Trevor Ariza, a starter for the Rockets team in the Western Conference Finals, has made nearly $75 million during his 14 seasons in the NBA. Not bad for a second round pick, one that then-Knicks head coach Larry Brown couldn’t wait to get rid of during Ariza’s second season.
It’s impressive when a second round pick can carve together such a long, productive career especially when they aren’t guaranteed a contract to start out like their first round counterparts.
So while Ariza’s career and contracts have earned him a lot of money, there have been second round picks that have made more.
Here are those that have made the most and have been drafted since 2000.
(All contract info is taken from Spotrac. Money listed next to their name is amount their contracts have earned them through this season and doesn’t include future earnings.)
1. Gilbert Arenas ($163,475,636)
- 31st overall pick in 2001
- Largest contract: 6 years/$111 million with Wizards
Arenas may be remembered most for bringing guns into the locker room, so sometimes it’s hard to forget just how talented an offensive player he was. The three-time All-Star averaged 20.5 points per game for his career and was putting up 27.7 in a three-season span from 2004-05 to 2006-07.
2. Carlos Boozer ($143,475,590)
- 35th overall pick in 2002
- Largest contract: 5 years/$75 million with Bulls
A two-time All-Star, Boozer averaged a scoring/rebounding double-double in five different seasons.
He nearly averaged one in his 13-year career with averages of 16.2 points and 9.5 rebounds.
3. Marc Gasol ($128,292,718)
- 48th overall pick in 2007
- Largest contract: 5 years/$113,211,750 with the Grizzlies
Gasol is also signed for next season at $24,119,025 and has a player option for 2019-20 at $25,595,700. Formerly seen as a throw-in for a trade that sent his brother Pau to the Lakers, Marc has gone on to appear in three All-Star Games and win Defensive Player of the Year for the 2012-13 season.
4. Paul Millsap ($121,814,973)
- 47th overall pick in 2006
- Largest contract: 2 years/$61 million with Nuggets
Millsap is signed by Denver for next season at $29,230,769 and has a team option in 2019-20 at $30 million. He made the All-Star team four straight years with the Hawks heading into this season but had an injury-plagued first year with the Nuggets.
It was his first extended time off the court as he averaged appearing in 76 games his first 11 seasons.
5. DeAndre Jordan ($106,710,175)
- 35th overall pick in 2008
- Largest contract: 4 years/$87,616,050 with Clippers
Jordan has a player option next season that would pay him $24,119,025. He sits as the all-time leader in field goal percentage at .673, a category he has led five different seasons. He has also led in rebounding twice and has averaged a scoring/rebounding double-double each of the last five seasons.
6. Michael Redd ($101,991,381)
- 43rd overall pick in 2000
- Largest contract: $6 year/$90.1 million with Bucks
Redd was an All-Star and a Third Team All-NBA member in the 2003-04 season. He averaged 19 points per game in his 12 seasons and averaged over 20 for six straight seasons from 2003-04 to 2008-09.
He is 91st all-time with 1,045 made threes.
7. Monta Ellis ($94,406,140)
- 40th overall pick in 2005
- Largest contract: 6 years/$66 million with Warriors
Despite never making an All-Star appearance, Ellis was one of the game’s most dynamic offensive players in his prime. He has career averages of 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.7 steals. The Pacers waived him prior to this season using the stretch provision. They owed him $2,245,400 this season which is the same amount they will need to pay him through 2021-22.
8. Anderson Varejao ($83,032,114)
- 30th overall pick in 2004
- Largest contract: 6 years/$48.3 million with Cavaliers
After trading for Varejao in 2016, the Trail Blazers subsequently waived him.
They owe him $1,913,345 a year through 2020-21. Varejao made the All-Defensive Second Team in the 2009-10 season and has career averages of 7.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in 13 years.
9. Marcin Gortat ($80,201,659)
- 57th overall pick in 2005
- Largest contract: 5 years/$60 million with Wizards
Gortat has one year remaining on his deal with Washington at $13,565,218. In 11 seasons, he has career averages of 10.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, and a .552 field goal percentage. He has averaged double figures in scoring seven times and rebounding twice.
10. Chandler Parsons ($77,789,150)
- 38th overall pick in 2011
- Largest contract: 4 years:$94,438,523 with Grizzlies
Parsons will shoot up this list as he is still owed $49,209,769 over the next two seasons by Memphis.
He has been a colossal failure in his first two years with the club appearing in just 70 games averaging 7.1 points and 2.5 rebounds. He has career averages of 13.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in seven seasons.
Just missed the cut: Goran Dragic ($77,379,858), Amir Johnson ($75,989,800), Trevor Ariza ($74,995,477), Kyle Korver ($70,316,882)
Eventually should make the list: Hassan Whiteside, Draymond Green, Nikola Jokic
