How much the NBA's biggest stars actually earn.
For the previous four seasons, Stephen Curry was paid a total of $44 million. Thanks to a five-year, $202 million extension, Curry will now average $40.2 million per season. Curry's salary of $34.8 million this season tops the previous high of $33.1 million by Michael Jordan in 1998. If you adjust for inflation, however, that top MJ salary is $50 million in today's dollars.
LeBron James grosses $33.2 million this season. He can re-sign with the Cavaliers for about $207 million for the next five years next summer. Or he can max out with another team in a four-year deal that will pay him about $54 million less. James signed a lifetime deal with Nike that will add another $1 billion to his fortune. He has been strategic in his business investments, cashing out recently in Beats By Dre when the deal with Apple went down ($30 million), and his equity in Blaze Pizza is at $35 million from a less than $1 million investment.
Paul Millsap has the greatest rise in salary from his rookie season to today. As a 2006 second-round draft pick of the Utah Jazz, Millsap made $2.1 million for his first three seasons. Now, in his 12th season in the league, he's making more than 15 times that.
Gordon Hayward signed a four-year, $128 million max deal in his move from Utah to Boston. But Hayward's move to Massachusetts comes at a tough time. A proposed amendment could raise state taxes on earners above $1 million from 5 percent to 9 percent, beginning in January.
Despite injuries and one high-profile fight, Blake Griffin was re-signed by the Clippers to a five-year deal worth $171 million. The 13.3 percent California state tax takes a huge haircut off his earnings.
Kyle Lowry made a combined $65 million in his first 11 years in the NBA. He'll make a guaranteed $93 million for the next three. Lowry is assessed a 53.5 percent tax on his Canadian source income. He receives a partial foreign tax credit in the U.S.
Last season Mike Conley signed the biggest contract in NBA history with a deal totaling $153 million. He responded by having his greatest scoring season, with 20.5 points per game while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
Russell Westbrook is eligible to sign a five-year extension with the Thunder worth $207 million. There's something to be said for value of the money in Oklahoma City, the NBA's smallest market. But Westbrook already owns a home in Los Angeles. He bought it for $4.65 million in December 2015 from Kardashian star Scott Disick.
James Harden signed a $169 million supermax extension in the offseason that will begin in 2019-20. Combined with the two years, $59 million left on his current contract, Harden is owed an NBA record $228 million of salary. Harden will earn $570,732 a game in his final season under contract (2022-23). He pays no state income tax on his non-salary revenue, such as endorsements, thanks to his living in Texas. That's big, considering he signed a 10-year, $200 million deal with Adidas.
Al Horford scored 14 points and had nearly seven rebounds per game last season. He is in the second year of a $113 million contract. Some fans were concerned about the size of his contract last season, but a year later, with more money being paid out, his contract looks a little better this season.
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