So, this news isn't exactly surprising to anyone in the Sacramento Kings' front office, but it's nice to have it confirmed. Stephen Noh over at The Sporting News put together a list of the worst contracts in the NBA, and both Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine are on it. No shock there.
Using DARKO, Noh built a sophisticated salary model that includes a five-year salary projection and an aging curve. Think of it as a really complex and really cool cost/benefit analysis that gives readers an idea of the worst player contracts in the league today.
Keeping in mind the salary cap and its associated penalty aprons, front offices have to really monitor their payrolls more than ever before. Every contract has to fit the bigger picture, and huge contracts absolutely must have equal payoffs. That's what makes this analysis so important.
Very few of the names of players whose cost dramatically exceeds their value will shock you. The Sixers get the worst of it thanks to Joel Embiid taking the number one spot and Paul George checking in at number three. The only other team with two entries on the list is the Sacramento Kings.
Sacramento is home to two of the worst contracts in the league
Again, this is not a surprise in the least. Both Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis are on incredibly big contracts for players who are only useful in very specific circumstances. It also doesn't help that neither of them plays defense particularly well, which is a bigger issue with Sabonis.
Both are good offensively, and Noh's DARKO model rates them a little lower than it should, something he openly admits. The point that he is making is that LaVine and Sabonis are being grossly overpaid, considering what they do and don't bring to the table in Sacramento.
This is going to be a massive problem when it comes to trading them. LaVine has a player option for next season on his pricey contract, and Sabonis has two years left. The market for overpriced players with severe limitations on their respective games is not exactly booming.
Maybe the Kings will pull off a miracle and find a way to move these two albatross contracts. That being said, Sacramento fans should also be prepared to have LaVine and Sabonis on the roster through the respective ends of their contracts. There's a reason this rebuild might take a while.