A List of Worst Current NBA Contracts Contains Two 76ers

Do the Philadelphia 76ers possess two players that have some of the worst contracts in the NBA currently? One list seems to suggest so.

Eddie Bitar of Fadeaway World put together a list of the top ten current worst contracts in the NBA. Although several NBA teams are involved, only the Sixers appear on the list twice as they currently have Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris locked into significant multi-year deals.

Coming in at the 10th spot is the disgruntled guard, Ben Simmons. Just a couple of offseasons ago, the Sixers banked on Simmons' ability to be a cornerstone of the franchise by offering him a max contract after shipping off Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade.

After missing the postseason due to injury two seasons ago and having a disappointing second-round series last season, Bitar suggests that Simmons being a "liability on the floor in crunch time" is a valid reason to consider him overpaid. 

"Simmons is a liability on the floor in crunch time, which is very strange for the team's best playmaker and starting point guard. Unless Simmons can get out of his own head and improve his shooting from all over the floor, he will never be worth the max money he will receive over the next 4 years."

Simmons being considered overpaid is a new trend this offseason. However, the next Sixers player on the list has been a regular on many lists like this ever since he inked a max contract with the 76ers a couple of offseasons ago.

Coming in at the fifth spot is Sixers forward Tobias Harris. Despite having a career year under Doc Rivers this past season, many still debate that Harris is not worth the big bucks he's currently getting paid by the Sixers.

"Tobias Harris is a very good player and a key 3rd option for the Philadelphia 76ers team that has been competing over the past few seasons. But there is no way Harris should be getting over $35 million per season over the next 3 years. Harris has regular-season averages of 19.3 PPG with the Sixers so far, but his numbers dip in the postseason."

A max contract for a borderline All-Star is a lot, but the Sixers paid the market price for the thriving power forward at the time he became a free agent. Sure, they could've used that money elsewhere, but the Sixers wouldn't have been a better team without Harris from 2019 to 2021. 

Either way, Harris was going to ink a max contract the year he was able to test free agency as he was putting up impressive numbers both with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sixers. Sometimes, the market forces teams to overpay, and the 76ers retained Harris by doing so.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.