Community Shootaround: Early Look At MVP Race
We’re only about a month into the NBA season, but a handful of strong contenders for this season’s Most Valuable Player award are already emerging. While there’s plenty of time for players like last year’s MVP Russell Westbrook to pick up the pace and insert themselves into this season’s race, AJ Neuharth-Keusch of USA Today and Dennis Chambers of Basketball Insiders have identified the players who look like the strongest candidates so far.
Neuharth-Keusch and Chambers agree that James Harden (Rockets) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) have been the top two candidates for MVP, in some order. The two stars are the only players in the NBA averaging more than 30 points per game, and Harden is also leading the league with 10.3 assists per contest. Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, is averaging a double-double of his own with 10.3 RPG.
LeBron James (Cavaliers) is also a consensus pick on Neuharth-Keusch’s and Chambers’ early lists, which makes sense, despite the fact that James’ Cavs are off to a sluggish start. The four-time MVP is playing some of the best basketball of his career, with 28.1 PPG, 8.8 APG, and an incredible .586 FG% while averaging an NBA-high 38.1 minutes per contest.
From there, the lists diverge. Neuharth-Keusch – whose list features input from fellow USA Today scribes Sam Amick, Jeff Zillgitt, and Michael Singer – rounds out the top five with Kristaps Porzingis (Knicks) and DeMarcus Cousins (Pelicans).
Both New York and New Orleans were projected to be sub-.500 teams this season, but are off to solid starts behind the incredible play of their respective big men. Porzingis is averaging an impressive 29.5 PPG and shooting 41.0% on three-pointers, while Cousins is stuffing the stat sheet with 28.2 PPG, 14.0 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.6 BPG, and 1.6 SPG.
As for Chambers, he weighs team success a little more heavily, filling out his list with Stephen Curry (Warriors), Kevin Durant (Warriors), and Kyrie Irving (Celtics). Golden State leads the Western Conference with an 11-3 record, while Boston has an NBA-best 13-2 mark.
What do you think? Do you have an early pick for 2017/18 MVP? Do you think a player not mentioned above will become a part of the conversation in a big way within the next few weeks or months? Jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!
2018 Salary Cap Outlook: Southeast Division
NBA rosters will undergo some changes over the course of the 2017/18 season, particularly around the trade deadline, and those changes may have an impact on teams’ cap sheets for future seasons. Based on the NBA’s current rosters, however, we can identify which teams are most and least likely to have cap room in the summer of 2018, which will dictate the type of moves those clubs can make in the offseason.
We’re taking a closer look at each of the NBA’s 30 teams by division this week. Today, we’re tackling the Southeast division. With the help of salary information compiled by Basketball Insiders, here’s how the summer of 2018 is shaping up for the five Southeast teams:
Miami Heat
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $117,444,952
Projection: Over the cap
Since the start of the 2016 offseason, the Heat have handed out lucrative long-term contracts to Hassan Whiteside, James Johnson, Dion Waiters, Kelly Olynyk, and Josh Richardson. It will be Tyler Johnson‘s deal that will be the toughest to swallow in 2018/19 though. Because of the way his 2016 offer sheet from the Nets was structured under the old CBA, Johnson’s cap charge will jump from about $5.88MM this season to $19MM+ next year.
Barring major cost-cutting moves, the Heat will be well over the cap in 2018/19, and may end up surpassing the luxury tax line too.
Charlotte Hornets
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $116,377,251
Projection: Over the cap
The Hornets have six players on their roster set to make at least $12MM apiece in 2018/19, including two – Nicolas Batum and Dwight Howard – earning about twice that. Most of those contracts won’t be easy to move, and Charlotte won’t want to dump the more team-friendly salaries from that group, like Kemba Walker‘s $12MM expiring deal. As such, we can expect the Hornets to head into the 2018 offseason as an over-the-cap club.
Washington Wizards
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $115,896,497
Projection: Over the cap
Despite the fact that John Wall‘s super-max extension won’t go into effect until 2019/20, the Wizards have nearly $116MM committed to just eight players next season. Even if the team were to trade a non-core player on an eight-figure salary, such as Ian Mahinmi or Marcin Gortat, it wouldn’t be enough to create meaningful cap space.
Orlando Magic
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $78,180,655
Projection: Up to approximately $19.5MM in cap room
The summer of 2018 will be a good test for just how attached the Magic’s new front office is to the old regime’s top draft picks. Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton will be restricted free agents, and if Orlando intends to retain both players – or even just Gordon – the team’s cap room will disappear. Letting Gordon and Payton walk and waiving Shelvin Mack and his non-guaranteed salary would get the Magic up to nearly $20MM in cap space.
Atlanta Hawks
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $56,232,915
Projection: Up to approximately $41MM in cap room
The Hawks’ maximum available cap space for 2018 will hinge in part on whether Dewayne Dedmon and Mike Muscala decide to pick up their respective player options. Those options being exercised would reduce the Hawks’ max cap room to about $31MM, which would still be more than enough to make a major addition or two — or to take on a couple undesirable contracts along with picks or young players, if Atlanta isn’t ready yet to accelerate its rebuilding timeline.
Previously:
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2018 Salary Cap Outlook: Central Division
NBA rosters will undergo some changes over the course of the 2017/18 season, particularly around the trade deadline, and those changes may have an impact on teams’ cap sheets for future seasons. Based on the NBA’s current rosters, however, we can identify which teams are most and least likely to have cap room in the summer of 2018, which will dictate the type of moves those clubs can make in the offseason.
We’re taking a closer look at each of the NBA’s 30 teams by division this week. Today, we’re tackling the Central division. With the help of salary information compiled by Basketball Insiders, here’s how the summer of 2018 is shaping up for the five Central teams:
Milwaukee Bucks
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $104,034,259
Projection: Over the cap
The Bucks’ recent acquisition of Eric Bledsoe, which added another $15MM to the team’s books for next season, all but guarantees that Milwaukee won’t have any cap space available in 2018. Moving another contract or two could change that, but if the Bucks intend to re-sign Jabari Parker to a long-term deal, they’ll likely end up much closer to the luxury tax line than to the salary cap threshold.
Detroit Pistons
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $101,685,313
Projection: Over the cap
The NBA’s most recent salary cap projection estimated a $101MM cap for 2018/19, which would put the Pistons right around the threshold. Don’t expect Detroit to try to sneak below that line and create space though — if they intend to re-sign Avery Bradley, the Pistons figure to remain well over the cap next summer.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $75,902,175
Projection: Up to approximately $21MM in cap room
Since LeBron James returned to Cleveland in 2014, the Cavaliers have spent more money than any other NBA team on player salaries and tax payments, so it’s somewhat surprising to see the club with only $76MM in guaranteed commitments for 2018/19.
Of course, the only reason the Cavs’ projected team salary is so modest is because James and his $35MM+ player option aren’t included. Neither is Isaiah Thomas, another free-agent-to-be. And neither is Iman Shumpert, who seems like a good bet to exercise his $11MM player option. If any of those players return to the Cavs, the team’s cap space will disappear quickly. If Cleveland actually ends up with $21MM in available cap room, the squad will look a whole lot different next season.
Chicago Bulls
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $46,648,020
Projection: Up to approximately $43MM in cap room
The Bulls, who don’t have many pricey long-term commitments on their books, could actually create up to about $52MM in cap room, but we’re adding Zach LaVine‘s cap hold to their team salary, since the club has been adamant about re-signing LaVine, one of the key pieces of this year’s Jimmy Butler trade.
Still, that leaves the Bulls with a ton of flexibility, as Nikola Mirotic‘s $12.5MM team option is the only other salary that could cut into the team’s cap room significantly. Based on recent events in Chicago, it’d very surprising if that Mirotic is still a Bull at that price – or at all – a year from now.
Indiana Pacers
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $39,913,044
Projection: Up to approximately $54MM in cap room
In order to get up to $54MM in cap room, the Pacers would have to move on from several key players from this year’s squad. Bojan Bogdanovic, Darren Collison, and Al Jefferson all have partially guaranteed salaries. Thaddeus Young and Cory Joseph have player options. Lance Stephenson and Joe Young have team options. The odds that none of those players will be back are incredibly slim.
Even if the Pacers’ available cap room is ultimately much more modest than the maximum figure suggests, the team is in a pretty good spot. The Thaddeus Young and Joseph contracts aren’t toxic, and Indiana is in full control of all the other players with options or without full guarantees. That will give the Pacers the opportunity to retain the deals that are solid values and dump the rest.
Previously:
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Players Signed Now Won’t Be Trade-Eligible This Season
Due to CBA rules, players signed between now and the end of the 2017/18 season won’t become eligible to be traded during the season.
The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement allows players who sign contracts as free agents to be traded three months after signing, or on December 15, whichever comes later. For certain players, that restriction extends to January 15.
Because the league moved up its trade deadline by two weeks for 2018, any player who signs an NBA contract on November 9 or later can’t be traded this season, since three months won’t have passed by the time the February 8 deadline arrives.
Although this restriction has technically been in place since last Thursday, no players have signed new NBA contracts since then, so it doesn’t yet apply to any specific players. But any player who signs a contract now won’t be eligible to be included in trades on or before February 8 — he’ll become trade-eligible after the 2017/18 season.
The one exception is for two-way players, since the same trade rules don’t apply to them. A player who signs a two-way contract can be moved 30 days after signing his deal. So far though, we haven’t seen any NBA teams complete a trade involving a two-way player.
For a full breakdown of which players are currently facing trade restrictions, check out the following lists:
Community Shootaround: 2017 Draft Class
This year’s top overall draft pick, Markelle Fultz, caught the Sixers’ injury bug at the start of his rookie campaign. Fultz is sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury, continuing Philadelphia’s tough-luck run with lottery picks.
Despite Fultz’s injury, the 2017 draft class has quickly made its mark. Numerous first-round selections have made major impacts in just a few short weeks.
The second overall pick, Lonzo Ball, may have a broken jumper (31.4%) but he’s lived up to his billing as a prolific distributor (7.4 APG) and surprisingly strong rebounder (6.8 RPG). Ball’s teammate, power forward Kyle Kuzma, has already proven to be a steal with the No. 27 overall pick. Kuzma leads the draft class in scoring (15.2 PPG) and field-goal percentage (51.6%) while tying Ball for third in rebounding (6.8 RPG).
Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen took full advantage of additional playing time due to the Nikola Mirotic–Bobby Portis dust-up. He ranks third among 2017 draft picks in scoring (14.5 PPG) and first in rebounding (7.8 RPG).
The third overall pick, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, saw his role expand in the wake of Gordon Hayward‘s season-ending injury. He’s provided immediate help (13.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG). The rebuilding Hawks have thrown power forward John Collins into the fire and he’s responded by ranking second to Markkanen in rebounding (7.3) and second in blocks (1.15) while also delivering double-digit scoring (1o.2 PPG).
Ball is far from the only guard in the draft class to show poise beyond his years. Jazz combo guard Donovan Mitchell (13.9 PPG) has earned a starting spot. Dennis Smith (14.8 PPG, 4.9 APG) has been one of the Mavericks’ few bright spots. The Kings’ De’Aaron Fox (11.9 PPG, 5.2 APG) looks like their long-term solution at the position.
Several others, such as the Suns’ Josh Jackson and the Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina, have shined at times.
This brings us to our question of the day: Which 2017 draft pick has impressed you the most during the first few weeks of the season? What has made him a standout?
Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to hearing your opinion on this subject.
Current NBA Waiver Order
Waiver claims don’t happen very often in the NBA. During the 2016/17 league year, for instance, only six players were claimed off waivers. So far in 2017/18, four players – David Nwaba, Nicolas Brussino, Kay Felder, and DeAndre Liggins – have been claimed off waivers.
Nwaba, Brussino, Felder, and Liggins have something in common; they’re all on minimum salary contracts. While a player earning more than the minimum can also be claimed off waivers, not every NBA team has the ability to claim any waived player. In fact, there are only a few instances when teams can claim a player who is earning more than the minimum salary, which is one reason why waiver claims rarely happen.
A team placing a waiver claim on a player earning more than the minimum must have one of the following to accommodate the player’s salary:
- Cap room
- A trade exception
- A disabled player exception
As I noted on Sunday, a player like Mindaugas Kuzminskas is a candidate to be claimed, but his odds of being snatched up before reaching free agency would be much higher if he were on a minimum salary contract. Teams will be reluctant to take on his $3MM salary, and only half the NBA’s teams are even eligible to place a claim on him.
When considering which teams might place a claim on a waived player, it’s also worth noting that waiver priority is determined by record — the worst teams get first dibs on each waived player. Prior to December 1, waiver order is currently determined by last year’s record. That will change in a few weeks, but for now, a team’s 2016/17 record determines its waiver priority.
Taking all the details above into account, the current NBA waiver order is listed below. We’ve also noted which teams can place a claim on a player earning more than the minimum salary. If two teams that finished 2016/17 with identical records place a waiver claim on the same player, their head-to-head records would determine which team gets priority. If they split their head-to-head matchups, a coin flip determines which team gets priority.
Here’s the full list of teams, in order of current waiver priority:
- Brooklyn Nets ($3,396,169; cap room)
- Phoenix Suns ($8,948,187; cap room)
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Philadelphia 76ers ($15,120,873; cap room)
- Orlando Magic
- Minnesota Timberwolves
(tie) New York Knicks ($2,381,964; TPE) - Sacramento Kings ($4,254,216; cap room)
- Dallas Mavericks ($12,526,578; cap room)
- Note: Mavericks would need to renounce their exceptions to use cap room.
- New Orleans Pelicans ($3,853,931; TPE)
- Charlotte Hornets
- Detroit Pistons
- Denver Nuggets
- Miami Heat
(tie) Portland Trail Blazers ($12,969,502; TPE)
(tie) Chicago Bulls ($11,457,398; TPE)- Note: Bulls could get up to $15,046,009 in cap room by renouncing exceptions.
- Indiana Pacers ($6,126,114; cap room)
(tie) Milwaukee Bucks ($5,000,000; TPE) - Atlanta Hawks
(tie) Memphis Grizzlies ($3,408,520; TPE) - Oklahoma City Thunder
- Washington Wizards
- Cleveland Cavaliers ($5,811,114; TPE)
(tie) Los Angeles Clippers ($7,273,631; TPE)
(tie) Toronto Raptors ($11,800,000; TPE)
(tie) Utah Jazz - Boston Celtics ($8,406,000; DPE)
- Houston Rockets
- San Antonio Spurs
- Golden State Warriors
Salary information from Basketball Insiders used in the creation of this post.
2018 Salary Cap Outlook: Atlantic Division
NBA rosters will undergo some changes over the course of the 2017/18 season, particularly around the trade deadline, and those changes may have an impact on teams’ cap sheets for future seasons. Based on the NBA’s current rosters, however, we can identify which teams are most or least likely to have cap room in the summer of 2018, which will dictate the type of moves those clubs can make in the offseason.
We’ll be taking a closer look at each of the NBA’s 30 teams by division over the next week. Today, we’re starting with the Atlantic division. With the help of salary information compiled by Basketball Insiders, here’s how the summer of 2018 is shaping up for the five Atlantic teams:
Toronto Raptors
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $124,628,430
Projection: Over the cap and into the tax
The Raptors have nearly $125MM in guaranteed money on their books for the 2018/19 season, easily the most of any Atlantic teams. If Toronto can’t clear any of that money of its cap, the club would almost certainly surpass the tax threshold, based on the latest cap projections from the NBA.
The most obvious way for the Raptors to create a bit of breathing room would be to find a taker for Jonas Valanciunas, who is due a $16.5MM salary next year. Still, Toronto has reportedly explored potential Valanciunas trades before and hasn’t found any viable options, so it won’t necessarily be easy for the Raps to move his salary. And even if they do, it would take more than that to get under the cap.
Boston Celtics
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $104,650,766
Projection: Over the cap
The Celtics currently project to be a little over a $101MM cap, and they’d go even further beyond that threshold if they want to re-sign Marcus Smart or Aron Baynes, or retain non-guaranteed players like Daniel Theis. Even if Boston is willing to let those players go, there’s no obvious path to carving out a chunk of cap room, so the C’s figure to be an over-the-cap team.
Brooklyn Nets
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $68,601,762
Projection: Up to approximately $28MM in cap room
Our cap projection for the Nets assume that the team hangs onto Spencer Dinwiddie, who has a non-guaranteed salary. However, it also assumes that Jeremy Lin will turn down his $12MM+ player option. Considering Lin will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, there’s actually a good chance that he’ll play it safe and pick up his player option rather than taking his chances on the open market. In that scenario, Brooklyn’s cap space would be cut nearly in half.
New York Knicks
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $68,004,397
Projection: Up to approximately $12MM in cap room
Why do we have the Knicks projected to have far less cap room than the Nets, despite both teams having nearly equal guaranteed salary? We’re assuming that Enes Kanter will exercise his $18MM+ player option for next season, as was reported back in August. Of course, nothing is official yet, and a big season for the Knicks could change the landscape for Kanter. But for now, it seems unrealistic to expect him to opt out.
New York’s projected cap room will be reduced further if Ron Baker and/or Kyle O’Quinn exercise player options of their own, which are worth about $4.5MM and $4.3MM, respectively.
Philadelphia 76ers
Guaranteed 2018/19 team salary: $56,928,155
Projection: Up to approximately $39MM in cap room
Even if we count on the Sixers exercising team options for T.J. McConnell and Richaun Holmes, the team should have a ton of flexibility. A Robert Covington extension would cut into that flexibility, but should still leave up to about $25MM in cap room. If the 76ers want to create enough space to sign a player to a maximum salary, finding a taker for Jerryd Bayless‘ expiring $8.6MM contract would likely be the first step.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2017/18 In-Season NBA Trades
As we did with this year’s offseason trades and the in-season swaps from 2016/17, we’ll be keeping track of all the trades from this season as they become official, updating this post with each transaction. This post can be found anytime throughout the season on our desktop sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in our mobile menu under “Features.”
Trades are listed here in reverse chronological order, with the latest on top. So, if a player has been dealt multiple times, the first team listed as having acquired him is the one that ended up with him. For more details on each trade, click the date above it.
For more information on the specific conditions dictating if and when draft picks involved in these deals will actually change hands, be sure to check out RealGM.com’s breakdown of the details on traded picks.
Here’s the full list of the trades completed during the 2017/18 NBA season:
- Kings acquire Bruno Caboclo.
- Raptors acquire Malachi Richardson.
- Suns acquire Elfrid Payton.
- Magic acquire the second-most favorable of the Grizzlies’, Hornets’, and Heat’s 2018 second-round picks.
- Pistons acquire James Ennis.
- Grizzlies acquire Brice Johnson and the less favorable of the Bulls’ and Pistons’ 2022 second-round picks.
- Cavaliers acquire George Hill, Rodney Hood, and the draft rights to Arturas Gudaitis.
- Jazz acquire Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, and the right to swap 2024 second-round picks with the Cavaliers.
- Kings acquire Iman Shumpert, Joe Johnson, the Heat’s 2020 second-round pick (from Cavaliers), cash ($2.1MM from Cavaliers; $1.1MM from Jazz), and the draft rights to Dimitrios Agravanis.
- Knicks acquire Emmanuel Mudiay.
- Nuggets acquire Devin Harris and the less favorable of the Clippers’ and Knicks’ 2018 second-round picks (from Knicks).
- Mavericks acquire Doug McDermott and the less favorable of the Kings’ and Trail Blazers’ 2018 second-round picks (from Nuggets).
- Bulls acquire Noah Vonleh and cash ($2.6MM).
- Trail Blazers acquire the draft rights to Milovan Rakovic.
- Hawks acquire Sheldon Mac and cash ($687,389).
- Wizards acquire the Hawks’ 2019 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Heat acquire Dwyane Wade.
- Cavaliers acquire the Heat’s 2024 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Nets acquire Dante Cunningham.
- Pelicans acquire Rashad Vaughn.
- Pistons acquire Jameer Nelson.
- Bulls acquire Willie Reed and the right to swap 2022 second-round picks with the Pistons.
- Heat acquire Luke Babbitt.
- Hawks acquire Okaro White.
- Lakers acquire Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and the Cavaliers’ 2018 first-round pick (top-3 protected).
- Cavaliers acquire Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr.
- Hornets acquire Willy Hernangomez.
- Knicks acquire Johnny O’Bryant, the Hornets 2020 second-round pick, and the Hornets’ 2021 second-round pick.
- Bucks acquire Tyler Zeller.
- Nets acquire Rashad Vaughn and the Bucks’ 2018 second-round pick (if it falls between 31-47).
- Pelicans acquire Nikola Mirotic and their own 2018 second-round pick (previously sent to Bulls).
- Bulls acquire Omer Asik, Tony Allen, Jameer Nelson, the Pelicans’ 2018 first-round pick (top-5 protected), and the right to swap 2021 second-round picks with the Pelicans.
- Pistons acquire Blake Griffin, Willie Reed, and Brice Johnson.
- Clippers acquire Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, the Pistons’ 2018 first-round pick (top-4 protected), and a 2019 second-round pick.
- Nets acquire Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, and the Knicks’ 2019 second-round pick.
- Sixers acquire Trevor Booker.
- Bucks acquire Eric Bledsoe.
- Suns acquire Greg Monroe, the Bucks’ 2018 first-round pick (top-10 and 17-30 protections), and the Bucks’ 2018 second-round pick (top-47 protected).
Trade archives:
Hoops Rumors Originals: 11/4/17 – 11/11/17
Every week, the writing team at Hoops Rumors creates original content to complement our news feed. Here are our segments and features from the last 7 days:
- In several different Community Shootaround posts, we asked:
- Has the beginning of this season changed your opinion about some of the bigger offseason transactions?
- Is the Pistons‘ fast start for real or will the team fall back to earth?
- Is there anybody currently on the Bulls‘ roster who will be good enough to play in the Chicago-hosted 2020 NBA All-Star Game?
- Two former top ten picks are on the trading block. What team is the best fit for Jahlil Okafor? What about for Greg Monroe?
- Are the Thunder a contender in the Western Conference or has the beginning of this season unmasked too many flaws?
- In response to the trade that sent Eric Bledsoe to the Bucks, we polled our readers as to how they believe the trade will impact Milwaukee’s playoff chances and beyond this season.
- We analyzed the advent of the two-way contract by exploring how teams are and/or will be using these new contracts. As of today, 59 out of the 60 possible two-way positions are filled, with the Timberwolves being the lone franchise still with an open two-way slot.
- We took a look at the players eligible for veteran extensions until June 30, 2018.
- We explored five likely trade candidates whose contracts may make it difficult for them to be moved.
- Finally, we tallied up the NBA’s 40 highest-paid players (via salary only) in the league this season, led by Stephen Curry, who is making a mind-blowing $34.7MM this year.
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:
- Stephen Curry, Warriors: $34,682,550
- LeBron James, Cavaliers: $33,285,709 (15% trade bonus)
- Paul Millsap, Nuggets: $31,269,231 (plus incentives)
- Gordon Hayward, Celtics: $29,727,900
- Blake Griffin, Clippers: $29,512,900 (15% trade bonus)
- Kyle Lowry, Raptors: $28,703,704 (plus incentives)
- Russell Westbrook, Thunder: $28,530,608 (15% trade bonus)
- Mike Conley, Grizzlies: $28,530,608
- James Harden, Rockets: $28,299,399
- DeMar DeRozan, Raptors: $27,739,975
- Al Horford, Celtics: $27,734,405 (15% trade bonus)
- Carmelo Anthony, Thunder: $26,243,760
- Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers: $26,153,057
- Jrue Holiday, Pelicans: $25,686,667 (plus incentives)
- Kevin Durant, Warriors: $25,000,000 (15% trade bonus)
- Otto Porter, Wizards: $24,773,250
- Chris Paul, Rockets: $24,599,495
- C.J. McCollum, Trail Blazers: $23,962,573
- Andre Drummond, Pistons: $23,775,506 (8% trade bonus)
- Bradley Beal, Wizards: $23,775,506
- Anthony Davis, Pelicans: $23,775,506 *
- Hassan Whiteside, Heat: $23,775,506
- Dwight Howard, Hornets: $23,500,000
- Harrison Barnes, Mavericks: $23,112,004 (8% trade bonus)
- Chandler Parsons, Grizzlies: $23,112,004
- J.J. Redick, Sixers: $23,000,000 *
- Marc Gasol, Grizzlies: $22,642,350 (15% trade bonus)
- DeAndre Jordan, Clippers: $22,642,350 (15% trade bonus)
- Brook Lopez, Lakers: $22,642,350
- Kevin Love, Cavaliers: $22,642,350
- Steven Adams, Thunder: $22,471,911 (7.5% trade bonus)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: $22,471,911
- Nicolas Batum, Hornets: $22,434,783
- Rudy Gobert, Jazz: $21,974,719 (plus incentives)
- LaMarcus Aldridge, Spurs: $21,461,010 (15% trade bonus)
- Victor Oladipo, Pacers: $21,000,000 (plus incentives)
- Danilo Gallinari, Clippers: $20,559,599
- Enes Kanter, Knicks: $20,566,802
- Serge Ibaka, Raptors: $20,061,729
- 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.