There is still about a month before the start of the new NBA season, and most teams have already configured their new lineups and are ready to go. During the summer offseason, some teams have made drastic changes to their main lineups, introduced new cores, and formed super teams to create a bloody storm in the next season; some teams have kept their troops on the sidelines and basically retained the original lineup, believing that they can also make a difference with the original team; there are also teams that spend super high salaries to lock in their star players. As the price of league player contracts continues to rise, some young stars can also get top-salary contracts of hundreds of millions of dollars. Last year, Edwards of the Timberwolves, Ball of the Hornets, and Halliburton of the Pacers all signed contracts with their respective teams for up to 260 million for 5 years. This summer, the Magic even gave Wagner Jr. 270 million for 5 years.

It is completely understandable that young stars can get big contracts. After all, they have talent and can realize their potential in the future. Even young players of Wagner's level can get a super-high salary of 270 million for 5 years. It cannot be said that it is overpriced now. It depends on how much room for improvement he has in the future. However, there are still some old-school stars who may have passed their prime, their personal abilities have declined rapidly, and their leadership abilities have become average, but they can still get super contracts with an annual salary of more than 40 million US dollars, which is somewhat unacceptable. Last season, there were 18 NBA players with annual contracts exceeding 40 million US dollars, including many players with obvious premiums, such as LaVine of the Bulls. He just reached a 5-year 215 million contract with the team last summer, and his annual salary last season was 40 million.

However, LaVine played only 25 games last season due to injuries, averaging only 19.5 points per game, and his personal data has deteriorated compared with previous years. On the one hand, LaVine has started to decline with his age and the accumulation of injuries in recent years. His playing style is also relatively simple, and he does not have any outstanding skill packages, which is a disadvantage for core players. On the other hand, LaVine's status in the Bulls is getting lower and lower, and his ball rights are getting less and less. DeRozan's joining has taken up more than half of LaVine's ball rights. In addition, the Bulls have too many guards, young White, Dosunmu, and Thunder's Giddy also joined the Bulls this summer. LaVine's average number of shots per game has been decreasing year by year in the past five years, from 20 times in the 19-20 season to 15 times last season. The Bulls tried hard to put LaVine on the trading shelf, but no other team in the league favored him.

In addition to LaVine, VanVleet, who earns $40.8 million a year, Bill, who earns $46 million a year, and Harris, who earns $39 million a year, are all overpriced. Their real strength does not match their salary. There is also a player, Gobert of the Timberwolves, whose annual salary last season exceeded $40 million, reaching $41 million. In 2020, he reached a 5-year contract with the Jazz worth $210 million. Unlike other stars, Gobert, as an inside blue-collar player who lacks independent offensive ability, can still get such a high contract salary, which makes many NBA stars jealous. O'Neal recently publicly criticized Gobert: "He gets a super-high salary but doesn't play. I won't respect him. Rudy Gobert is one of the worst stars in the league." Indeed, Gobert is obviously overrated. Although he has won a lot of personal honors, he has been selected as the best defensive player for 7 times, the rebounding champion for one time, the blocked shot champion for one time, and the DPOY for four times. Gobert's performance is not bad, with a stable large double-double, high shooting efficiency, and a hit rate of nearly 70%. However, Gobert's actual performance in the game is not so satisfactory, especially in the high-end game such as the playoffs, which is easy to be targeted. On the offensive end, his shooting conditions are very harsh. Basically, he can only finish when there is no one guarding him or in the absolute basket area. On the defensive end, Gobert is not so omnipotent and has great limitations. In the words of Trail Blazers coach Billups: "He is a great defender, but he is not as defensively flexible as Ben Wallace. Gobert may appear vulnerable in certain situations, especially when the opponent's space is open or facing a pick-and-roll by a fast guard, you can directly target him." This is why, in this year's playoffs, Gobert is often hidden at critical moments. In the Western Conference Finals against the Mavericks, Gobert was completely beaten by the Mavericks' twin towers Lively + Gafford. When he was not on the court, the Timberwolves' net score was even higher. In the Paris Olympics this summer, Gobert played quite uncomfortably in the French team and did not get many opportunities to play. The French men's basketball team lost to the US team in the finals. Throughout the Olympics, Gobert averaged only 3.3 points and 4 rebounds per game, and sent 1.7 turnovers, which was shocking. To be honest, Gobert does have some ability, but he was indeed overrated and was worth more than 40 million in salary in less than a year. In 2022, Gobert was traded to the Timberwolves by the Jazz. The Timberwolves actually sent out such luxurious chips of 5 players + 4 first-round picks. Looking back on this deal, do you think the Timberwolves made a loss or a profit?