Discussing contracts comes with the territory of being a sports fan. Even though we aren’t directly affected by how much money a player makes, that doesn’t stop fanbases from debating which players on their team are making too much money.
As one of the most storied franchises in the NBA, 76ers fans are used to their players’ contracts being analyzed under a microscope. It comes with the territory in a sports-crazy city like Philadelphia and those discussions will only ramp up more with the 2023-24 season right around the corner.
While the Sixers currently have some bargain deals on the books, it can also be argued that other players are making way more than they should be.
Here’s a look at the three most overpaid 76ers heading into the upcoming NBA season.
76ers Most Overpaid Players
1. Tobias Harris — 2023-24 Salary: $39.27 Million
Chances are that when you opened this article, you knew that Tobias Harris’ name was going to be on the list.
Just to make things clear, I don’t think that Harris is horrible by any stretch. He’s a respected veteran with over 800 games of NBA experience under his belt. At 31, he’s no longer in his prime, but that didn’t stop him from averaging 14.7 points (on .501/.389/.876 shooting splits) and 5.7 rebounds across 74 games last season.
The issue is that Harris is on the books for $39.27 million during the 2023-24 campaign, per Spotrac. For reference, that’s the 19th-highest cap hit in the upcoming year and there’s simply no way that he is a top-20 player in the Association.
There just isn’t a reason to expect that Harris’ play will match his contract’s value. His PPG clip has declined in each of the last five seasons, and it isn’t like he’ll have a ton of scoring opportunities as long as he’s playing with Joel Embiid, James Harden and Tyrese Maxey.
The good news is that Harris hits free agency next July, meaning his albatross of a contract will finally be off the books. Until then, though, it’s hard not to fathom how his overpaid deal limits the 76ers’ season.
2. Furkan Korkmaz — 2023-24 Salary: $5.37 Million
While he doesn’t eat as much of Philly’s cap space as Harris, Furkan Korkmaz is making more money than he’s worth this year.
The 76ers had high hopes when they drafted Korkmaz 26th overall back in 2016. He was expected to grow into a shooting threat and while he has a decent 35.6% career success rate from three-point range, he’s yet to average double-digit point totals during the regular season.
Adding salt to the wound is the fact that his playing time went from 21.1 minutes per outing in 2021-22 to just 9.5 last year.
Those are just two reasons why it’s hard justifying the $5.37 million he’s on the books for in 2023-24.
On top of that, Korkmaz is a frequent patient of the team’s medical staff. He’s never played an entire NBA campaign and has missed an average of 29 games over the last three seasons. Even if he isn’t breaking the bank, paying him just over $5 million when he’s hurt that frequently doesn’t sit well with me.
Perhaps Korkmaz will prove that he can be a reliable shooter again this year. But even then, he’s going to need a lot more minutes and opportunities to justify his price tag.
I just don’t see that happening in Philadelphia.
3. P.J. Tucker — 2023-24 Salary: $11.01 Million
Daryl Morey is one of the NBA’s best general managers, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune from making a mistake now and then.
No question that signing P.J. Tucker to a fully guaranteed three-year, $33.2 million deal in July 2022 was one of Morey’s worst decisions. While the seasoned veteran isn’t the Association’s worst player, he was the second-oldest when he signed that deal and that’s still the case heading into the new schedule.
Tucker’s primarily known for his defense, but doesn’t excuse how putrid he was in the offensive end last year. Despite averaging 25.6 minutes over 75 starts, he only averaged 3.5 PPG while shooting 42.7% from the floor. Additionally, his dreadful 5.0 points per 36 mins was also the worst clip of his career.
Tucker comes in $11.01 million this year and you’d be hard-pressed to find a 76ers fan who likes that idea. It’s even worse when you consider that he could still be on the roster in 2024-25 if he accepts his player option next summer, meaning he’ll be 40 when his contract finally expires.
In hindsight, Morey should’ve used the mid-level exception on a player that can produce on both ends of the court.
HoopsHype‘s Michael Scotto did report earlier this offseason that Tucker’s name has come up in trade discussions, leaving time to tell just how long of the 76ers’ overly-expensive players will remain on the roster.
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