Similarly to the minimum salary I mentioned in a previous post the max salary is dependent of Years in the NBA and the current salary cap. Below is a table featuring the information for the max salary for 2017-20.
| Years in NBA1 | Defined maximum salary | 2017-18 | 2018-19 | 2019-20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 – 6 | 25% of cap | $24,773,250 | $25,467,250 | $27,285,000 |
| 7 – 9 | 30% of cap | $29,727,900 | $30,560,700 | $32,742,000 |
| 10+ | 35% of cap | $34,682,550 | $35,654,150 | $38,199,000 |
The above maximum salaries are for the general case, but there are exceptions. The first exception is that in a multi-year contract only the first season’s salary is subject to the maximum.
Below are the top 5 highest paid players in the NBA:
| Rk | Player | Tm | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | Signed Using | Guaranteed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Curry | GSW | $40,231,758 | $43,006,362 | $45,780,966 | Bird Rights | $129,019,086 | |||
| 2 | Chris Paul | OKC | $38,506,482 | $41,358,814 | $44,211,146 | $124,076,442 | ||||
| 3 | Russell Westbrook | HOU | $38,178,000 | $41,006,000 | $43,848,000 | $46,662,000 | Bird Rights | $123,032,000 | ||
| 4 | John Wall | WAS | $37,800,000 | $40,824,000 | $43,848,000 | $46,872,000 | Bird Rights | $122,472,000 | ||
| 5 | James Harden | HOU | $37,800,000 | $40,824,000 | $43,848,000 | $46,872,000 | Bird Rights | $122,472,000 |
Here are highlights from Steph Curry, the highest paid player as of the 2019-20 season.
Cash Considerations 