The National Basketball Association (NBA) is one of the world’s most popular and lucrative professional sports leagues. It is not surprising that the NBA attracts some of the world’s most talented and highly paid-athletes.
The salaries of NBA players are determined by a complex set of rules and regulations established by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). These rules set a maximum salary cap that each team can pay its players, based on the league’s revenue. However, teams can exceed the cap to re-sign their own players or to sign free agents.
The top NBA players can earn an incredible amount of money through their salaries, endorsements, and other business ventures. The following are some of the highest-paid NBA players:
Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Karl-Anthony Towns has earned himself a supermax extension with a contract that is worth $224 million over the course of four seasons. This is in spite of the fact that he has experienced postseason failures while playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves. It is very clear that the owners of the Timberwolves were resolved to retain their franchise player regardless of the cost.
While the contract won’t go into effect until the 2024–2025 season, his current annual income is just under $34 million. Because of his importance as one of the league’s finest scoring big men – both in the post and from range – Towns has become one of the highest-paid NBA players. His scoring prowess can be seen both in the post and from range.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Antetokounmpo became one of the best-paid NBA players after signing a five-year contract extension with the Bucks in December 2020. The extension was worth $228.2 million over the course of five years. There were rumors going around that he was interested in going to a larger market. Yet, after signing the agreement, he led the Bucks to an NBA championship, putting an end to those rumors once and for all.
Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the NBA and has won the MVP award. In the five seasons leading up to the start of the 2022-23 season, he has recorded an average of over 28.4 points and nearly 12 rebounds per game. The Bucks appear to have made a smart business decision by paying him slightly over $45 million per season on average.
LeBron James (LA Lakers)
LeBron James is still one of the finest players in the NBA despite the fact that he is 37 years old. When you take into account how strenuously he competes in the game, his body will certainly give up on him at some point in the near future. It is anticipated that his son Bronny James will be drafted in 2024, and it is reasonable to assume that he will do anything it takes to play alongside him.
James will become a free agent after the 2022–2023 NBA season; nonetheless, he is currently one of the highest-paid players in the NBA thanks to the extension of his current two-year contract for a total of $97.1 million, or an average of $48.6 million each season. James’ marketability and revenues off the court are just unrivaled by anyone else in the NBA.
Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
A new deal for more than $194 million spread out over the next four seasons was agreed upon and signed by Durant in 2021. If he had waited until he was eligible for free agency, he would have significantly increased his income. After initially expressing interest in moving on from the Nets, the two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player made up his mind to rejoin the franchise.
At the age of 33, there certainly seems to be a lot more that can be accomplished. The combination of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will be utilized by the Brooklyn Nets in their quest to win the NBA Championship for the very first time. If he achieves this goal, the approximately $49 million that the Nets are spending on him each year will be more than justified.
Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
Back in August of 2021, Butler put his name on a contract extension that was for a total of $146.40 million spread across three seasons. Butler led the Heat to the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2021-22 season by averaging a strong 21.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. This enabled the Heat to win the NBA championship.
Although Butler is still one of the best players in the game, he will be 36 years old when his current contract is up, and the Heat may find that his salary of roughly $49 million per year presents a problem for the team at that point in time. Yet, if the Heat is successful in capturing a championship, then all will have been worth it.
Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)
Because of a foot ailment that forced him to sit out his first two seasons in the NBA, Embiid has emerged as one of the most valuable players in the game and is among the best-paid NBA players. He topped the National Basketball Association in scoring during the 2021-22 season, averaging 30.6 points per game, in addition to 11.7 rebounds, and more than 4 assists.
Bleacher Report tweeted that Joel Embiid and the 76ers are finalizing a four-year, $196M contract extension. You can see below:
Joel Embiid and the 76ers are finalizing a four-year, $196M contract extension, per @ramonashelburne pic.twitter.com/lb2gYN9o9H
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 17, 2021
It’s possible that Embiid is the most dominant center the NBA has seen since Shaq was on the scene. He was given a signing bonus in the month of August 2021, and as a result, he will earn just under $196 million over the course of the next four seasons, which comes out to an average of just under $50 million per season. The only thing that remains for Embiid to accomplish is to win an NBA championship for the city of Philadelphia.
Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
Bradley Beal inked a deal worth $251 million over the course of five years shortly after his 29th birthday. It places him among the highest-paid players in the NBA and guarantees that he will remain with the Washington Wizards through the end of the 2026–2027 season. The option for the last year will be worth a little more than $57 million by the time it is exercised.
Beal has been named to the All-Star game three times and is a highly sought-after top-scoring shooting guard, which places him at the top of the list whenever trade discussions take place. The Wizards haven’t taken the bait so far, but there’s a lot of pressure on Bradley Beal to show that his average contract of $50 million per season is worth it.
Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)
Not only is he the most talented player in the NBA at the moment. Nikola Jokic, the two-time defending NBA Most Valuable Player, has had back-to-back seasons in which he has been named MVP which has been statistically among the finest ever recorded in the league’s modern era. He is well deserving of the whole sum of his $264 million contract, which is spread out over a period of 5 years and amounts to little less than $53 million per year.
This contract is now the most lucrative in the history of the league in terms of total cash, and he will earn himself a cool $60 million during the year when his option 2027-28 is in effect. You can also like NBA Youngboy Net worth and his career.
Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
At the age of 25, Booker has been through it all with the Suns and has established himself as one of the best offensive players in the NBA. In his earlier days with the Suns, who are now real title contenders in the NBA, he was a part of the franchise’s rebuilding process.
Bleacher Report tweeted that the Suns and Devin Booker are finalizing a four-year, $214M supermax contract extension. You can see below:
Suns and Devin Booker are finalizing a four-year, $214M supermax contract extension, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/qxmk6KxXOM
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 30, 2022
His current deal is for a total of $214 million throughout four seasons, which works out to an average of $53.5 million each season. Booker’s next objective is to steer the Suns to another appearance in the NBA Finals and bring home the title this time around.
Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors)
With Steph Curry’s four-year, $215.35 million dollar contract, the Golden State Warriors, who have won the NBA title four times, have set the standard. It comes out to an average of little about $55 million per season, which places him atop the NBA’s list of players with the highest annual salary. This may consider your NBA Hoop Height and his body appearance.
The fact that his salary will count for just under $60 million against the cap during the 2025-2026 season is going to be a headache for the Warriors. But, Curry has proven that every penny he has worked for has been well worth it. After all, he has guided the Warriors to six visits in the NBA Finals over the course of the previous eight seasons.
