Despite some concerns about viewership, the NBA is still a rapidly expanding product that just signed a $76 billion media rights deal.
That agreement and a new CBA, which will have to be renegotiated in a few years, will only shoot up top players' yearly salaries going forward.
In addition, more stars are opting to secure their long-term futures with their current franchises, rather than wait for free agency. That approach has made many of these players more likely to be eligible for supermax extensions.
|NBA Salary Cap Increase (based on projections)|
|Season|Salary Cap|Luxury Tax|1st Apron|
|2024-25|$140,588,000|$170,814,000|$178,132,000|
|2025-26|$154,647,000|$187,895,000|$195,945,000|
|2026-27|$165,000,000|$200,000,000|$209,000,000|
|2027-28|$173,250,000|$210,499,000|$219,481,000|
|2028-29|$181,913,000|$221,024,000|$230,455,000|
|2029-30|$191,009,000|$232,076,000|$241,979,000|
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Because of these high-salary slots at the top of rosters, NBA franchises need their best players to live up to their value to realistically contend for a championship.
With that in mind, here are the ten highest-paid players heading into the 2025-26 season.
10 Jaylen Brown $53,142,264 (under contract through 2029)
Jaylen Brown Boston Celtics
The 2024 Finals MVP took a little dip in his production last season. Jaylen Brown averaged his lowest point total since 2019-2020, at his lowest efficiency since 2018-2019.
In addition, the Boston Celtics' star wing shot a career-low from three-point range. While some of these struggles can be attributed to injury, this coming season will be a good litmus test of Brown's upside going forward.
The roster around the four-time All-Star is drastically different from last year's, and Jaylen will now get the chance as the No. 1 option on a team that can still be a threat.
It's time for the 28-year-old to once again live up to his, at the time, record supermax extension.
9 Devin Booker $53,142,264 (under contract through 2030)
Kawhi Leonard Devin Booker Phoenix Suns Los Angeles Clippers Team USA
The face of the Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker is staying loyal to his dysfunctional organization for the time being.
The versatile shooting guard is now 28 years old and coming off a disappointing season by his standards. Still, one encouraging stat during 2024-25 was that Booker once again averaged a career-high in assists at 7.1.
That skill is going to be critical to the Suns' success going forward. Phoenix's offseason moves leave the franchise once again depleted at the point guard position.
Booker will be relied on heavily once again to initiate the offense, which will need to be elite if the Suns want to make the playoffs.
8 Kevin Durant $53,282,608 (under contract through 2026)
kd-35
The Phoenix Suns made the blockbuster move to trade Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets, and now the all-time great has another legit shot to win his third title.
While Houston had to give up two starters to trade for the future Hall of Famer, this team filled a huge need by adding KD.
The Rockets lacked offensive consistency last season, especially in half-court sets and from three-point range. Even at 36, Durant is one of the best offensive engines in the league and is coming off a year when he shot 43% from deep.
This trade should additionally make life easier for Amen Thompson, who should thrive in four-on-three advantages when setting screens for his new teammate.
On paper, Durant is an ideal fit, but time will tell whether this vision all comes together.
7 Jayson Tatum $54,126,450 (under contract through 2030)
Boston Celtics' Jayson Tatum and Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green competing during the 2022 NBA Finals.
Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jayson Tatum will probably miss this entire year, recovering from an Achilles tear.
When the incident happened, the six-time All-Star was on a short list of the best players in the world and putting together a heroic playoff performance against the New York Knicks.
In response to that news and a disappointing second-round exit, the Boston Celtics did almost everything they could to get under the second apron.
Tatum's supermax deal will kick in this season and is set for five years $313,933,410. When he returns, the 27-year-old forward is still the player the Celtics will be building around.
6 Anthony Davis $54,126,450 (under contract through 2028)
AD 2
Anthony Davisis still in the twilight prime, and the Dallas Mavericks will need him to be at his very best should they want to be a legitimate title contender.
Last season was chaos for a historically stable organization that had also just made the NBA Finals.
The Mavs traded Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving tore his ACL, which caused the team to miss the postseason altogether.
However, that bitterly disappointing year allowed Dallas, by some miracle, to get the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Adding Cooper Flagg has ultimately completely changed this franchise's entire trajectory and sense of urgency heading into the season.
The Mavericks are still in championship-or-bust mode since this roster has two core players near the end of their primes. But the consequences of not being a legitimate contender feel less dire than they were a few months ago.
5 Jimmy Butler $54,126,450 (under contract through 2027)
Jimmy Butler 2
It's to assume that Jimmy Butler III has his best years behind him. The six-time All-Star was a legit first option on two Miami Heat teams that made the NBA Finals.
Now, at 35 years, old, Butler is with the Golden State Warriors as the Robin to Stephen Curry's Batman and expected to help shoulder the offensive load on a roster that has several limited players on that end.
When healthy, last year's team looked like a contender in the Western Conference, but after Curry went down, Jimmy struggled to create his offense as the No. 1 initiator.
Now, with teams like the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggetsrevamping their rosters, it's going to be very hard for the Warriors to make another championship run.
Then again, it's tough to underestimate a roster with potentially three future Hall of Famers.
4 Giannis Antetokounmpo $54,126,450 (under contract through 2028)
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Franz Wagner
There have been a lot of questions about Giannis Antetokounmpo's future on the Milwaukee Bucks, but for now, the all-time great power forward is sticking with the franchise that drafted him.
The Greek Freak is also on an extension that starts this season and is worth $175,369,698 over three years. Antetokounmpo is clearly a top 5 player in this league
Unfortunately, even after the recent trade for Myles Turner, he's still on a roster that doesn't seem anywhere close to contending for the Eastern Conference crown.
3 Nikola Jokić $55,224,526 (under contract through 2028)
Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokic
The consensus best player in the world is in the third year of his five-year, $276,122,630 supermax extension.
While the Denver Nuggets added a lot more depth to their roster over the offseason, Nikola Jokic raised some eyebrows when he opted not to renegotiate another extension this summer.
Now, the all-time great center could be eligible for a four-year extension worth around $293 million after this season, so he could be waiting it out for more money.
At 30 years old, Jokic is seemingly at the peak of his powers right now, meaning that the Nuggets are squarely in championship-or-bust mode.
2 Joel Embiid $55,224,526 (under contract through 2029)
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is a future Hall of Famer who has helped make the Philadelphia 76ers franchise relevant again.
The highly skilled center is only a few seasons away from his first-ever MVP, and he's on a roster that is built to contend in a less daunting Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately for The Process, he's never been able to scrap together a fully healthy season, and time appears to be running out. Embiid only appeared in 19 games last year, and when he did play, he looked like a shell of his former self.
The 31-year-old is under contract for three more seasons, before he has a player-option of $67,181,632 in 2028. Unless Embiid can regain his past form, which is still possible, this is a tough contract for the 76ers to have on the roster after an awful 2024-25 season.
1 Stephen Curry $59,606,817 (under contract through 2027)
Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is the greatest player in Golden State Warriors history, and after his recent one-year extension, will likely retire with the franchise that drafted him.
The best shooter ever, alongside Jimmy Butler, are both commanding well over $100 million of salary cap space. This predicament certainly means anything but a championship would be a disappointment to this organization.
But Steph, even at 37 years old, has shown that he can be the first option on a championship team.The Warriors caught fire after they traded for Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, finishing the season 23-7.
Golden State subsequently secured the No. 7 seed heading into the playoffs and upset the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round.
The Warriors looked like they had the upper hand against the Minnesota Timberwolves early on in the second round before an injury to their best player doomed them.
Even if they do not win it all, it's hard to envision a scenario where Curry doesn't live up to his contract, considering the amount contributes to this franchise on and off the floor.
|Stephen Curry 2024-2025 Regular Season Stats|
|Stat|Number (70)|
|Points per game|24.5|
|Assists per game|6.0|
|Rebounds per game|4.4|
|Steals per game|1.1|
|Blocks per game|0.4|
|Career awards|2x MVP, 1x Finals MVP, 11x All-Star, 4x All-NBA First Team, 5x All-NBA Second Team, 2x All-NBA Third Team|
|NBA titles|4|
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