Many of the NBA’s highest-paid players are on contracts considered maximum-salary dealsbut the 2025/26 salaries for those players vary significantly depending on when the player signed his contract and how much NBA experience he has. That’s why a player like Stephen Curry will earn nearly $22MM more than LaMelo Ball in ’25/26 despite both players technically being on max deals.
When a player signs a maximum-salary contracthe doesn’t necessarily earn the NBA max for each season of that contract — he earns the max in year onethen gets a series of identical annual raises. In Curry’s casehis 2025/26 salary actually exceeds this year’s maximumsince the annual cap increases since he began earning the max haven’t kept pace with his annual 8% raises.
Listed below are the top 50 highest-paid NBA players for the 2025/26 season. The players on this list don’t necessarily have the contracts with the largest overall value. This top 50 only considers the current league yearwith the player’s ’25/26 base salary listed.
Additionallywe’ve noted players who could potentially increase their earnings via incentives or trade bonuses. We didn’t add those notes for players like Curry or Anthony Edwardswho have trade bonuses but are already earning their maximum — their salaries for this season can’t increase beyond their max.
Here are the NBA’s 50 highest-paid players for the 2025/26 season:
- Stephen CurryWarriors: $59,606,817
- Joel EmbiidSixers: $55,224,526
Nikola JokicNuggets: $55,224,526 - Giannis AntetokounmpoBucks: $54,126,450
Jimmy ButlerWarriors: $54,126,450
Anthony DavisMavericks: $54,126,450
Jayson TatumCeltics: $54,126,450 - Kevin DurantRockets: $53,282,608
- Durant can earn another $1,426,001 in likely incentives.
- Devin BookerSuns: $53,142,264 (10% trade kicker)
Jaylen BrownCeltics: $53,142,264
Karl-Anthony TownsKnicks: $53,142,264 - LeBron JamesLakers: $52,627,153 (15% trade kicker)
- Paul GeorgeSixers: $51,666,090 (15% trade kicker)
- Kawhi LeonardClippers: $50,000,000 (15% trade kicker)
- Zach LaVineKings: $47,499,660
- Cade CunninghamPistons: $46,394,100
Lauri MarkkanenJazz: $46,394,100
Donovan MitchellCavaliers: $46,394,100
Evan MobleyCavaliers: $46,394,100
Jamal MurrayNuggets: $46,394,100 - Luka DoncicLakers: $45,999,660
Trae YoungHawks: $45,999,660 (15% trade kicker) - Anthony EdwardsTimberwolves: $45,550,512
Tyrese HaliburtonPacers: $45,550,512
Pascal SiakamPacers: $45,550,512 - Domantas SabonisKings: $42,336,000
- Sabonis can earn another $2,600,000 in unlikely incentives.
- OG AnunobyKnicks: $39,568,966 (15% trade kicker)
- Darius GarlandCavaliers: $39,446,090 (15% trade kicker)
Ja MorantGrizzlies: $39,446,090 (15% trade kicker)
Zion WilliamsonPelicans: $39,446,090 - James HardenClippers: $39,182,693 (15% trade kicker)
- Scottie BarnesRaptors: $38,661,750
Franz WagnerMagic: $38,661,750 - Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderThunder: $38,333,050 (15% trade kicker)
Michael Porter Jr.Nets: $38,333,050 - Brandon IngramRaptors: $38,095,238
- LaMelo BallHornets: $37,958,760 (15% trade kicker)
Tyrese MaxeySixers: $37,958,760 - Bam AdebayoHeat: $37,096,620
De’Aaron FoxSpurs: $37,096,620 - Desmond BaneMagic: $36,725,670
- Bane can earn another $1,233,090 in unlikely incentives.
- Kyrie IrvingMavericks: $36,566,002 (15% trade kicker)
- Rudy GobertTimberwolves: $35,000,000 (7.5% trade kicker)
Jaren Jackson Jr.Grizzlies: $35,000,000
Jalen SuggsMagic: $35,000,000 - Jalen BrunsonKnicks: $34,944,001 (15% trade kicker)
- Alperen SengunRockets: $33,944,954
- Jalen GreenSuns: $33,584,499
- Khris MiddletonWizards: $33,296,296
- Middleton can earn another $3,222,221 in unlikely incentives.
- Immanuel QuickleyRaptors: $32,500,000
- Quickley can earn another $2,500,000 in unlikely incentives.
For the first time in NBA historya base salary above $30MM is required to earn a spot on the league’s list of the top 50 highest-paid playersand even that isn’t quite enough for a few players. A pair of Trail Blazers veterans – Jrue Holiday at $32.4MM and Jerami Grant at $32MM – are the top two highest-paid players who didn’t make the cut.
It’s also worth noting that a small handful of players who just missed the top 50 have the ability to earn more than Quickley’s $32.5MM base salary if they achieve certain performance incentives during the coming season. Those players are as follows:
- Jordan PoolePelicans: $31,848,215
- Poole can earn another $3,750,000 in unlikely incentives.
- Tyler HerroHeat: $31,000,000
- Herro can earn another $2,500,000 in unlikely incentives.
- Dejounte MurrayPelicans: $26,783,568
- Murray earned an additional $4,017,535 for 2025/26 via a trade bonus on top of his base salary; he can also earn another $2,267,997 in unlikely incentives.
Jimmy and Giannis make the same moneyyou say?
And you all can’t see the upcoming GSW-MIL blockbuster trade that pairs Steph and Giannisand call me names for pointing out how clean it is for both sides? GSW sends its youth + JimmyBucks send their vets + Giannis = perfect match. Bucks even get Jimmy to flip into more young players or a young star or to get other players for Jimmy in a multi-teamerit’s a perfect rebuild. You all are coping if you can’t see it. It won’t happen this offseasonbut sometime after Dec 15.
🤣🤣🤣🤣
OMGlet it go already – Dubs fans feel they own Giannis and can’t understand why their entitlement hasn’t yet happened.
Here’s a dose of reality; if Steph had sacrificed such as Brunson has the W’s would be in a position to truly build out their roster (Butler gets a pass as because of baby mama/tax issues he’ll just about break even this year at $54m)…
Lite Years 😆😂🤣🤣
That is the dumbest take. Your ego and ignorance are on full display. Only one person has said the Warriors should trade for Giannis. He doesn’t even like the Warriors.
Curry’s rookie extension was a huge discount for the Warriors. It allowed them to sign Kevin Durant. This is common knowledge. How many Finals did they because of it?
Sounds like you are lite years behind.
@Giants74 are you saying I don’t like the Warriors? Nope. Wrong.
You said you didn’t like the Warriors until Curry came along. Someday Curry will retire. What then?
@giants74 I said the Warriors were miserable to follow until Curry came alongthat implies I am a long-suffering fan (since latrel sprewell era).
We just saw what happened when no-Curry (last playoffs) 0-3. Nonstop losses. We will likely go back there UNLESS we can get Gianniswho has at least 10 years left.
let me fix that for you Tony. ONLY 1 fan been claimng Giannis is coming to warriors for the last 5 years. So don’t claim all Dub fans are saying that when its only 1. Every team has that 1 fan that thinks all the big name stars are coming to their team.
@arc89 I implore you to go to any post about GSW on instagram or twitter and see all the millions of fans saying “Giannis now” or “get Giannis” – it’s not “1 person” its millions. You are one of the few who is apparently against itwhich I still cannot believe is truethis is more about you being mad at me saying itif anyone else said ityou’d be all about itright?
can you post those sites because I do not see them
@warriors on instagram and x – go into comments and replies. also on ig @warriorstalk and @gsw.network and @gsw.all.day
You still use Twatter/? It became crap a decade ago. Way to many trolls.
Yesbut stillplenty of real Dub Nation members on there. All who want Giannis by any means necessary. Being GSW has a newish player who makes identical moneythe trade becomes so clean. Also add in that Jimmy never wanted to be on GSW to begin withhe wanted to be on the Suns.
Simply because a lot of Warriors fans post their wishful thinking about trading for Giannis doesn’t mean there are currently any rumors about him asking to leave the Bucks.
There’s no question that the Bucks could do better than Butler if that changes.
I repeatedly said it would be a huge blockbuster of Giannis+vets for Jimmy+youth. Its the best way for the Bucks to rebuild quickly. I posted there is a salary matchwhich is a huge blockade to any trade for Giannis. Why are you ignoring everything I said so you are just lying and saying I’m saying Butler-Giannis straight up 1-1? I literally never said that.
It’s irrelevant regardlesswhether you’re talking “GSW has a newish player who makes identical moneythe trade becomes so clean” or ” Giannis+vets for Jimmy+youth”.
Unless Giannis asks outthe Bucks won’t trade him. And if he doesthere will be better offers than ” Giannis+vets for Jimmy+youth”.
Name those offers. Literally all of them require dismantling a current contenderwhich not all teams might want to explore. Surethere are handful of teams who could match the Warriors offer of “anyone they want not named Curry”but not many will want to blow things up like GSW might do hereas GSW is a team that seems to have messed up its “two timelines” approachbecause Kerr cannot execute itso it’s probably for the best for GSW to pivot here with a big trade for the best superstar to pair with Curry and for GSW to overall go with vets over youthwith Giannis being the best player the Warriors would want and could get.
How exactly has Brunson sacrificed?
What exactly has Brunson won?
Brunson signed for exactly the max amount he could when he signed his extension. He also structured his extension so that he recoup most of the money he “gave up” when he signs his next extension.
Maybe if the Warriors were to hire Dell Curry as an assistant coach Steph would be willing to take less.
Daveywhy is Steph Curry being so evil and demonic? I mean didn’t you say players really only need 5 mil over their career to be happy? He’s taking so much money!!! He could be helping your team ring chase (like he says he wants to do) but he REFUSES!!! AHHHHHHH
Curry is married so he is not taking a pay cut. I say that because I know people that have dealt with his wife and she is cheap.
Steph’s wife is “cheap”?
How ridiculous you sound.
SMH!
I can give you stories how she treat others. Steph is the opposite he is very generous with his money.
Go ahead
A cartering company catered one of her events instead of paying the servers a tip she told the catering company she will post a positive yelp review which is worth more than a tip as she claimed. On the other hand I know somebody’s relative who delivered a big screen TV to their house. Steph gave each of the guys a $100 tip for bringing it inside.
Curry is ring chasing? I don’t understand that. Don’t all athletes want to win championships? Why would a team sign a player who only wants a paycheck?
That is the reason why there is no money for Kuminga. With 2 of the top 5 paid NBA players on the same team there is no money for anyone else.
Or maybe teams are not that interested in him. A beat writer for the Lakersa rumor mill destination for Kumingathought a trade wouldn’t happen. He thought Kuminga’s demands were a bit delusional.
There is plenty of money for Kuminga. $45M over two years. If the Suns really wanted him they’d put a real trade package on the tablebut his value is not that great so teams don’t want to overpay for his potential.
YeahI think Dray and Jimmy are overpaid but that’s how the NBA worksveterans get the $$$. The Warriors have two years to make it work with this crew or trade out of this lineup.
Why kuminga should have taken the package offered in 2024 when the warriors could offer more. Now they hands are tied.
> With 2 of the top 5 paid NBA players on the same
> team there is no money for anyone else.
100%. We pay 3 players (all will be > 35 years old) a combined $145M.
Top-heavy rosters have been the Warriors’ way since KD arrived 9 years ago. It works when your top players are in their prime and injury-free (as the Championships prove). The trade-off is that you don’t have the money for a bench or to retain young players. Every off-season is a scramble to fill the roster with veteran minimumsand you get little contribution from young players.
My point is before Butler signed they had money for Kuminga in 2024 which he turned down but now regrets not taking the offer around $25 million a year.
Wild how in 2019 the Raptors had the deepest roster and they won the title vs a top heavy team. Almost like GSW should have traded Wiggins for 2-3 good rotation players instead of a superstar who handicaps them financially. Or at least get a superstar who doesn’t play the same position as KumingalikeyknowGiannis.
You are rightarc89.
The 2 year Butler extension as a bit of a “deal with the devil”. Trading for his services last season was a no-brainer: we needed another star desperatelyand we had the assets to exchange for his $49M/yr salary…and he definitely earned it.
But now GSW has to live with the extensionpaying Jimmy $110M over the next two seasons. For a 36-37 year old that has averaged 55 games per season latelythat’s dicey. If Jimmy misses 30 games and if we have no depthwe’re not a playoff team in the ultra-competitive West.
@daveyjthat’s an interesting insight about the Raptors’ depth winning out over ours.
Still we got unlucky with our elite “top” being hurt…
If KD doesn’t go downI argue we win easily.
Orif Klay doesn’t go downwe prolly win Game 6.
And don’t forget Boogie was playing on 1 leg.
Yepthat particular GSW was one of the bestbut injuries to BoogieKD and Klay sent them home. But look furtherwhen you break down the minutes down this is who basically the series was aboutthese are the players who played over 25 mins over the entire series:
KawhiSiakamLowryVanFleetGasolGreenIbakaPowell
vs
CurryGreenThompsonIguodalaCousinsLooneyLivingstonCookMcKinnieBogutJerebkoBell
It’s those last 5 names who cost the Warriors the title. This is a finals and you are playing Quinn Cook major minutes? Nope. GSW was top heavy that year and it cost them. Why was Kerr interested in playing anyone instead of his best 8like the Raptors did?
But also: that Raptors “major mins” unit is absurd. Norman Powell is the worst player? That’s a fanastically deep team.
@daveyj said:
> Why was Kerr interested in playing anyone instead
> of his best 8like the Raptors did?
Exactly the auestion. It’s indefensible from a conventional point of viewbut Kerr has taken the practice to an extreme — call it “playing your worst at the expense of your best” . Beyond what any modern NBA coach has done since the 2018-2019 season.
Here’s how this tendency is measured: given a standard “impact rating” (like plus-minus or EPM) for each player on a rosterhow does the coach distribute playing time? Steve Kerr givesproportionallymore minutes to his worst players and least minutes to his best players than any other coach in the NBA. You’ve just cited the best known instance of this in the analytics world: the 2019 Finals. But the 1/2 of the last 2 seasons and the Minnesota playoff series are also well-recognized examples.
Quinn CookJonas Jerebko. Anthony LambLester Quinonezand Lindy Waters are some of those “lesser” players.
100% spot on and I couldn’t agree more. And then we have to have the same boring convos about every tweener like those you listedbecause Kerr decides to fall in love with them because the tweener played well in limited minutesso Kerr has to have him suddenly leapfrog on the depth chart over Kuminga and Moody wherever possible – those are the 2 players who really got screwed in all of this horrific run of Kerr coaching starting in 2023-presentliterally all these junk minutes given to tweeners could have been given to KumingaMoody or Podz. It’s not even like Kerr is trying to sort out a bigits all the same type of playeran undersized shooting guard he keeps running out there. Even Chiozza stunk and they won a ring with him taking minutes anyway.
All Kerr has to do is play his best 10-12 in the regular seasonthen best 8 in the playoffsbut for some reason Kerr has decided he has to play all 15 guys equally in both regular season and playoffs. That literally means playing the worst players on the team more at the expense of the better ones aka bad coaching. Everyone knows this. Except one. Fire Steve Kerr.
@daveyjI forgot Chris Chiozza! A key attribute of all the “lessers” is that (unlike MoodyKumingaand Poole) they are never retained for following season.
Last season was Kerr’s “tour de force”. Who will ever forget the “15 man rotation” and the record setting 50 different starting lineups in 55 games. Andstatistically he set a record for most minutes to lessers at the expense of betters.
To top it all offwe had the ESPN announcer Tim Legler saying on national TV during the Minnesota series. “I just don’t understand why they’re under-utilizing Jonathan Kuminga when he’s been their best offensive player. Don’t play him 30 minutes a gameplay him 38 minutes per game.” After losing a couple of close games with GP2 starting and going 1-24 the season ends and Kerr asks Tim Kawakami for an interview to announce that “Kuminga is not the guy I would play 38 minutes per game”. SureSteve. We get that you think there are more important things than winning.
Kerr has the ego of a man who has been told he will never be fired. So nowdayshe’s just messing around out theretrying to shoehorn as many undersized players into a rotation as possiblewasting Curry’s prime in the process. YetCurry is his biggest supporter. WhyStephwhy?
Is Kawhi’s “endorsement” fee included in his Clippers’ salary? ;)
How about Brunson making 2.5 million more than Quickley. Nice trade by Knicks trading him along with Barrett for Anunoby.