We’ve got a lot of numbers to look at here. First let’s check out the overall highest paid players. A few points to make about this list is that you’ve got Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming out for the Rockets which will of course skew their numbers and the same goes for Gilbert Arenas with his suspension.
| Player | Team | Years Salary | Games | PPG |
| Tracy McGrady | Rockets | $23,239,561 | 6 | 3.2 |
| Kobe Bryant | Lakers | $23,034,375 | 47 | 28.2 |
| Jermaine O’Neal | Heat | $22,995,000 | 43 | 12.8 |
| Tim Duncan | Spurs | $22,183,218 | 42 | 19.8 |
| Shaquille O’Neal | Cavaliers | $20,000,000 | 42 | 11.5 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | Mavericks | $19,795,714 | 46 | 25.1 |
| Paul Pierce | Celtics | $19,795,712 | 39 | 19.1 |
| Ray Allen | Celtics | $19,766,860 | 44 | 15.9 |
| Rashard Lewis | Magic | $18,876,000 | 37 | 15 |
| Michael Redd | Bucks | $17,040,000 | 18 | 11.9 |
| Pau Gasol | Lakers | $16,451,250 | 30 | 17.6 |
| Andrei Kirilenko | Jazz | $16,451,250 | 40 | 11.8 |
| Kevin Garnett | Celtics | $16,400,000 | 33 | 14.7 |
| Yao Ming | Rockets | $16,378,325 | 0 | 0 |
| Amare Stoudemire | Suns | $16,378,325 | 48 | 20.6 |
| Vince Carter | Magic | $16,300,000 | 39 | 15.9 |
| Gilbert Arenas | Wizards | $16,192,080 | 32 | 22.6 |
| Zach Randolph | Grizzlies | $16,000,000 | 46 | 21 |
| Carmelo Anthony | Nuggests | $15,779,912 | 38 | 29.7 |
| LeBron James | Cavaliers | $15,779,912 | 48 | 29.4 |
| Chris Bosh | Raptors | $15,779,912 | 47 | 24 |
| Dwyane Wade | Heat | $15,779,912 | 47 | 27.1 |
| Kenyon Martin | Nuggests | $15,363,636 | 43 | 11.5 |
| Dwight Howard | Magic | $15,133,800 | 47 | 17.7 |
| Joe Johnson | Hawks | $14,976,754 | 46 | 21.4 |
| Elton Brand | 76ers | $14,858,471 | 42 | 14.2 |
| Peja Stojakovic | Hornets | $14,202,000 | 45 | 11.7 |
| Richard Jefferson | Spurs | $14,200,000 | 44 | 12.5 |
| Larry Hughes | Knicks | $13,655,268 | 29 | 9.8 |
| Chris Paul | Hornets | $13,655,268 | 38 | 20.4 |
If you take these players and and sort them by how much they earn per point scored it now looks like this:
| Player | Earned Per Point |
| Carmelo Anthony | $6,479 |
| LeBron James | $6,546 |
| Dwyane Wade | $7,101 |
| Chris Bosh | $8,018 |
| Chris Paul | $8,163 |
| Joe Johnson | $8,535 |
| Zach Randolph | $9,292 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | $9,618 |
| Amare Stoudemire | $9,696 |
| Kobe Bryant | $9,961 |
| Dwight Howard | $10,427 |
| Pau Gasol | $11,399 |
| Vince Carter | $12,502 |
| Paul Pierce | $12,639 |
| Elton Brand | $12,761 |
| Kevin Garnett | $13,605 |
| Tim Duncan | $13,663 |
| Richard Jefferson | $13,854 |
| Peja Stojakovic | $14,803 |
| Ray Allen | $15,161 |
| Rashard Lewis | $15,346 |
| Kenyon Martin | $16,292 |
| Larry Hughes | $16,993 |
| Andrei Kirilenko | $17,002 |
| Michael Redd | $17,463 |
| Shaquille O’Neal | $21,209 |
| Jermaine O’Neal | $21,908 |
| Gilbert Arenas | $22,389 |
| Tracy McGrady | $88,565 |
| Yao Ming | $0 |
Now if you take that one step further and calculate the amount of points each will total over the course of the season and divide that into the amount per point, you get the following:
| Carmelo Anthony | 2.66 |
| LeBron James | 2.72 |
| Dwyane Wade | 3.20 |
| Chris Bosh | 4.07 |
| Kobe Bryant | 4.31 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 4.67 |
| Joe Johnson | 4.86 |
| Chris Paul | 4.88 |
| Zach Randolph | 5.40 |
| Amare Stoudemire | 5.74 |
| Dwight Howard | 7.18 |
| Pau Gasol | 7.90 |
| Paul Pierce | 8.07 |
| Tim Duncan | 8.42 |
| Vince Carter | 9.59 |
| Elton Brand | 10.96 |
| Kevin Garnett | 11.29 |
| Ray Allen | 11.63 |
| Rashard Lewis | 12.48 |
| Richard Jefferson | 13.52 |
| Peja Stojakovic | 15.43 |
| Kenyon Martin | 17.28 |
| Andrei Kirilenko | 17.57 |
| Michael Redd | 17.90 |
| Jermaine O’Neal | 20.87 |
| Larry Hughes | 21.15 |
| Shaquille O’Neal | 22.49 |
| Gilbert Arenas | 30.20 |
| Tracy McGrady | 337.52 |
| Yao Ming | 0.00 |
| Player | |
| Yao Ming | 0.00 |
| Carmelo Anthony | 2.66 |
| LeBron James | 2.72 |
| Dwyane Wade | 3.20 |
| Chris Bosh | 4.07 |
| Kobe Bryant | 4.31 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 4.67 |
| Joe Johnson | 4.86 |
| Chris Paul | 4.88 |
| Zach Randolph | 5.40 |
| Amare Stoudemire | 5.74 |
| Dwight Howard | 7.18 |
| Pau Gasol | 7.90 |
| Paul Pierce | 8.07 |
| Tim Duncan | 8.42 |
| Vince Carter | 9.59 |
| Elton Brand | 10.96 |
| Kevin Garnett | 11.29 |
| Ray Allen | 11.63 |
| Gilbert Arenas | 12.08 |
| Rashard Lewis | 12.48 |
| Richard Jefferson | 13.52 |
| Peja Stojakovic | 15.43 |
| Kenyon Martin | 17.28 |
| Andrei Kirilenko | 17.57 |
| Michael Redd | 17.90 |
| Jermaine O’Neal | 20.87 |
| Larry Hughes | 21.15 |
| Shaquille O’Neal | 22.49 |
| Tracy McGrady | 337.52 |
So from that we can deduce that the best deal of the top paid NBA players is as follows, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Joe Johnson, Chris Paul, Zach Randolph, Amare Stoudemire.
Now let’s look at the top 30 scorers from the NBA.
| Player | Team | Salary | Games | PPG |
| Carmelo Anthony | Nuggets | $15,779,912 | 38 | 29.7 |
| LeBron James | Cavaliers | $15,779,912 | 48 | 29.4 |
| Kevin Durant | Thunder | $4,796,880 | 46 | 29.3 |
| Kobe Bryant | Lakers | $23,034,375 | 47 | 28.2 |
| Dwyane Wade | Heat | $15,779,912 | 47 | 27.1 |
| Monta Ellis | Warriors | $11,000,000 | 43 | 25.9 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | Mavericks | $19,795,714 | 46 | 25.1 |
| Chris Bosh | Raptors | $15,779,912 | 47 | 24 |
| Brandon Roy | Trailblazers | $3,910,816 | 40 | 23.1 |
| Antawn Jamison | Wizards | $11,641,095 | 37 | 21.5 |
| Joe Johnson | Hawks | $14,976,754 | 46 | 21.4 |
| Zach Randolph | Grizzlies | $16,000,000 | 46 | 21 |
| Corey Maggette | Warriors | $8,937,931 | 44 | 20.6 |
| Amare Stoudemire | Suns | $16,378,325 | 48 | 20.6 |
| Tyreke Evans | Kings | $3,610,080 | 42 | 20.5 |
| Stephen Jackson | Bobcats | $7,650,000 | 46 | 20.3 |
| Chris Kaman | Clippers | $10,400,000 | 41 | 20.2 |
| Rudy Gay | Grizzlies | $3,280,996 | 44 | 19.9 |
| Tim Duncan | Spurs | $22,183,218 | 42 | 19.8 |
| David Lee | Knicks | $7,000,000 | 46 | 19.7 |
| Derrick Rose | Bulls | $5,184,480 | 45 | 19.7 |
| Gerald Wallace | Bobcats | $9,075,000 | 45 | 19.3 |
| Carlos Boozer | Jazz | $12,657,233 | 45 | 19.2 |
| Paul Pierce | Celtics | $19,795,712 | 39 | 19.1 |
| Aaron Brooks | Rockets | $1,118,520 | 46 | 19 |
| Deron Williams | Jazz | $13,520,500 | 41 | 19 |
| Brook Lopez | Nets | $2,255,880 | 45 | 18.9 |
| Steve Nash | Suns | $13,125,000 | 48 | 18.5 |
| O.J. Mayo | Grizzlies | $4,165,560 | 46 | 18.3 |
| David West | Hornets | $9,075,000 | 46 | 18 |
And if you sort them per price per point you get:
| Aaron Brooks | $718 |
| Brook Lopez | $1,456 |
| Kevin Durant | $1,997 |
| Rudy Gay | $2,011 |
| Brandon Roy | $2,065 |
| Tyreke Evans | $2,148 |
| O.J. Mayo | $2,776 |
| Derrick Rose | $3,209 |
| David Lee | $4,333 |
| Stephen Jackson | $4,596 |
| Monta Ellis | $5,179 |
| Corey Maggette | $5,291 |
| Gerald Wallace | $5,734 |
| David West | $6,148 |
| Chris Kaman | $6,279 |
| Carmelo Anthony | $6,479 |
| LeBron James | $6,546 |
| Antawn Jamison | $6,603 |
| Dwyane Wade | $7,101 |
| Chris Bosh | $8,018 |
| Carlos Boozer | $8,039 |
| Joe Johnson | $8,535 |
| Steve Nash | $8,652 |
| Deron Williams | $8,678 |
| Zach Randolph | $9,292 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | $9,618 |
| Amare Stoudemire | $9,696 |
| Kobe Bryant | $9,961 |
| Paul Pierce | $12,639 |
| Tim Duncan | $13,663 |
And again, if you figure the total points they’ll score over the season and divide that into the price per point you come up with the following rankings:
| Aaron Brooks | 0.461 |
| Kevin Durant | 0.831 |
| Brook Lopez | 0.939 |
| Brandon Roy | 1.09 |
| Rudy Gay | 1.232 |
| Tyreke Evans | 1.278 |
| O.J. Mayo | 1.85 |
| Derrick Rose | 1.987 |
| Monta Ellis | 2.439 |
| Carmelo Anthony | 2.661 |
| David Lee | 2.682 |
| LeBron James | 2.715 |
| Stephen Jackson | 2.761 |
| Corey Maggette | 3.132 |
| Dwyane Wade | 3.195 |
| Gerald Wallace | 3.623 |
| Antawn Jamison | 3.745 |
| Chris Kaman | 3.791 |
| Chris Bosh | 4.074 |
| David West | 4.166 |
| Kobe Bryant | 4.308 |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 4.673 |
| Joe Johnson | 4.864 |
| Carlos Boozer | 5.106 |
| Zach Randolph | 5.396 |
| Deron Williams | 5.57 |
| Steve Nash | 5.703 |
| Amare Stoudemire | 5.74 |
| Paul Pierce | 8.07 |
| Tim Duncan | 8.415 |
So after all of these numbers we can deduce (lucky for the Rockets) that the best overall deal in the NBA (by a long shot) is Aaron Brooks. He is almost 7x as good a deal as LeBron James. That of course is considering the annual cost of Aaron times his production. The biggest factor is that he earns only $1 million a year whereas most other players are earning much much more than this.
