Four Boston Celtics make HoopsHype’s list of most underpaid players of all time
While a lot of well-meaning Boston Celtics and NBA fans complain about how much some players they consider the underperforming make, the truth is that with the artificial cap on player compensation created by the luxury tax and other similar mechanisms in the league collective bargaining agreement many association players are actually underpaid.
To calculate the extent of that underpayment, HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa put together a metric called “Real Value” that was designed for, as HoopsHype analyst Frank Urbina writes, assigns “earnings based on on-court performance alone.
” In other words, the “only restriction is that salaries be distributed based on how much NBA teams spend on player contracts each season.”
Among the lowest-paid players in league history can be found several Celtics alumni. Let’s dig into these cases.
No. 23 – Jayson Tatum
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Overpaid seasons vs. underpaid: 0-5
Real value: $103,621,814
Professional income: $58,176,820
Difference: $45,444,994 (78.12%)
“By Year 3, Jayson Tatum was already an All-Star who had led the Boston Celtics to multiple deep playoff runs,” Urbina writes.
“It was in that third season of 2019-20, the first All-Star nomination of his career, that Tatum was truly underpaid, earning just .
8 million in a year in which he averaged 23.4 points and 7.0 rebounds. Real Value believes that he should have earned $26.5 million that year, $18.6 million more than he was actually paid.
“
“At least the Celtics were able to use the value of that contract to get to the Eastern Conference Finals,” the H/H analyst suggests.
No. 22 – Sam Cassell
(AP Photo/Ed Betz)
Overpaid seasons vs. underpaid: 3-13
Real value: $104,066,449
Professional income: $58,419,775
Difference: $45,646,674 (78.14%)
“Sam Cassell is unique in this tenure in that not only was he a late development in the NBA, but his lowest-paying season didn’t come until his 11th NBA season, surprisingly not while on a rookie-level contract.” points. the author.
“In 2003-04, the first and only All-Star year on Cassell’s résumé, the former Florida State star averaged 19.8 points and 7.3 assists while earning $5.1 million, when Real Value had him at .
3 million for a $9.2 spread. millions”.
“Cassell’s value contract that year was a big reason the Timberwolves were able to make it to the Western Conference Finals,” Urbina says.
No. 16 – Chauncey Billups
(AP Photo/Scott Audette)
Overpaid seasons vs. underpaid: 5-12
Real value: $161,207,188
Professional income: $106,227,720
Difference: $54,979,468 (51.76%)
“Everyone knows that it took Chauncey Billups a long time to establish himself in the NBA, but once he did, he was an enormously valuable and impactful point guard,” Urbina writes.
“Unfortunately for him, Billups only started making star-level money late in his career. According to Real Value, Billups was the lowest paid in 2005-06 when he earned $5.9 million while averaging 18.5 points and 8.6 assists and leading the Pistons to the Eastern Conference Finals.
“Real Value made Billups worth $20.0 million that season for a whopping $14.1 million disparity,” adds the H/H analyst.
No. 12 – Isaiah Thomas
(Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Overpaid seasons vs. underpaid: 1-9
Real value: $96,130,712
Professional income: $32,220,179
Difference: $63,910,533 (198.36%)
“Thomas, very unfortunate for him, was injured late in his second season on the 2016-17 All-NBA Team when he even finished fifth in MVP voting after a spectacular regular season of 28.9 points and 5.9 assists,” he recalls. Urbina.
“With a year left on his contract, he was traded to the Cavaliers (who traded him to the Lakers after just 15 games), where he failed to regain his All-Star form. Seeking a maximum deal, Thomas had to accept a minimum deal from the Denver Nuggets in the summer of 2019. Thomas never quite recovered the form he was in 2016-17.”
“Regardless, Real Value valued Thomas at $29.1 million for that second All-NBA Team season when he actually made $6.6 million, the 15th-biggest disparity in our database,” the analyst adds.
