NBA’s Top 40 Highest-Paid Players For 2017/18

While many of the NBA’s highest-paid players are on contracts considered maximum-salary deals, only one of those players is actually earning the largest allowable salary for the 2017/18 season. That’s Stephen Curry, whose $34,682,550 salary is the ’17/18 maximum for a player with 10+ years of NBA experience — or one like Curry who has qualified for a Designated Veteran Extension.

Every other player on a maximum-salary deal is either earning the maximum allowable salary for a player with less NBA experience (like Gordon Hayward, whose $29,727,900 salary is the max for a player with 7-9 years of experience) or signed his max contract in a previous season.

When a player signs a maximum-salary deal, he doesn’t necessarily the NBA max for each season of that contract — he earns it for year one, then gets a series of identical annual raises. That’s why a player like Kyrie Irving, who signed his maximum-salary contract several years ago, isn’t even among the NBA’s 40 highest-paid players, despite technically still being on a max deal.

Listed below, with the help of salary data from Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, are those top 40 highest-paid NBA players for the 2017/18 season. Why 40? That’s the number of players who are earning at least $20MM this season.

The players on this list don’t necessarily have the contracts with the largest overall value. J.J. Redick‘s $23MM salary, for instance, places him among the highest-paid players for this season, but the overall value of his deal is modest, since it’s just a one-year contract. The list below only considers salaries for 2017/18.

Additionally, we’ve noted players who could potentially increase their earnings via incentives or trade bonuses. We didn’t add those notes for players like Curry and Hayward – who have trade bonuses but are already earning the max – since their salaries for this season can’t increase.

Here are the NBA’s 40 highest-paid players for the 2017/18 season:

1. Stephen Curry, Warriors: $34,682,550
2. LeBron James, Cavaliers: $33,285,709 (15% trade bonus)
3. Paul Millsap, Nuggets: $31,269,231 (plus incentives)
4. Gordon Hayward, Celtics: $29,727,900
5. Blake Griffin, Clippers: $29,512,900 (15% trade bonus)
6. Kyle Lowry, Raptors: $28,703,704 (plus incentives)
7. Russell Westbrook, Thunder: $28,530,608 (15% trade bonus)
8. Mike Conley, Grizzlies: $28,530,608
9. James Harden, Rockets: $28,299,399
10. DeMar DeRozan, Raptors: $27,739,975
11. Al Horford, Celtics: $27,734,405 (15% trade bonus)
12. Carmelo Anthony, Thunder: $26,243,760
13. Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers: $26,153,057
14. Jrue Holiday, Pelicans: $25,686,667 (plus incentives)
15. Kevin Durant, Warriors: $25,000,000 (15% trade bonus)
16. Otto Porter, Wizards: $24,773,250
17. Chris Paul, Rockets: $24,599,495
18. C.J. McCollum, Trail Blazers: $23,962,573
19. Andre Drummond, Pistons: $23,775,506 (8% trade bonus)
20. Bradley Beal, Wizards: $23,775,506
21. Anthony Davis, Pelicans: $23,775,506 *
22. Hassan Whiteside, Heat: $23,775,506
23. Dwight Howard, Hornets: $23,500,000
24. Harrison Barnes, Mavericks: $23,112,004 (8% trade bonus)
25. Chandler Parsons, Grizzlies: $23,112,004
26. J.J. Redick, Sixers: $23,000,000 *
27. Marc Gasol, Grizzlies: $22,642,350 (15% trade bonus)
28. DeAndre Jordan, Clippers: $22,642,350 (15% trade bonus)
29. Brook Lopez, Lakers: $22,642,350
30. Kevin Love, Cavaliers: $22,642,350
31. Steven Adams, Thunder: $22,471,911 (7.5% trade bonus)
32. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: $22,471,911
33. Nicolas Batum, Hornets: $22,434,783
34. Rudy Gobert, Jazz: $21,974,719 (plus incentives)
35. LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs: $21,461,010 (15% trade bonus)
36. Victor Oladipo, Pacers: $21,000,000 (plus incentives)
37. Danilo Gallinari, Clippers: $20,559,599
38. Enes Kanter, Knicks: $20,566,802
39. Serge Ibaka, Raptors: $20,061,729
40. George Hill, Kings: $20,000,000

* Reports have suggested Davis and Redick have 15% trade bonuses, but they’re not noted by Basketball Insiders.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.