Most Overpaid & Underpaid Sacramento Kings

Overpaid

Harrison Barnes

When you look at it from an outside perspective, Harrison Barnes is certainly overpaid. He is a starting-caliber small forward, but in the eyes of many, he doesn’t have the production or star power to justify his $85 million guaranteed. He won’t be the best player on a team that wins anything, and might not even be the second or third.

But as we see it, the Kings paid the infamous Sacramento Tax, throwing a few extra million at a player to lure him to Cow Town. They had no choice, either. There was no better small forward option on the market when the Kings inked Barnes to the deal. We’ll call it our hot take of the day.

Kent Bazemore

Yes, Kent Bazemore was an important mid-season addition to the Kings roster and is part of the reason for their late season success. But the truth of the matter is that he is overcompensated for his production. He was paid $19.2 million during the 2019-’20 season, though his time was split between the Kings and Trail Blazers. Had he spent the entire season with Sacramento, he would have been the second highest paid player on the roster.

It didn’t matter what jersey he had on. His 8.7 points and 4 rebounds per game don’t exactly qualify him for an upper-tier contract.

Cory Joseph

Cory Joseph is another beneficiary of the Sacramento Tax. He is an important role player for the Kings and helped carry them in the absence of De’Aaron Fox last season. But is he worth the $12 million that the Kings paid him last year, or the $12 million he’ll make the next? Questionable.

Don’t be surprised to see the Kings shop Joseph in the offseason and fill the backup point guard role with a cheaper option. If that even exists.