The NBA offseason is basically over and there have been a ton of massive contracts handed out to some of the league’s best players. The hierarchy of the NBA’s top-paid players has also shifted and there are new names gracing the list.
Every free agency period allows the market to reset itself with new contracts and new extensions, which is why some of the best players such as LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, etc.. did not make the list. The money is measured by the average salaries that each player will make in the upcoming 2022-23 season.
10 Trae Young – $43,031,940
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A new entry on this list is the three-point shooting machine, Trae Young. Young has already taken the Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals at just 23 years old, which makes sense why the Hawks paid him so handsomely.
Young’s new max contract will kick in at the beginning of the season and he’ll go from his rookie contract to now one of the highest-paid players in the league. Atlanta was busy this offseason getting Young more help, adding Dejounte Murray from the Spurs to complete the backcourt of the future, and giving Young a chance at the title.
9 Zach LaVine – $43,031,940
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There was a ton of speculation around Bulls guard Zach LaVine and where he would end up in free agency. At the end of the day, it may not have been exciting, but it was probably the best option, LaVine resigned with the Chicago Bulls.
LaVine is an incredible player and losing him would have brought the Bulls down a notch or two right after they have just returned to being competitive, so it was a smart deal for Chicago. The Bulls have a high payroll with four players making over $20,000,000 per year, with LaVine at the top. However, if the Bulls win a championship, it was all worth it.
8 Luka Doncic – $43,031,940
Luka Doncic received the same contract as LaVine and Young and it is easy to see why. Doncic came into the NBA from Europe and immediately looked like a great player and has only improved since then.
Doncic is now an MVP candidate every year with the Dallas Mavericks, and like Young and LaVine, have an organization that looks like they are trying to build around the young star to build a contender. Doncic is one of the top players in the league already and is now getting paid like it, now the expectation is surely an MVP season on both sides.
7 Damian Lillard – $44,066,288
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Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard is as synonymous with the Trail Blazers as almost anyone in the team’s history. Lillard has spent all of his career in Portland, getting as far as the Western Conference Finals with the team.
Despite some success, it looks like Portland will not be contenders for the title until something massive happens and it seems as though Lillard is okay with remaining with the Trail Blazers and building something instead of demanding a trade out to a contender. Lillard has all the money now, so the fact that he remains in Portland is a testament to his loyalty.
6 Kawhi Leonard – $44,066,288
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Despite recent injury issues, it would still be difficult to argue that Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard isn’t a top ten player in the NBA when healthy. Leonard is the definition of a two-way superstar who is just as impactful on the defensive end as he is scoring.
Leonard shocked many when he decided to sign with the LA Clippers in 2019, as many had predicted he would sign with the rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Now with the acquisition of John Wall, the Clippers have a chance to make a run for a championship and if Leonard is healthy, he will be the player leading the way.
5 Paul George – $44,066,367
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Paul George just makes a tiny bit more than his counterpart on the LA Clippers, Kawhi Leonard. George and Leonard went to Los Angeles in the summer of 2019, immediately establishing the Clippers as a force in the NBA. However, the duo has not been able to reach the heights they were touted to do. Both athletes are worth the money they are receiving as they are some of the best in the NBA, but injuries and inconsistency have stopped them from achieving more.
George is one of the most ridiculed players when he isn’t on, so a huge season for him will be crucial to prove the doubters of him, his worth, and fans against the Clippers wrong.
4 Giannis Antetokounmpo – $45,640,084
Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably the best player in the world right now. He won the NBA Finals MVP two seasons ago, back-to-back MVP winners, and never seems to have a bad year. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks may have had a real chance at winning the championship last season if second star Khris Middleton didn’t go down with an injury.
Any team with the Greek Freak has a chance to win everything and that is why he is paid so heavily. Antetokounmpo is only in his second year of his new five-year deal, but only being 27 years old, he has this massive contract and probably another one waiting in the wings.
3 Kevin Durant – $48,554,830
While all the speculation remains on where Kevin Durant is going to play next season, one thing is for sure, he will be paid heavily wherever he is as Durant has one of the largest contracts in the league.
Durant signed a 4-year, $198 million contract with the Brooklyn Nets in the summer of last year, but that was before the Nets seemingly imploded and are now left at a crossroads in the franchise’s history. Whether the Nets decide to trade Durant or not, he will have made the third most money of any active NBA player from contracts.
2 Bradley Beal – $50,203,930
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Bradley Beal’s new contract still has the ink barely dried, but it is one of the richest in NBA history. The Washington Wizards guard has taken a lot of criticism for not demanding the trade and staying with the Wizards while the team has been rebuilding for so long.
The Wizards seem to be a constant disappointment, being unable to make it deep into the playoffs, but Beal has always been that consistency for the team since John Wall stopped being the primary star. With a contract like the one he just received, it certainly shows that he is appreciated for his loyalty for all these years.
1 Stephen Curry – $53,838,416
It’s only right for the current NBA Finals MVP to be the highest-paid player in the NBA. Stephen Curry has revolutionized the game of basketball with his three-point shooting and his coming off of his fourth NBA Championship. Curry will go down as one of the greatest players of all time, and now he is going to go down as one of the richest.
Curry’s new contract extension will pay him over $50 million each season for the next four seasons and propel him to one of the highest-paid career earners among active players, as he should be.