Baker reportedly lost $100 million after his career and had various personal problems that he went through,” writes H/H.
“Baker’s most overpaid season was in 2002-03 when he made $12.4 million while averaging 5.2 points over 52 appearances, a $10.9 million overpay, per Real Value.”
No. 25 - Evan Turner
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 7-3
Real Value: $42,963,969
Career earnings: $98,227,016
Difference: -$55,263,047 (-56.26%)
“2016 was wild as far as money getting thrown around to average players. That’s how Evan Turner, who had played with three teams in the prior three seasons while averaging 11.3 points on 43.5% shooting (28.8% from 3), got a four-year, $70 million contract from the Blazers,” recounts H/H.
“The final season of that deal, which the Hawks were paying for by that point, was the most overpaid of his career, with Turner making $18.6 million while producing like a player worth $1.2 million, according to real value.”
No. 20 - Al Horford
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 7-8
Real Value: $183,615,490
Career earnings: $243,228,232
Difference: -$59,612,742 (-24.51%)
“Al Horford is a player who the advanced analytics don’t appreciate as much as they should, as his impact often goes beyond the stat sheet, which could partly explain how he found his way on this list,” hedges H/H.
“During his one year in Philadelphia, the former … Gator averaged 11.9 points and 6.8 rebounds while earning $28.0 million. Real Value valued his play at $11.7 million that year for an overpayment of $16.3 million.”
No. 15 - Joe Johnson
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 9-9
Real Value: $155,031,368
Career earnings: $217,468,696
Difference: -$62,437,328 (-28.71%)
“He may have been overpaid a lot throughout his career, per our metric, but Joe Johnson was definitely a better player than his reputation indicates,” opines H/H.
“While many deemed Johnson a shot-chucker with a somewhat selfish style of play, he was a seven-time All-Star and one-time 3rd Team All-NBAer for a reason.”
No. 14 - Theo Ratliff
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 12-4
Real Value: $39,515,307
Career earnings: $102,351,958
Difference: -$62,836,651 (-61.39%)
“Theo Ratliff enjoyed a long NBA career despite being a limited offensive player thanks to his elite shot-blocking prowess, leading the league in nightly rejections three different times in his career and making two All-Defense teams,” suggests H/H.
“However, due to injuries later in his career, Ratliff wasn’t able to live up to a three-year, $35 million extension he got from the Blazers in 2004, the primary time he was overpaid, according to real value.”
No. 12 - Jermaine O'Neale
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 12-6
Real Value: $104,243,742
Career earnings: $168,794,021
Difference: -$64,550,279 (-38.24%)
“One of the more underrated big men of his era, Jermaine O’Neal blocked shots at a high level, provided toughness down low, and had some face-up abilities for a center, often knocking down shots from the short midrange area,” relates H/H.
“O’Neal’s primary reason for being on this list is due to the seven-year, $126.6 million contract he signed with the Pacers in the 2003 offseason, following back-to-back All-Star campaigns and two straight 3rd Team All-NBA appearances.”
No. 10 - Kevin Garnett
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 17-5
Real Value: $272,535,063
Career earnings: $343,862,398
Difference: -$71,327,335 (-20.74%)
“Probably among the NBA’s 20 greatest players ever, Kevin Garnett was always compensated as such, ranking as the league’s highest-paid player ever until LeBron James took over the distinction two years ago,” notes H/H.
“So if you’re wondering how our metric could consider a 15-time All-Star and a former league MVP overpaid, that’s how, as Garnett is one of the league’s all-time greats without a doubt, but he was always compensated that way, if not more so.”
No. 8 - Blake Griffin
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 7-6
Real Value: $186,468,704
Career earnings: $258,432,713
Difference: -$71,964,009 (-27.85%)
“This one isn’t tough to decipher, as Blake Griffin, when healthy, was one of the league’s most exciting, explosive power forwards, a double-double machine putting up big numbers consistently,” writes H/H.
“But poor health made it so that Griffin’s prime ended earlier than it should have, and led to him being overpaid, per our metric.”
No. 3 - Gordon Hayward
Seasons overpaid vs. underpaid: 8-4
Real Value: $128,744,716
Career earnings: $209,347,778
Difference: -$80,603,062 (-38.50%)
“Gordon Hayward played his way into a max deal with the Celtics, earning his contract thanks to All-Star-type three-level scoring, to go with solid rebounding and playmaking from the wing,” offers H/H.
“It’s been all downhill from there, unfortunately for Hayward, as he suffered a horrific leg injury within minutes of his regular-season Celtics debut, and he’s been unable to stay healthy since then.”
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