Heavy on NBA
With 30 teams in the NBA, there are just 30 individuals in the world who have the privilege of head coaching the greatest basketball players on the planet.
Some coaches go the assistant route first, while others have the opportunity to go straight to the top. However they get there, it’s no secret that some of them just make too much money.
Just like players, coaches find themselves on the hot seat with their jobs in jeopardy if they fail to perform. With salaries at an all-time high, there is an expectation that if they are handed the bag, they will deliver results.
Check out Heavy’s ranking of the 10 most overpaid NBA head coaches this season:
10. Nick Nurse ($9 Million)
GettyNick Nurse.
The 76ers hired Nick Nurse to replace Doc Rivers at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. Rivers had failed to deliver playoff success in Philadelphia once again, so they believed they had to make a change.
He took the Sixers to the No. 7 seed in his first year, a spot they finished in largely due to Joel Embiid logging just 39 games in the regular season. Nurse did take the Raptors to the 2019 Finals and then won it all in year one, so he has that working for him.
He has not reached a conference finals since though, and until he can get Philly deep in the playoffs, that large salary is going to look like an overpay.
9. Tom Thibodeau ($8 Million)
GettyTom Thibodeau.
Now in his fourth year at the helm, Tom Thibodeau has taken the Knicks to the postseason in three of his first three years. Two trips to the second-round have ensued, but injuries have plagued them both times.
The issue with the Thibs-led teams has always been starting players logging too much time and then getting burnt out by the postseason. Thibodeau has only taken one team to the conference finals in his coaching career, which spans 15 seasons now.
Similar to Nick Nurse, until Thibodeau can take his team deep into the playoffs, he may not be seen as the right fit. It doesn’t hurt that Jalen Brunson has morphed into a superstar under his watch. Also nice is that he has Karl-Anthony Towns, who he coached in Minnesota.
With a lot of eyes on NY this year, we’ll see how the team responds.
8. Will Hardy ($4 Million)
GettyWill Hardy.
The Utah Jazz haven’t won much since their hot start in head coach Will Hardy’s first season. And honestly, that’s not a bad thing.
This is a roster that is hoping to improve more drastically next season. It doesn’t help that Taylor Hendricks suffered a season-ending injury in Game 3. They have some veterans and young players mixing, but losing is the name of the game in Utah.
This being Hardy’s first head-coaching job, it remains to be seen how much room for error he will have. Rebuilding or not, a coach not winning is one that doesn’t have the comfort of job security.
Hopefully, they can still get a big season from Lauri Markkanen to help entice other guys to come join him next season.
7. Quin Snyder ($8 Million)
GettyQuin Snyder (right).
During his days with the Utah Jazz, Quin Snyder was viewed as one of the better coaches in the league. He never took them past round two but had a number of successful campaigns with teams stacked with two stars and all role players around them.
In Atlanta though, Snyder has not been able to find as much success. The Hawks won a combined two playoff games in his first two seasons. The team isn’t expected to be competing for a title, but they need to make sure they can string some wins together so that Trae Young stays happy.
They will likely move some guys at the deadline this season, but keep an eye on the coaching situation here. Finishing right around .500 every year is not sustainable success.
6. Billy Donovan ($7 Million)
GettyBilly Donovan.
The situation with the Bulls is not so great. The team hasn’t won a playoff series since Billy Donovan took over, and they don’t appear to be very close to doing so.
Through November 4, lottery pick Matas Buzelis has logged just 27 minutes. They will likely be trading both of Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucević during the season. The addition of Josh Giddey has provided them an elite playmaker, but not much else.
With another year failing to move forward but not fully embracing losing, the team may once more finish in no-mans land. Keep an eye on Donovan to possibly even be fired during the regular season.
5. Mike Brown ($8.5 Million)
GettyMike Brown.
There is no denying that the Sacramento Kings are in a better place thanks to the job that Mike Brown has done. But in today’s NBA, it’s very much a “what have you done for me lately?” type of game.
After taking the team, led by All-Stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, to their first-playoff appearance since 2006, they missed the postseason altogether a year ago. It’s hard to take that type of regression after how much losing the franchise has experienced.
They brought in DeMar DeRozan in the offseason to try and improve things. It remains to be seen where they rank in 2024-25, but there is pressure on Brown to win. He had success during his first stint in Cleveland, before struggling as the Lakers‘ coach.
Most will be rooting for Brown, but his seat will get hot late in the year with that $8.5 million price tag and not yet taking his team to round two.
4. Tyronn Lue ($14 Million)
GettyTyronn Lue.
As one of the highest-paid head coaches in the league, there will always be pressure on Tyronn Lue to win. The Clippers are now playing in the Intuit Dome, no longer sharing a stadium with the Lakers. They haven’t won a playoff series since reaching the conference finals in 2020-21.
With Paul George now in Philadelphia and Kawhi Leonard on the shelf for a good chunk of the early 2024 part of the schedule, LA may be in some trouble.
James Harden has reverted to his old self, as seen in performances like his triple-double against the Suns on October 31. But the cast around him will have to carry their weight.
Lue would have no problem getting a job elsewhere if LA canned him. But keep an eye on the team this year. There is going to be more pressure to win now than ever. They want to be LA’s team.
3. Mike Budenholzer ($10 Million)
GettyMike Budenholzer.
Mike Budenholzer is employed once again in the NBA after spending a season on the sidelines. He was fired by the Bucks following a first-round exit two seasons ago.
The fact that he’s making $10 million to coach a team expected to contend means he’ll be watched all season long. Frank Vogel took his team to a 49-33 mark a year ago before being canned after a first-round sweep.
The Suns will need to make some noise not only in the regular season but in the playoffs as well if they want to consider the season a success. Kevin Durant is 36 and only has so much time left of elite basketball.
2. Chauncey Billups (Salary Unknown)
GettyChauncey Billups.
It doesn’t matter just how much money Chauncey Billups is being paid by the Trail Blazers. The team has done a lot more losing than winning in his time and doesn’t appear closer to being out of the cellar in a loaded western conference.
The job of an NBA coach is to make his players better and get the most out of everybody. That hasn’t happened during his time in Portland, and it remain to be seen how long he’ll be at the helm.
This was his first head-coaching gig in the league, and time will tell if he gets another shot if he gets canned here.
He will collect the entirety of his check, as the original coaching deal was for five years, but bear in mind that Portland has lost a lot in his time.
1. Doc Rivers ($10 Million)
GettyDoc Rivers.
It has not been great with the Bucks, to say the least. They have a losing record since initially hiring Doc Rivers last season. And at the time he took over, following Adrian Griffin’s departure, the team had a 30-13 record.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard are two of the best players in the league at their respective positions, but the team has not been able to win. Injuries played a part, but they got manhandled by the Indiana Pacers in round one. They haven’t had playoff success as a whole since winning a ring in 2021.
Rivers has struggled to win playoff games throughout his career, save for his title-winning Celtics campaign. Can he dig himself and the Bucks out of their current predicament? Time will tell.
Few seats are hotter than Rivers’ is, though.
The list isn’t over yet! See our bonus pick HERE. Sound off to let us know who we missed!
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10 Most Overpaid NBA Coaches This Season