As usual, players already under contract have their figures listed based on Keith Smith's work at Spotrac.com while salaries in bold italics are my own estimates based on reported numbers and the standard 5% or 8% raises that the teams could give. Salaries are also color coded if they are a player option, a team option, not fully guaranteed, or a "mutual option" (a player option that's not fully guaranteed) based on the reporting, with parentheses to credit whoever broke the news and when.
6/30 update: The NBA officially announced that the salary cap for this season is $164,961,000, which is slightly lower than the $165 million that was projected. The luxury tax line, First Apron, and Second Apron are subsequently $200,428,000, $209,015,000, and $221,686,000, respectively.
That means these are the maximum starting salaries and total possible contracts based on years of experience:
- 6 or fewer years (25% of the cap): $41,240,250 for up to 4 years, $177,333,075 with a new team or 5 years, $239,193,450 with their previous team.
- 7-9 years (30%): $49,488,300 for up to 4 years, $212,799,690 with a new team or 5 years, $287,032,140 with their previous team.
- 10+ years (35%): $57,736,350 for up to 4 years, $248,266,305 with a new team or 5 years, $334,870,830 with their previous team.
And the amount available for the various exceptions can go up to the following starting salaries and totals:
- Full Mid-Level Exception (MLE): $15,044,000 for up to 4 years, $64,689,200
- Taxpayer MLE: $6,064,000 for up to 2 years, $12,431,200
- Room Mid-Level Exception: $9,366,000 for up to 3 years, $29,502,900
- Bi-Annual Exception: $5,477,000 for up to 2 years, $11,227,850 (can only be used every other year)
- Minimum Exception: a $2,449,421 cap hit, aka the minimum for players with two years of experience, as long as it's a one year deal. The league subsidizes the cap hit and pays the difference between that and their actual salary that they earn based on years of experience.
Now back to the deals:
Miller extends with the Hornets: 5 years, $209 million (Shams 10/19)
| Brandon Miller | $15,104,626 | $36,034,483 | $38,917,241 | $41,800,000 | $44,682,759 | $47,565,517 |
The #2 pick in 2023 gets his deal done right before the rookie extension deadline and made sure to sign for $1 million more than what the #4 pick, Amen Thompson, got this summer. It's still considerably less than the 25% max that was the most he could potentially have gotten (the $252 million that the #1 pick, Wembanyama received), which is understandable since Miller has missed some time so far in his young career. Since he was a touch older for his class, he turns 24 next month and now will face a tougher task helping to lead the team along with Knueppel following the trade of Ball. Miller's return to health after missing 16 of the first 22 games played a big part in Charlotte turning its season around, and they went 38-21 over his final 59 games. He averaged 20.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.6 blocks against 2.6 turnovers with 43.9%/39.3%/89.9% shooting on a massive 8.2 threes in just 30.8 minutes per game during that stretch, and the lineup versatility he brings as a big wing further adds to his value.
Wallace extends with the Thunder: 5 years, $139 million (Shams 10/18)
| Cason Wallace | $7,420,806 | $23,965,517 | $25,882,759 | $27,800,000 | $29,717,241 | $31,634,483 |
The Second Team All-Defense guard has not always held a consistent spot in the starting lineup but figures to gain that status following the trade of Dort. Turning just 23 next month, Wallace's stats have held remarkably steady on a per minute basis in each of his first three seasons and has proven worth OKC trading up a couple of spots to take him 10th overall in 2023. This does seem mean that after managing to avoid the Second Apron this year, they'll almost certainly go into it next year given that Gilgeous-Alexander's extension also kicks in then.
Ighodaro extends with the Suns: 3 years, $29 million (Shams 10/18)
| Oso Ighodaro | $2,296,271 | $2,486,995 | $8,950,617 | $9,666,667 | $10,382,716 |
The backup big man had a $2,486,995 team option for the '27-28 season, and that is getting picked up to lock him in for the next five years total. Structuring it this way instead of $31.5 million over 4 years could prove helpful for Phoenix to continue to navigate around the Aprons given all of the Beal dead money on their books and potential new contracts for Jalen Green (player option) and/or Bridges next year. Allowing for that flexibility might have helped the 24 year old get a bit of a bump on the average salary after he was a 2nd round pick just two years ago and whose initial four year deal was for under $8 million.
Pritchard extends with the Celtics: 2 years, $44.2 million (Shams 10/14)
| Payton Pritchard | $7,767,857 | $8,303,571 | $21,250,000 | $22,950,000 |
Because Pritchard still has two years left on his current deal, an extension had to get done before the season started, and I didn't expect it to come until next year. It's another good value number for Boston to lock in him at, especially since he's now proven just how good he is compared to when he signed his rookie extension. After getting $30 million over four years that time, the 28 year old gets nearly 50% more for half the amount of time, so it's understandable that he'd take the guarantee now instead of waiting for perhaps a longer deal.
Podziemski extends with the Warriors: 5 years, $110 million (Shams 10/10)
| Brandin Podziemski | $5,679,459 | $18,965,517 | $20,482,759 | $22,000,000 | $23,517,241 | $25,034,483 |
I thought that Podz might start closer to what the MLE is projected to be (around $16-17 million), but this is about what his market was reported to be. If Golden State had taken this to restricted free agency, his cap old was going to be about $17 million, so they hardly lose any cap space with where this starts.
The 23 year old can be a lightning rod for criticism after the high expectations Joe Lacob put on him, but he has a well-rounded game and improves basically across the board every season.
Duren re-signs with the Pistons: 5 years, $200 million (Shams 10/1)
| Jalen Duren | $34,482,759 | $37,241,379 | $40,000,000 | $42,758,621 | $45,517,241 |
As they say, deadlines spur action, and logic finally prevailed with Duren taking the deal that's been rumored to be on the table before his Qualifying Offer expired tonight to hurt his leverage. The max that another team could offer the 23 year old (in November) projects to be 4 years, $189.2 million next summer, so if he had taken the $9.6 million QO to become an unrestricted free agent, it still would've totaled less money over the same time period.
Shead extends with the Raptors: 3 years, $24 million (Shams 10/1)
| Jamal Shead | $2,296,271 | $7,407,407 | $8,000,000 | $8,592,593
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The #45 pick from two years ago has been a nice development story for Toronto, and this provides some certainty on both sides instead of the key backup guard potentially going into restricted free agency next summer. After signing for $6,113,913 on his first three year contract (which runs through this season), he'll make about four times that much on his new three year deal.
Update: Scotto adds that the third year is a team option, which really makes this a team-friendly deal.
Charlotte continues to wheel and deal (Shams 9/26)
Bulls receive:
| Buddy Hield | $9,658,536 | $10,097,560 |
Cash considerations
Hornets receive:
| Rob Dillingham | $6,889,320 | $8,763,216 |
If feels like Jerry Reinsdorf never saw a trade with cash considerations that he didn't like. This does provide some needed shooting at a proven level in exchange for the youth and upside of Dillingham. Chicago was right around the salary cap line, so they're still miles away from the luxury tax line even with this addition in salary.
The Hield era in Charlotte lasted less than a week, and now they get a look at the 21 year old former #8 overall pick. They will likely use their $7 million Tyus Jones Trade Exception that expires in February here in order to create a new TPE that will last longer and be worth more as the equivalent to Hield's $9,658,536 salary.
Curry extends with the Warriors: 2 years, $116 million (Shams 9/25)
| Stephen Curry | $62,587,158 | $55,769,231 | $60,230,769 |
This is about $20 million less than the absolute max that Curry could have gotten, which is understandable given that he's 38 now. Like with Leonard on a very similar deal, the Over-38 rule limits this to such a short extension since players that age and over can only be under contract for a total of three years. Steph has never wavered about wanting to finish his career a lifetime Warrior, and this is another step towards that while also giving Golden State a firm number to budget around going forward.
Atlanta and Charlotte shuffle recent additions (Shams 9/22)
Hawks receive:
| Dorian Finney-Smith | $14,196,974 | $13,335,000 | $13,335,000 |
Hornets receive:
| Buddy Hield | $9,658,536 | $10,097,560 |
Cash considerations
Finney-Smith and Nembhard were just traded earlier this offseason while Hield was acquired at the trade deadline, so none of these players were long for these clubbs. DFS's contract is fully non-guaranteed next year compared to Hield's $3.1 million, so Atlanta is clearing their roster crunch and taking on a little more salary this season in exchange for that future flexibility. Charlotte has even more guaranteed contracts now but does add a Trade Exception worth the $4,538,438 difference in salary between Finney-Smith and Hield on top of some cash. Because Nembhard is on a minimum contract, he can just be absorbed via the Minimum Exception and not count towards that TPE.
9/26 Update: Keith Smith clarified that Hield's salary for 2027-28 is fully non-guaranteed. It's a confusing contract because the final year is a player option, BUT if he picks it up, then it's only partially guaranteed for about $3.1 million. Smith tweeted today that the contract is specifically written to not have that amount guaranteed if he is waived beforehand.
Leonard extends with the Raptors: 2 years, $115 million (Shams 9/22)
| Kawhi Leonard | $50,300,000 | $55,288,462 | $59,711,538
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Now that the Clippers investigation is (finally) over and the trade became official, Leonard added some security on both sides with this new deal. Now 35, he was limited to only adding two years to his existing deal due to the Over-38 rule since that's how old he'll be by the end of his deal in 2029 if he picks up the option. $126 million was the most that he was eligible to sign for, but given his lengthy injury history, this is a reasonable discount like his past extension...assuming there's no funny business on the side like what his previous team did with his money.
Thompson extends with the Pistons: 5 years, $155 million (Shams 9/18)
| Ausar Thompson | $11,117,925 | $26,724,138 | $28,862,069 | $31,000,000 | $33,137,931 | $35,275,862 |
It figures that the day after I said I likely won't have more updates on this post unless some extensions happen that three occur. Ausar ended up getting over $10 million less per season than his twin Amen, but this is understandably still a heck of a lot of money to lock. The 23 year old is has his limits offensively but is an incredibly impactful player on defense.
Larsson extends with the Heat: 4 years, $60 million (Shams 9/18)
| Pelle Larsson | $2,296,271 | $13,392,857 | $14,464,286 | $15,535,714 | $16,607,143 |
As a 2nd round pick in 2024, Larsson was facing restricted free agency next summer and instead gets financial security in exchange for team control. That includes one of those mutual options that's becoming popular with either side able to opt it.
George extends with the Jazz: 5 years, up to $157.5 million (Shams 9/18)
| Keyonte George | $6,563,925 | $26,724,138 | $28,862,069 | $31,000,000 | $33,137,931 | $35,275,862 |
Fischer reports that there are $500K in potential bonuses each year as part of the reported number, so I listed $155 million here. There was some talk around draft time that Darryn Peterson's agency didn't want him to land in Utah since they also represent George, but it turns out that adding another dynamic guard didn't prevent a long-term deal from getting done here.
Bey extends with the Pelicans: 3 years, $55 million (Shams 9/17)
| Saddiq Bey | $6,557,080 | $16,975,309 | $18,333,333 | $19,691,358 |
This is a pretty nice come up for Bey after a career year in his return from injury. After a torn ACL in 2024, he only got a 3 year, $19 million deal with the Wizards in his first taste of free agency since it was understood that he'd miss that entire first season. He never ended up playing in Washington following a trade last offseason but went on to play 72 games in New Orleans with averages of 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 0.9 steals against 0.9 turnovers and 45.1%/36.7%/84.1% shooting. Now 27, he has financial stability as he hits his prime years.
On a different note, this might be the last update to this post. We're down to just minor signings with training camp deals that have been occurring the past week, so barring any other trades or extensions like this, this tracker is likely done.
9/18 Update: Shamit Dua reports that the extension is front-loaded with a $20.1 million starting salary, so it might look something like this. The potential benefit to this is that Bey will be making less money in his final year, which is when Trey Murphy and Derik Queen could have new contracts go into effect.
| Saddiq Bey | $6,557,080 | $20,090,000 | $18,482,800 | $16,875,600 |
New Orleans salary dumps Hawkins (Shams 9/8)
Grizzlies receive:
| Micah Peavy | $2,150,917 | $2,525,901 | $2,735,698 |
2nd round pick2nd round pick swap
Pelicans receive:
| AJ Johnson | $3,237,120 | $5,493,394 |
This gets New Orleans under the First Apron to be able to complete the Mathurin signing, and it should get them clear of the luxury tax when they inevitably waive Gibson's salary. There were some interesting cap mechanics at play here with Johnson needing to hit 60 days since his last trade so that the can be aggregated again with about $150K of Gibson's contract that became guaranteed for this deal. That way they are enough to match for Hawkins' salary, and then Memphis uses either part of their remaining MLE or the Morant Trade Exception to absorb Peavy, all while preserving the nearly $29 million Jackson TPE. And the Grizzlies also pick up some draft capital for their trouble along with a look at a 24 year old shooter in Hawkins and the 25 year old Peavy, who got a good amount of run as a 2nd round rookie. Finally, the Pelicans will likely create their own Trade Exception worth the difference in salary between Hawkins and Johnson, $3,784,775.
Simmons signs with the Kings: 1 year, minimum contract (Shams 9/4)
Having nine years of experience (due to sitting out last season), 2016's #1 overall pick will make just over $3.5 million with the subsidized cap hit above on the one year minimum. There's been talk about Sacramento wanting a veteran ball-handler to help rookie Darius Acuff, and after Westbrook retired instead of returning, they landed on Simmons. The 30 year old has seemed to be a shell of his former self ever since the unbelievable collapse against Atlanta in the 2021 playoffs and subsequent back issues, but at this price, there's no risk in taking a shot on reviving his career.
Thompson extends with the Rockets: 5 years, $208 million (Shams 9/3)
| Amen Thompson | $12,258,609 | $35,862,069 | $38,731,034 | $41,600,000 | $44,468,966 | $47,337,931 |
It feels like Houston is the only team that doesn't just automatically give out max contracts and actually negotiates hard with their stars, especially if they have the leverage of restricted free agency looming. Thompson is only the second player from the lofty 2023 draft class to sign an extension, and based on current cap projections, the 25% max would have been $252 million over 5 years like what Wembanyama signed for. Locking in the 23 year old rising star, who made First Team All-Defense in his second season, at this number could go a long way towards helping the Rockets' tax bill and potential Apron issues as more and more of their roster start to hit new contracts.
Wolves shed more salary (Shams 8/28)
Jazz receive:
Timberwolves receive:
| Cody Williams | $6,015,600 | $7,669,890 |
Already saving about $2.5 million in this transaction (which is equivalent to a veteran minimum), Minnesota is also waiving and stretching Konchar's contract over three years to make this a cut of nearly $6.6 million in salary for this season. That gives them enough room under the Second Apron to make the Kuminga signing official, and they're getting a look at Williams, who turns just 22 in November. The #10 pick two years ago is nowhere near the player that his brother Jalen is, but he at least made notable progress this past year after a terrible rookie season.
Green could have been a useful 3+D wing on a playoff team like the Wolves, but this type of transaction works out well for their flexibility to a sign a bigger need at forward with Kuminga. Instead, Green will be a nice veteran who only turns 26 himself in November for a young Jazz team that hopes to finally be competitive now. Williams looks like mostly a whiff on such a high pick, so deciding to swap out any potential upside for a more proven player is an understandable move for where they are in their trajectory at long last. Konchar being collateral damage here is a little surprising since he's been a useful player in the past, but he should catch on with another playoff hopeful team on a minimum.
Richards signs with the Heat: one year, likely minimum contract (Shams 8/27)
Having six years of experience, the backup wing will make just under $3.1 million with the subsidized cap hit above if it is the one year minimum. Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, and Portis can all play some center, but Richard provides Miami with a more stereotypical rebounding specialist at the position.
Kuminga signs with the Timberwolves: 2 years, "$13 million" (Shams 8/26)
| Jonathan Kuminga | $6,064,000 | $6,367,200 |
The Taxpayer MLE amount is the most that Minnesota can offer, not "$13 million" like Shams reported as a favor to Kuminga's attention seeking agent, Aaron Turner, who insisted a year ago that the $24 million team option for this season would be torn up for a better deal. Instead, the 24 year old (in October) forward will only be getting a quarter of that as the Wolves try to tight rope their Second Apron hard cap. They'll need to shed salary to fit this contract in, possibly by stretching another player's contract by this weekend's deadline.
Mathurin signs with the Pelicans: 2 years, $16 million (Shams 8/26)
| Bennedict Mathurin | $7,804,878 | $8,195,122 |
It's surprising that the Clippers are just going to let a 24 year old scorer go for nothing like this when they controlled his restricted free agency, but getting that player option for next year is a nice win for Mathurin instead of merely accepting the one year Qualifying Offer for a similar salary this season. New Orleans will need to clear some salary to use part of the MLE to make this addition and still stay under the First Apron hard cap that this will trigger, let alone under the luxury tax line that the franchise will seemingly never cross.
