NBA Maximum Salaries For 2020/21
Now that the NBA has set its salary cap for the 2020/21 league year at $109,140,000, we have a clear idea of what maximum-salary contracts will look like for the coming season. Conveniently, with the cap unchanged from 2019/20, this year’s max deals will look a whole lot like last year’s.
We’ll likely soon be able to apply these numbers to contracts for free agents Anthony Davis and Brandon Ingram. They’re also relevant for players who signed maximum-salary extensions in 2019 that will go into effect in ’20/21, such as Jamal Murray.
Listed below are the maximum-salary contracts for players signing contracts that start in 2020/21. The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous team can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player signing with a new team.
A player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players. In the charts below, the “6 years or less” column details the maximum contracts for players like Ingram and Murray; the “7-9 years” column applies to free agents like Davis; and the “10+ years” column applies to the league’s most experienced vets, none of whom are particularly strong candidates for max deals this fall.
Here are the maximum salary figures for 2020/21:
A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):
| Year | 6 years or less | 7-9 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | $27,285,000 | $32,742,000 | $38,199,000 |
| 2021/22 | $29,467,800 | $35,361,360 | $41,254,920 |
| 2022/23 | $31,650,600 | $37,980,720 | $44,310,840 |
| 2023/24 | $33,833,400 | $40,600,080 | $47,366,760 |
| 2024/25 | $36,016,200 | $43,219,440 | $50,422,680 |
| Total | $158,253,000 | $189,903,600 | $221,554,200 |
A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):
| Year | 6 years or less | 7-9 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | $27,285,000 | $32,742,000 | $38,199,000 |
| 2021/22 | $28,649,250 | $34,379,100 | $40,108,950 |
| 2022/23 | $30,013,500 | $36,016,200 | $42,018,900 |
| 2023/24 | $31,377,750 | $37,653,300 | $43,928,850 |
| Total | $117,325,500 | $140,790,600 | $164,255,700 |
There’s also one last category of maximum salary worth outlining for 2020/21. Sixers guard/forward Ben Simmons and Raptors forward Pascal Siakam both signed rookie scale extensions last year that would have been worth the maximum allowable starting salary for players with their experience level (25% of the cap).
However, because Rose Rule language was written into each player’s contract, and both Simmons and Siakam made All-NBA teams in 2020, they’ll be eligible for a slightly higher starting salary worth 28% of the cap. It’s a sort of pseudo-max, since the two stars could technically have received up to 30% of the cap in 2020/21 if they’d made the All-NBA First Team.
Here’s what Simmons’ five-year deal and Siakam’s four-year pact will look like:
| Year | Ben Simmons | Pascal Siakam |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | $30,559,200 | $30,559,200 |
| 2021/22 | $33,003,936 | $33,003,936 |
| 2022/23 | $35,448,672 | $35,448,672 |
| 2023/24 | $37,893,408 | $37,893,408 |
| 2024/25 | $40,338,144 | — |
| Total | $177,243,360 | $136,905,216 |
Finally, it’s worth noting that none of the maximum-salary figures listed above will apply to extension-eligible players whose new contracts would start in 2021/22.
This group includes players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is eligible for a super-max extension with the Bucks. It also includes veterans who have already signed maximum-salary extensions, like Damian Lillard with the Trail Blazers, and players who could sign rookie scale extensions in the coming weeks, such as Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Kings guard De’Aaron Fox.
Even if they sign new deals sooner rather than later, the exact value of their next contracts will depend on where the cap lands for ’21/22. The NBA has announced that the cap for next year could increase anywhere from 3-10% on this season’s figure, so there’s still a wide range of possible values for those future deals.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rockets Close To Hiring Jeff Hornacek As Assistant
Former NBA head coach Jeff Hornacek is “very close” to joining the Rockets as an assistant coach on Stephen Silas‘ new staff, reports Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link). Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle first reported that the Rockets were in talks with Hornacek.
A former shooting guard who made an All-Star team and appeared in a pair of NBA Finals, Hornacek transitioned into coaching in 2011 when he was hired as an assistant by the Jazz. He subsequently coached the Suns from 2013-16 and the Knicks from 2016-18.
Hornacek led Phoenix to a 48-34 record in his first year as a head coach, but didn’t finish above .500 in a season after that. He has an overall record of 161-216 (.427) as a head coach.
Since Silas is a first-time head coach, there was an expectation that the Rockets would want to make sure he had an experienced staff around him. Feigen previously reported that Houston wanted to get at least two former head coaches on Silas’ staff, and it seems the club has achieved that goal — assuming Hornacek finalizes a deal with the Rockets, he’ll join John Lucas, who has decided to remain with the organization as an assistant.
The Rockets also aggressively pursued veteran coach Nate McMillan, but McMillan is reportedly on the verge of joining the Hawks.
Official Early Entrants List For 2020 NBA Draft
The NBA has officially announced that 84 early entrant prospects will be eligible to be selected in the 2020 NBA draft next Wednesday. Of those early entrants, 71 are players from college or other educational institutions, while the remaining 13 are international prospects.
Although the number of early entrants is higher than the number of picks in the draft (60), the list of early entrants is still significantly smaller than it was at the NBA’s initial entry deadline in April. At that point, 205 early entrants had declared for the draft. After testing the waters, more than half of those players withdrew their names
Here’s the complete list of early entrant prospects eligible for the 2020 NBA draft:
College Players:
- Precious Achiuwa, F, Memphis (freshman)
- Milan Acquaah, G, California Baptist (junior)
- Ty-Shon Alexander, G, Creighton (junior)
- Cole Anthony, G, North Carolina (freshman)
- Brendan Bailey, F, Marquette (sophomore)
- Saddiq Bey, F, Villanova (sophomore)
- Tyler Bey, F, Colorado (junior)
- Jermaine Bishop, G, Norfolk State (junior)
- Dachon Burke, G, Nebraska (junior)
- Vernon Carey Jr., C, Duke (freshman)
- Nate Darling, G, Delaware (junior)
- Lamine Diane, F, Cal State Northridge (sophomore)
- Devon Dotson, G, Kansas (sophomore)
- Anthony Edwards, G, Georgia (freshman)
- CJ Elleby, F, Washington State (sophomore)
- Malik Fitts, F, Saint Mary’s (junior)
- Malachi Flynn, G, San Diego State (junior)
- Josh Green, G/F, Arizona (freshman)
- Ashton Hagans, G, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Tyrese Haliburton, G, Iowa State (sophomore)
- Josh Hall, F, Moravian Prep (N/A)
- Rayshaun Hammonds, F, Georgia (junior)
- Jalen Harris, G, Nevada (junior)
- Niven Hart, G, Fresno State (freshman)
- Nate Hinton, G/F, Houston (sophomore)
- Elijah Hughes, G/F, Syracuse (junior)
- Isaiah Joe, G, Arkansas (sophomore)
- Dakari Johnson, G, Cape Fear CC (freshman)
- C.J. Jones, G, Middle Tennessee (junior)
- Mason Jones, G, Arkansas (junior)
- Tre Jones, G, Duke (sophomore)
- Saben Lee, G, Vanderbilt (junior)
- Michael Lenoir, G, Creating Young Minds Academy (N/A)
- Kira Lewis, G, Alabama (sophomore)
- Nico Mannion, G, Arizona (freshman)
- Naji Marshall, F, Xavier (junior)
- Kenyon Martin Jr., F, IMG Academy (N/A)
- Tyrese Maxey, G, Kentucky (freshman)
- Jaden McDaniels, F, Washington (freshman)
- Isiaha Mike, F, SMU (junior)
- EJ Montgomery, F, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Aaron Nesmith, G, Vanderbilt (sophomore)
- Zeke Nnaji, F, Arizona (freshman)
- Jordan Nwora, F, Louisville (junior)
- Nikolaos Okekuoyen, C, Ridgeview Prep (N/A)
- Onyeka Okongwu, F/C, USC (freshman)
- Isaac Okoro, F, Auburn (freshman)
- Daniel Oturu, C, Minnesota (sophomore)
- Reggie Perry, F, Mississippi State (sophomore)
- Nate Pierre-Louis, G, Temple (junior)
- Immanuel Quickley, G, Kentucky (sophomore)
- Jahmi’us Ramsey, G, Texas Tech (freshman)
- Paul Reed, F, DePaul (junior)
- Nick Richards, F/C, Kentucky (junior)
- Jay Scrubb, G, John A. Logan College (sophomore)
- Jalen Smith, F, Maryland (sophomore)
- Cassius Stanley, G, Duke (freshman)
- Isaiah Stewart, F/C, Washington (freshman)
- Tyrell Terry, G, Stanford (freshman)
- Xavier Tillman, F/C, Michigan State (junior)
- Obi Toppin, F, Dayton (sophomore)
- Jordan Tucker, F, Butler (sophomore)
- Devin Vassell, G, Florida State (sophomore)
- Nick Weatherspoon, G, Mississippi State (junior)
- Kaleb Wesson, F/C, Ohio State (junior)
- Kahlil Whitney, F, Kentucky (freshman)
- Emmitt Williams, F, LSU (sophomore)
- Patrick Williams, F, Florida State (freshman)
- James Wiseman, C, Memphis (freshman)
- Robert Woodard II, F, Mississippi State (sophomore)
- Omer Yurtseven, C, Georgetown (junior)
International Players:
Note: The country indicates where the player had been playing, not necessarily where he was born.
- Deni Avdija, F, Israel (born 2001)
- Adrian Bogucki, C, Poland (born 2000)
- Leandro Bolmaro, F, Spain (born 2000)
- Imru Duke, F, Spain (born 1999)
- Paul Eboua, F, Italy (born 2000)
- Killian Hayes, G, Germany (born 2001)
- Vit Krejci, G, Spain (born 2000)
- Yam Madar, G, Israel (born 2000)
- Theo Maledon, G, France (born 2001)
- Karim Mane, G, Canada (born 2000)
- Aleksej Pokusevski, F, Greece (born 2001)
- Marko Simonovic, C, Serbia (born 1999)
- Mouhamed Thiam, C, France (born 2001)
The NBA’s list of early entrants includes one name that we had missed previously: Ridgeview Prep big man Nikolaos Okekuoyen. He wasn’t on the NBA’s list following the adjusted early entry deadline in August, so presumably the league determined after the fact that he got his paperwork completed on time.
Tony Goodwin II, Osas Ehigiator, Miguel Gonzalez, Sehmus Hazer, Arturs Kurucs, Caio Pacheco, Sander Raieste, Njegos Sikiras, Aboubacar Traore, and Uros Trifunovic are among the players withdrawing from the draft since our last check-in.
For details on which other prospects originally declared for the draft, then withdrew their names, be sure to check out our previous unofficial early entrant list.
NBA, NBPA Agree To Amended CBA; Free Agency To Begin Nov. 20
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have reached an agreement on an amended Collective Bargaining Agreement in advance of the 2020/21 league year, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim Bontemps. The league and union issued a press release confirming the news.
As a result of the agreement, free agency will begin on 6:00 pm eastern time on Friday, November 20, less than 48 hours after the November 18 draft. After a brief moratorium, signings will officially be permitted starting on Sunday, November 22 at 12:01 pm.
Here are several of the other highlights of the new deal:
- As expected, the regular season will begin on December 22 and there will be a 72-game schedule. The full schedule will be released at a later date.
- The salary cap will once again be $109,140,000 and the luxury tax line will be $132,627,000. Those are the same numbers as in 2019/20. As a result, figures like minimum and maximum salaries and mid-level/bi-annual amounts will remain the same.
- The NBA will reduce the luxury tax bill of taxpaying teams at the end of 2020/21 season by the percentage amount that the league’s Basketball Related Income falls short of its initial projections. For instance, a 30% decline in BRI would result in a 30% reduction of a taxpayer’s bill — say, from $10MM to $7MM. This should benefit projected taxpayers such as the Warriors, Nets, Celtics, and Sixers, among others.
- The cap will increase by a minimum of 3% per year and a maximum of 10% per year through the rest of the current CBA. For 2021/22, that means the cap will be at least $112,414,200, and could be as high as $120,054,000.
- The standard 10% of player salaries will continue to be held in escrow for the time being. Any necessary salary reductions will be spread out over next season and the following two seasons, but players can never have more than 20% of their salaries withheld in a single season.
The NBA’s transaction freeze remains in place for now, but the expectation is that it will be lifted early next week, perhaps two or three days before the November 18 draft, according to Bontemps and Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Once that freeze ends, teams will be permitted to formally finalize trades and other roster moves.
The league is also expected to soon announce new dates and deadlines for player/team option decisions, certain salary guarantees, qualifying offer decisions, and the expiration of trade exceptions.
Central Notes: Brown, Pacers, Markkanen, Carter, Pistons
Bucks guard Sterling Brown has reached a $750K settlement agreement with the City of Milwaukee stemming from his lawsuit accusing police officers of racially profiling him and employing excessive force for a January 2018 parking violation, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
It was over a year ago that Brown turned down a $400K settlement offer from the city. That offer also didn’t include an admission of liability, which was a sticking point for the Bucks guard. As Charania details, the new agreement will see the city admit to a constitutional violation and commit to incorporating changes in the Police Department’s standard operating procedures.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- The Pacers are hiring Kaleb Canales as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The newest member of Nate Bjorkgren‘s staff has served an assistant for the Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and – most recently – the Knicks, and was briefly Portland’s interim head coach in 2012.
- Appearing on The Lowe Post podcast, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony passes along some Bulls-related chatter, telling colleague Zach Lowe that he’s heard the team is higher on Lauri Markkanen than Wendell Carter at this point (hat tip to RealGM). Givony suggests that if Chicago wants to move up from No. 4 to No. 1 in the draft, the team may have to part with Carter to do so. “It seems like a pretty hefty price to me, but that is what it’s going to cost it looks like,” Givony said.
- Keith Langlois of Pistons.com takes a look at how new Pistons general manager Troy Weaver plans to balance the team’s long-term priorities with his aversion to bottoming out and writing off full seasons.
Sixers Officially Announce Coaching Staff
The Sixers have officially announced Doc Rivers‘ new coaching staff, confirming today in a press release that Dave Joerger, Sam Cassell, Dan Burke, Popeye Jones, and Brian Adams have been hired as assistants. All five assistant coach additions were reported in the past few weeks.
In addition to those five hirings, the 76ers are retaining Eric Hughes as an assistant, hiring Pete Dominguez as a coaching associate, and giving Todor Pandov the role of assistant coach/performance director.
“After taking this job, one of my top priorities was forming the best staff in the NBA,” Rivers said in a statement. “I’m thrilled with the way it came together as this group boasts years of valuable NBA experience, both playing and coaching, and each member brings a championship-level mindset to the table. I’m confident in my staff’s ability to best support our players and look forward to getting into the lab with our team as soon as we get the green light.”
Joerger, Cassell, and Burke are the most notable additions to Rivers’ staff. Joerger is a former NBA head coach, having compiled a 245-247 (.498) record with the Kings and Grizzlies from 2013-19; Cassell is a veteran assistant who was a member of Rivers’ staff in Los Angeles and received some head coaching buzz this year; and Burke is a highly respected defensive specialist who spent the last two-plus decades in Indiana.
Cavs Rumors: Thompson, Free Agents, Drummond, No. 5 Pick
The Cavaliers would like to re-sign Tristan Thompson at the right price, but so far, discussions between the two sides have “centered on a number lower than Thompson would want,” according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Thompson had an $18.5MM salary in 2019/20 and presumably won’t want to see that number decrease too significantly going forward. However, that may simply be the veteran’s reality now, Fedor writes.
As Fedor points out, John Hollinger of The Athletic and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst have both recently suggested that Thompson may be no more than a minimum-salary free agent. It sounds like the Cavs will offer him more than that, so the big man may have to decide whether he wants to stay in Cleveland at that higher number or compete for a title elsewhere on a more modest deal. He appears unlikely to get a sizeable offer from a contender, Fedor notes.
If Thompson doesn’t re-sign with the Cavaliers, the team will probably have to dedicate a portion of its mid-level exception to signing a center. Fedor identifies Harry Giles, Aron Baynes, Thon Maker, and Nerlens Noel as some free agents who could be possibilities for Cleveland.
Here’s more from Fedor on the Cavs:
- Sources tell Fedor that the Cavaliers were hoping to pursue Jerami Grant in free agency, but now expect him to be out of their price range. The team still aims to add athletic, defensive-minded players — Derrick Jones, Maurice Harkless, Kris Dunn, and Pat Connaughton are a few of the potential targets singled out by Fedor.
- If and when Andre Drummond officially opts in for 2020/21, it’s possible the Cavaliers will view him and his expiring contract as a potential trade chip. However, Fedor’s sources believe Cleveland would have a better chance of moving Drummond at the trade deadline rather than in the offseason, so it sounds like the veteran center will spend at least part of the season in Cleveland.
- Multiple members of Cleveland’s front office like Tyrese Haliburton, but after using their previous two lottery picks on guards, the Cavs seem unlikely to opt for Haliburton over an “equally-talented” prospect who fills a greater need. Fedor believes Deni Avdija, Onyeka Okongwu, Isaac Okoro, and Obi Toppin are – in no particular order – the best bets to be the Cavs’ pick at No. 5.
Multiple Western Teams Mull Pursuit Of Spencer Dinwiddie
Multiple contending teams in the Western Conference have had internal discussions in which they expressed interest in trading for Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv.
Presumably, Dinwiddie could be had as part of a package if a club is willing to send a star player to Brooklyn. However, it’s unclear whether the Nets would seriously consider moving the veteran guard in a smaller trade this fall, Begley writes. A contending team with interest in Dinwiddie is unlikely to want to give up an impact player of its own in any deal.
As NetsDaily notes (via Twitter), ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said in a recent podcast that there’s an expectation around the NBA that Dinwiddie may be available in the right offseason deal, but Windhorst sounded unconvinced that the Nets will actively shop the 27-year-old.
Dinwiddie is coming off a season in which he averaged a career-high 20.6 PPG and 6.8 APG in 64 games (31.2 MPG). There will be fewer touches to go around in 2020/21, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving back in the lineup and Caris LeVert still in the mix. Still, Dinwiddie could be an important insurance policy in the backcourt, given Irving’s and LeVert’s injury histories.
Dinwiddie’s contract situation is worth keeping an eye on too. He’s entering a potential contract year – he holds a player option for 2021/22 – and it remains to be seen whether the Nets will be willing to sign him to a lucrative new contract a year from now — the team projects to be in the tax, assuming Joe Harris gets a new deal this offseason. If Dinwiddie isn’t assured of a long-term role in Brooklyn, a trade becomes a more realistic possibility.
While Begley’s report doesn’t identify the Western teams that have discussed Dinwiddie, there are at least a couple clubs that would make sense as potential suitors. The Clippers are one, as they’re known to be in the market for a play-making point guard. The Lakers would also make sense, particularly if they lose Rajon Rondo in free agency.
Draft Notes: International Prospects, Wolves, Suns, Lewis, Terry
The NBA’s deadline for early entrants to withdraw from this year’s draft has now passed, which means it should just be a matter of time before we get an updated official list from the league of the early entrants who have kept their names in this year’s pool.
In the meantime, updates on a handful of international prospects continue to trickle in. According to Nicola Lupo of Sportando, Estonian forward Henri Drell – who is currently playing for Pesaro in Italy – has withdrawn his name from the 2020 draft.
On the other hand, Isralie point guard Yam Madar, a member of Hapoel Tel Aviv, has elected to keep his name in the draft, per Barak Haklai of ynetsport (Twitter link). And after initially announcing that his client Marko Simonovic would be pulling out of the draft, agent Misko Raznatovic has clarified (via Twitter) that Simonovic will remain in the draft after all.
Here’s more on the 2020 NBA draft:
- An NBA general manager who spoke to Jeff Goodman of Stadium (Twitter link) this morning said he doesn’t envy the Timberwolves and their efforts to maximize the value of the No. 1 pick. “The teams at the top are desperate to try and trade down, but there just isn’t much value with the top few picks this year,” the GM said.
- Within a piece on Kira Lewis Jr., Mike Mazzeo of Forbes says the Timberwolves and Suns are among the teams that have watched the Alabama guard work out in person. Lewis also worked out in person for Detroit, Chicago, New York, and Orlando, as previously reported.
- Few prospects have increased their stock in recent months as substantially as Stanford’s Tyrell Terry, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who notes within a profile of Terry that the 20-year-old has interviewed virtually with all 30 NBA teams.
- In an Insider-only article, Kevin Pelton of ESPN uses advanced stats to break down this year’s prospects into tiers. Pelton has LaMelo Ball on his own in tier one, followed by Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton in tier two, with Deni Avdija, Onyeka Okongwu, and James Wiseman in tier three.
New York Notes: Allen, Nets, Hampton, Nesmith, Knicks
While Joe Harris will be the Nets‘ top priority in free agency this fall, the team will also have to consider the possibility of a new deal for Jarrett Allen, who will become a restricted free agent in 2021 if he’s not extended before the start of the season.
As NetsDaily relays, ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Brian Windhorst discussed Allen on a recent episode of Windhorst’s Hoop Collective podcast, with Marks suggesting that the big man will be looking for “Clint Capela-type” money. The five-year contract Capela signed with Houston in 2018 had a base value of $80MM, with an extra $10MM in incentives, for an average annual value of $16-18MM.
If Allen is really seeking that kind of deal, Marks is skeptical he and the Nets will get anything done this year. An extension in the range of $12-14MM annually would be more palatable for Brooklyn, in Marks’ view.
Of course, it’s also worth noting that Allen would be a prime trade candidate if the Nets pursue a third star to complement Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, so it’s possible they won’t even have to worry about the young center’s next contract.
Here’s more on the NBA’s two New York teams:
- The Nets worked out combo guard RJ Hampton in Memphis within the last two weeks, reports Marc Berman of The New York Post. Berman previously said Brooklyn would be “extremely interested” in Hampton if he’s still available at No. 19.
- In a separate story for The Post, Berman examines Aaron Nesmith‘s potential fit with the Knicks, weighing whether the Vanderbilt marksman would be an option for the team at No. 8 or if he’d only receive serious consideration in a trade-down scenario. Nesmith is the 13th-ranked prospect on ESPN’s big board.
- After waiting for months for the NBA’s offseason to begin in earnest, the Knicks are now in position to significantly overhaul their roster in the span of a couple weeks, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.