Three NBA players who will out-earn their next contract

Sometimes failure can be a good thing. Every NBA player comes into the league with the idea that they're going to be the next Cade Cunningham or Luka Doncic. Teams hope that these guys will provide big-time minutes and bigger impacts on the game at large. Oftentimes, that's not the case. 

Many NBA players end up "failing" simply because they're asked to be more than they are. Not that they're bad players or can't contribute, but because some NBA GMs' job now is tied to this one guy's star potential. 

Instead, he may be a three-and-D wing or a stretch-four and not the next coming of LeBron James or Dirk Nowitzki. When the hype and high expectations expire, guys can settle in and find roles where they can actually help a team win. Even if they aren't the No. 1 option.

These are three players who, at the right price and with the right team, could be the final pieces to an NBA championship run and may out-earn whatever contract they get next.

Three NBA players who are poised to out-earn their next contracts

John Collins — Collins went from being the No. 2 guy with the Atlanta Hawks behind Trae Young to potentially a fifth-starter on a playoff team if he's lucky. 

The thing is, Collins isn't bad. Nor has he really fallen off from his "prime". He was just never a guy you could build a team around. But as a fifth or sixth option? 

If you can get him on a low-cost deal, say around $12 million to $15 million a year, and on a team that just needs some spacing in the paint and solid rebounding off the bench, Collins could be the final piece for a team seeking an NBA championship. 

Collin Sexton — If you can get a guy who can shoot 48% from the floor, 40% from three and 85% from the free throw line, all for under $20 million a year, you've got yourself a steal. That may just be Sexton. 

Now it's unclear how much he'll make on his next deal, but considering he's been on four teams in five years, it's likely that he can be had at a relatively low price point. 

Sexton is a sixth-man scorer off the bench, and on a team that already has its stars in place, he could be the kind of guy who makes your good offense great. He's not the guy you sign to make your team good again, but he is the guy you can get to make your already dangerous team pure lethal. 

Dean Wade — If you watched the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2026 postseason run, you'd know that Wade was probably their most consistent defensive player. That's not to say he's their best defensive player, but he was consistent night in and night out. 

He's a low ceiling, high-floor kind of guy. He's a 20-25 minute-a-night forward who can play inside or out defensively and isn't so terrible offensively that he can't make teams pay from three if they leave him uncovered. 

If he's signed to a deal for about $7 million to 10 million per year, then whatever team lands him will get a good (not great) defender who can actually play alongside your starters and not be an offensive black hole.