The five biggest overpays of NBA free agency

With most teams having spent their money and all but restricted free agents and low-priced veterans left, NBA free agency has run out of steam after 10 days. Some teams got great deals, and others paid a high price for questionable upgrades. Here are the five worst NBA overpays of the summer.

1. Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves | Five years, $125M + player option

Reid is a fan favorite and an excellent player who deservedly won Sixth Man of the Year in 2024. But that's the key phrase: "Sixth Man."

$125M is a costly long-term commitment for a player who doesn't start for the Wolves, yet Reid got more guaranteed money than any center this summer. 

That includes Myles Turner, who started for an NBA Finals team. Reid averaged 14.2 points and six rebounds and shot 37.9 percent from three-point range, but when his shot isn't falling, his average defense means he can get played off the floor, like against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Wolves were right to want to keep Reid, but no one else was giving Reid $125M, especially not with a player option.

2. Dennis Schroder, Sacramento Kings | Three years, $44.4M (two years, $33.3M guaranteed)

Schroder has been bouncing around the NBA since turning down a four-year, $84M extension with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021. He's been on seven different teams since then, including a return to the Lakers, not coming close to $21M per season.

It's good he's making up some of his lost money, and only $33.3M of this deal is guaranteed. Schroder has been a good backup, but not a great starting point guard, which he'll be in Sacramento. He is a perfect fit for a Kings roster full of players a little past their prime and slightly below average.

3. Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks | Three years, $44M (player option for third year)

Portis benefited from the Bucks' difficult salary situation, where the team was so limited that it chose to waive-and-stretch Damian Lillard's $113M salary so it could add center Myles Turner. The capped-out Bucks had to bring back their players, which gave Portis leverage.

The big deal came after a year where Portis had a significant drop in his shooting, going from 50.8 to 46.6 percent from the field and from 40.7 to 36.5 percent from behind the arc. He also drew a 25-game suspension for using a banned painkiller. But without options to replace him, the Bucks still gave Portis $44M — plus a player option in the final year.

4. Jakob Poeltl, Toronto Raptors | Four-year extension, $104M

The Raptors really like Poeltl, enough to lock him up through 2029-30. He averaged 14.5 points and 9.6 rebounds last season, both career bests. Poeltl rebounds and plays solid defense, and the Raptors are better with him on the court.

But he already had a $19M player option for 2026-27. Was it necessary to lock Poeltl up for five more seasons and guarantee him $30M for his age-34 season? This feels like a panic signing by a front office imagining a market for Poeltl that might not exist next summer for a non-elite center who misses a lot of games.

5. Clint Capela, Houston Rockets | Three years, $21.5M

Signing Capela means that the Rockets are fully committed to their double-center lineups. But $7M per year for three seasons is a lot for a big man with declining athleticism on a team that already has two centers and a 6-foot-11 power forward, Jabari Smith Jr.