Highest-Paid NBA Players Today
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Ballers make bank.The NBA salary cap is projected to rise to $115 million in 2020-21. That's good news for players. The cap is the total that can be spent by each team, not including a luxury tax penalty for exceeding it.
After a steady upward climb ($35.5 million in 2000-01 to $58.7 million in 2008-09), the cap surged to $70 million in 2015-16, then $94.1 million in the 2016-17 season, $99.093 million in 2017-18, and $101.8 million in 2018-19. In the 2019-20 season, it was $109.1 million.
Things have cooled a little in terms of opening the vault for players. But that doesn’t mean the league’s upper echelon is worrying about their portfolio. The NBA’s highest-paid players are among the richest athletes in all of pro sports. This is the top tier when it comes to paychecks for playing basketball.
25. Andrew Wiggins
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Andrew Wiggins was the No. 1 overall pick in 2014.Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Small forward
College: Kansas
Drafted: Round 1 (1st overall), 2014
Age: 25
2020-21 salary: $29,542,010
Cap hit: $29,542,010
Value of contract: $147,710,050
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $29,542,010
Free agent: 2023
The source for all contract information is Spotrac.
Bottom Line: Andrew Wiggins
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Andrew Wiggins started his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves.Andrew Wiggins was supposed to be the next big thing. That's how he got nicknames like "The Prospect" and "Junior Jordan."
But like many young ballers who are called the next big thing before they turn 18, he has found it's not so easy to live up to the hype in the NBA.
The 25-year-old still has some time. He also has a net worth of $35 million.
24. Joel Embiid
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Joel Embiid was born in Cameroon.Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Position: Center
College: Kansas
Drafted: Round 1 (3rd overall), 2014
Age: 26
2020-21 salary: $29,542,010
Cap hit: $29,542,010
Value of contract: $147,710,050
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $29,542,010
Free agent: 2023
Bottom Line: Joel Embiid
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Joel Embiid is a three-time All-Star.More money, more expectations.
Joel Embiid got his big contract. The question remains: Can the 7-footer deliver an NBA championship to Philadelphia?
We'll see.
23. Kyle Lowry
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Kyle Lowry led the Raptors to an NBA title in 2019.Team: Toronto Raptors
Position: Point guard
College: Villanova
Drafted: Round 1 (24th overall), 2006
Age: 34
2020-21 salary: $30,000,000
Cap hit: $30,500,000
Value of contract: $30,500,000
Length of contract: 1
Average salary: $30,500,000
Free agent: 2021
Bottom Line: Kyle Lowry
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Kyle Lowry has averaged 31.6 minutes per game in his career.Kyle Lowry secured his legacy by leading the Raptors over the Warriors.
Bringing that first NBA title to the North did not make Lowry complacent.
He’s still playing at a high level after his 14th pro campaign.
22. Pascal Siakam
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Pascal Siakam played his college ball at New Mexico State.Team: Toronto Raptors
Position: Power forward
College: New Mexico State
Drafted: Round 1 (27th overall), 2016
Age: 36
2020-21 salary: $29,000,000
Cap hit: $30,559,200
Value of contract: $129,900,000
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $32,475,000
Free agent: 2024
Bottom Line: Pascal Siakam
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Pascal Siakam, right, is one of the NBA's rising stars.It's good to be Pascal Siakam.
After being underrated coming out of New Mexico State, "Spicy P" is now one of the NBA's brightest young stars.
And he's being paid accordingly.
21. Ben Simmons
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Ben Simmons made his NBA debut in 2017.Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Position: Point guard
College: Louisiana State
Drafted: Round 1 (1st overall), 2016
Age: 24
2020-21 salary: $30,559,200
Cap hit: $30,559,200
Value of contract: $177,243,360
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $35,448,672
Free agent: 2025
Bottom Line: Ben Simmons
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Ben Simmons, left, knows how to finish.Ben Simmons is not your average 24-year-old.
He's also not your average point guard at 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds.
And his game is still growing.
20. Kevin Love
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Kevin Love has scored over 12,900 points in his first 12 NBA seasons.Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Position: Power forward
College: UCLA
Drafted: Round 1 (5th overall), 2008
Age: 32
2020-21 salary: $31,258,256
Cap hit: $31,258,256
Value of contract: $120,402,172
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $30,100,543
Free agent: 2023
Bottom Line: Kevin Love
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Kevin Love has better handles than you think.All-Rookie team. Five-time All-Star. Two-time All-NBA. Most improved. Rebounding champion. NBA champ.
Kevin Love already has accomplished a lot in his NBA career.
One day, he might even get the appreciation he deserves.
19. Damian Lillard
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Damian Lillard can do everything on the court.Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Position: Point guard
College: Weber State
Drafted: Round 1 (6th overall), 2012
Age: 30
2020-21 salary: $31,626,953
Cap hit: $31,626,953
Value of contract: $139,888,445
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $27,977,689
Free agent: 2021
Bottom Line: Damian Lillard
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Damian Lillard lives up to his "Big Game Dame" name.The 6-3, 195-pound point guard has ice water in his veins and lots of dollar bills in his bank account.
Damian Lillard joined LeBron James and Oscar Robertson as the only players to score 1,500-plus points and record 400-plus assists in each of their first six seasons.
Bet on him entering the history books a lot more. Lillard continues to play at an elite level, and his game is getting better.
18. Khris Middleton
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Khris Middleton is a grinder.Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Position: Small guard
College: Texas A&M
Drafted: Round 2 (39th overall), 2012
Age: 29
2020-21 salary: $33,051,724
Cap hit: $33,051,724
Value of contract: $177,500,000
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $35,500,000
Free agent: 2024
Bottom Line: Khris Middleton
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Khris Middleton was a second-round draft pick in 2012.Good thing Khris Middleton is a tireless worker.
He's has had to work hard for everything he's gotten in his basketball career.
Now, he's reaping those rewards.
17. Kyrie Irving
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Kyrie Irving was the NBA rookie of the year in 2012.Team: Brooklyn Nets
Position: Point guard
College: Duke
Drafted: Round 1 (1st overall), 2011
Age: 28
2020-21 salary: $33,329,100
Cap hit: $33,329,100
Value of contract: $136,490,600
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $34,122,650
Free agent: 2023
Bottom Line: Kyrie Irving
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Kyrie Irving is a six-time All-Star.Say what you want about Kyrie Irving, but he knows how to get people's attention.
That is a gift. Just like his game.
16. Gordon Hayward
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Gordon Hayward is a fan favorite around the league.Team: Boston Celtics
Position: Shooting guard
School: Butler
Drafted: Round 1 (9th overall), 2010
Age: 30
2020-21 salary: $34,187,085
Cap hit: $34,187,085
Value of contract: $127,829,970
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $31,957,493
Free agent: 2021
Bottom Line: Gordon Hayward
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Gordon Hayward is a 45-percent shooter from the field.A gruesome injury in the 2017-18 season opener derailed what promised to be a glorious first year in Boston.
The 6-8, 226-pounder, one of the coveted free agents that offseason, has battled back after missing the entire year with a broken ankle.
Gordon Hayward remains a lethal offensive threat who’s capable of carrying a team for long stretches. Despite his obvious talent, detractors say he’ll never be a superstar.
15. Tobias Harris
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Tobias Harris played his college ball at Tennessee.Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Position: Small forward
College: Tennessee
Drafted: Round 1 (19th overall), 2011
Age: 28
2020-21 salary: $34,358,850
Cap hit: $34,358,850
Value of contract: $180,000,000
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $36,000,000
Free agent: 2024
Bottom Line: Tobias Harris
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Tobias Harris has big-time skills.Remember when Tobias Harris averaged 5.0 points and 11.4 minutes a game in his rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks? We don't either.
The 6-foot-8 forward has made believers out of everyone in the NBA and may have found a permanent home in Philadelphia.
14. Kemba Walker
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Kemba Walker started his career in Charlotte.Team: Boston Celtics
Position: Point guard
College: Connecticut
Drafted: Round 1 (30th overall), 2011
Age: 30
2020-21 salary: $34,379,100
Cap hit: $34,379,100
Value of contract: $140,790,600
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $35,197,650
Free agent: 2024
Bottom Line: Kemba Walker
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Kemba Walker scored 13,154 points in his first 661 NBA games.Kemba Walker learned to play the game growing up in New York City. Now, he schools others.
After winning an NCAA title in 2011, he could get a shot to win an NBA title in Boston.
13. Jimmy Butler
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Jimmy Butler is a five-time All-Star.Team: Miami Heat
Position: Shooting guard
College: Marquette
Drafted: Round 1 (30th overall), 2011
Age: 31
2020-21 salary: $34,379,100
Cap hit: $34,379,100
Value of contract: $140,790,600
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $35,197,650
Free agent: 2023
Bottom Line: Jimmy Butler
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Clear out for "Jimmy G. Buckets."There isn't anything Jimmy Butler can't do on a basketball court.
He can score, rebound, pass, play defense and talk trash like an MVP. All that's missing on his resume is an NBA title.
That may be only a matter of time.
12. Kawhi Leonard
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Kawhi Leonard was a first-round pick in 2011.Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Small forward
College: San Diego State
Drafted: Round 1 (15th overall), 2011
Age: 29
2020-21 salary: $34,379,100
Cap hit: $34,379,100
Value of contract: $103,137,300
Length of contract: 3 years
Average salary: $34,379,100
Free agent: 2022
Bottom Line: Kawhi Leonard
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Kawhi Leonard was born in Los Angeles.Kawhi Leonard did not turn the Clippers into champions in his first season. But he gets another shot.
If he's successful and wins his third ring with his third team, Leonard will be more than the king of the world.
There won't be enough superlatives for him.
11. Mike Conley
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Mike Conley was the fourth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft.Team: Utah Jazz
Position: Point guard
School: Ohio State
Drafted: Round 1 (4th overall), 2007
Age: 33
2020-21 salary: $34,502,130
Cap hit: $34,502,130
Value of contract: $152,605,576
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $30,521,115
Free agent: 2021
Bottom Line: Mike Conley
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Mike Conley is left-handed.Mike Conley bounced back from surgery on his left heel that ended his 2017-18 season after just 12 games.
The Memphis Grizzlies struggled without the 6-1, 175-pound guard, then traded him to the Utah Jazz in multiplayer deal, giving Conley a fresh start.
When he signed his deal in 2016, it was the richest in NBA history, making him (at the time) just the third player (along with Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan) to earn $30 million in a season.
10. Klay Thompson
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Klay Thompson is a three-time NBA champ.Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Shooting guard
College: Washington State
Drafted: Round 1 (11th overall), 2011
Age: 30
2020-21 salary: $35,361,360
Cap hit: $35,450,412
Value of contract: $189,903,600
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $37,980,720
Free agent: 2024
Bottom Line: Klay Thompson
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Klay Thompson is a 41 percent shooter from 3-point land.Shooters get paid. Especially when they can fill up the basket the way Klay Thompson does.
How else do you think he got the names "Killa Klay" and "The Electrician"? He heats up quick.
After helping the Warriors win three NBA titles, he entered the league's highest tax bracket.
9. Paul George
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Paul George joined the Clippers in 2019.Team: Los Angeles Clippers
Position: Small forward
College: Fresno State
Drafted: Round 1 (10th overall), 2010
Age: 30
2020-21 salary: $35,450,412
Cap hit: $35,450,412
Value of contract: $136,911,936
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $34,227,984
Free agent: 2022
Bottom Line: Paul George
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Paul George and the Clippers turned back the clock with the Buffalo Braves uniforms.One day, you're the missing link to a Clippers revolution. By the end of the postseason, people are wondering if you're the reason the Clippers choked away a golden opportunity.
That's the harsh reality of the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately NBA?
Regardless, Paul George is getting paid a lot of money through 2022.
8. Blake Griffin
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Blake Griffin is a six-time All-Star.Team: Detroit Pistons
Position: Power forward
School: Oklahoma
Drafted: Round 1 (1st overall), 2009
Age: 31
2020-21 salary: $36,595,996
Cap hit: $36,810,996
Value of contract: $171,174,820
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $34,234,964
Free agent: 2022
Bottom Line: Blake Griffin
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Blake Griffin averaged 21.7 points per game in his first 10 NBA seasons.When Detroit acquired the five-time All-Star, there was a feeling he could tip the scales for a playoff run. It was not to be.
The 6-10, 250-pound power forward appears to have left part of his game in Los Angeles. Without a top-flight point guard, his offense has languished, taking too many shots from outside the paint.
Whether he will be worth the first- and second-round picks that the Pistons sent to the Clippers remains to be seen.
7. LeBron James
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LeBron James grew up in Cleveland and brought an NBA title to his hometown.Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Position: Small forward
School: St. Vincent-St. Mary High School
Drafted: Round 1 (1st overall), 2003
Age: 33
2020-21 salary: $39,219,565
Cap hit: $39,219,565
Value of contract: $153,312,846
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $38,328,212
Free agent: 2022
Bottom Line: LeBron James
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LeBron James led the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship.The four-time MVP, four-time NBA champ and four-time NBA Finals MVP isn't showing his age.
At 35, LeBron Ja,es delivered one of his finest seasons statistically in the 2019-20 campaign — 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and a career-high 10.2 assists per game — his 17th year in the league. He also led the Lakers to their 17th NBA title, tied with the Boston Celtics for most championships by a franchise in league history.
The 6-8, 250-pound force of nature has put it best when he said, "I’m like fine wine, I get better with age." Let the GOAT debate continue.
6. Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant helped the Golden State Warriors win two NBA titles.Team: Brooklyn Nets
Position: Small forward
School: Texas
Drafted: Round 1 (2nd overall), 2007
Age: 32
2020-21 salary: $39,058,950
Cap hit: $40,108,950
Value of contract: $164,255,700
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $41,063,925
Free agent: 2023
Bottom Line: Kevin Durant
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Kevin Durant is a four-time NBA scoring champion.The two-time NBA Finals MVP played a pivotal role for a Warriors team dogged by injuries to its stars. Then, he became one of those injured players and left town for Brooklyn. After sitting out a year, can he bring glory to the Nets?
His ballhandling skills are almost unfair for a 6-9, 240-pound small forward, and his shot-blocking numbers have made him a defensive player of the year candidate.
There was a time where a strong case could be made that Kevin Durant was underpaid. Not anymore.
5. John Wall
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John Wall was the first pick in the 2010 NBA draft.Team: Washington Wizards
Position: Point guard
College: Kentucky
Drafted: Round 1 (1st overall), 2010
Age: 30
2020-21 salary: $41,254,920
Cap hit: $41,254,920
Value of contract: $171,131,520
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $42,782,880
Free agent: 2023
Bottom Line: John Wall
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John Wall is getting paid a lot of money to sit on the bench. He missed all of the 2019-20 season recovering from a knee injury and only played in 73 games over three seasons from 2017 to 2020.
That's not the kind of return on investment the Wizards envisioned when they gave Wall a four-year, $170 million extension.
The deal runs through 2023. On the bright side, Wall is motivated to avoid being one of the worst contracts in NBA history.
4. James Harden
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James Harden was the 2018 NBA MVP.Team: Houston Rockets
Position: Shooting guard
College: Arizona State
Drafted: Round 1 (3rd overall), 2009
Age: 31
2020-21 salary: $41,254,920
Cap hit: $41,254,920
Value of contract: $171,131,520
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $42,782,880
Free agent: 2023
Bottom Line: James Harden
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James Harden has scored over 20,000 points in his career.The 2018 MVP averaged over 30 points per game in three straight seasons after signing a record-setting max extension in 2017.
But all of James Harden's personal success has not translated into team success. Although the Rockets have gotten close, Harden has not been able to lead them to the promised land.
Until the 6-foot-5 scoring machine brings a title to H-Town, that "h" will stand for "hole" in his career.
3. Chris Paul
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Chris Paul has over 9,600 assists in his career.Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
Position: Point guard
College: Wake Forest
Drafted: Round 1 (4th overall), 2005
Age: 35
2020-21 salary: $41,358,814
Cap hit: $41,358,814
Value of contract: $159,730,592
Length of contract: 4 years
Average salary: $39,932,648
Bottom Line: Chris Paul
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Chris Paul has played in over 1,000 NBA games.The Rockets handed him their offense after acquiring him in a blockbuster deal, and his passing, scoring and game management elevated Houston to contender status.
But he and James Harden could not co-exist, so they dealt Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook in another blockbuster deal.
Paul is just the fourth player in NBA history with 8,000 assists and 2,000 steals. However, his defense continues to be a focal point for critics.
2. Russell Westbrook
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Russell Westbrook was the 2017 NBA MVP.Team: Houston Rockets
Position: Point guard
School: UCLA
Drafted: Round 1 (4th overall), 2008
Age: 31
2020-21 salary: $41,358,814
Cap hit: $41,358,814
Value of contract: $206,794,070
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $41,358,814
Free agent: 2023
Bottom Line: Russell Westbrook
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Russell Westbrook averaged 23.2 points, 7.1 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game in his first 12 NBA seasons.The 6-3, 200-pound guard is not just one of the best players in the NBA today. He is entering the conversation of best players ever.
That's what happens when you average a triple-double for three straight seasons, as Westbrook did from 2017 to 2019, the only player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson did it in 1962.
An NBA title is the only thing missing from his resume.
1. Stephen Curry
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Stephen Curry is tough to defend.Team: Golden State Warriors
Position: Point guard
College: Davidson
Drafted: Round 1 (7th overall), 2009
Age: 32
2020-21 salary: $43,006,362
Cap hit: $43,006,362
Value of contract: $201,158,790
Length of contract: 5 years
Average salary: $40,231,758
Free agent: 2022
Bottom Line: Stephen Curry
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Stephen Curry is cash money.The 6-foot-3, 185-pound point guard changed the sport with his deadly shooting and ballhandling flair.
But the Warriors are not the same team that won all those titles, and Stephen Curry might not be the same player whose game seemed to be on an endless upward arc.
Then again, there's a reason he's called the "Baby-Faced Assassin." So it's better not to doubt him.