The NBA issued a new salary cap projection for the 2026/27 season on Monday, adjusting its estimate for next year’s cap to $165MM.
There are a number of salary figures directly connected to the cap, including the league-wide maximum and minimum salaries, the mid-level exception, and the bi-annual exception. Those figures increase or decrease each year by the same percentage the cap does.
The NBA’s new cap projection meant we had a series of ’26/27 projections of our own in need of updating. Here are the links to those updated numbers:
Maximum salary projections for 2026/27
These are the projected earnings for players who signed maximum-salary extensions that will go into effect in 2026, including Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Luka Doncic, and De’Aaron Fox.
They also represent the projected maximum-salary figures for players who will reach free agency during the coming offseason, such as Jalen Duren and Austin Reaves.
Minimum salary projections for 2026/27
These are the minimum salaries that a player who signs a standard contract in 2026/27 will be eligible to earn. Next year’s rookie minimum is currently projected to be worth about $1.36MM, while the minimum salary for a veteran with at least 10 years of NBA experience is nearly $3.88MM.
Mid-level, bi-annual projections for 2026/27
These projections cover the various mid-level exceptions available to teams, including the full (non-taxpayer) mid-level exception, the taxpayer version of the MLE, and the “room” exception for teams that use cap space. A player who signs a four-year contract worth the full mid-level amount during the 2026 offseason would be in line to receive almost $65MM over the life of the deal, based on the NBA’s latest cap projection.
The bi-annual exception is also included in these projections — it projects to be worth a record $5,478,000 in ’26/27.
These projections can be found anytime on the right-hand sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features” or on the “Features” page in our mobile menu. They’ll be updated again later this season if the NBA issues another new cap projection.