The 31 highest-paid players in the NBA all make at least $30 million per year
- NBA contracts keep getting bigger.
- There are 31 players making over $30 million this season, up from 22 last season.
- With the help of Spotrac, we've listed them below.
NBA salaries keep getting bigger.
Heading into the 2021-22 season, a record 31 players will be making $30 million or more this season. This represents a fairly significant jump from last season when 22 players made $30 million or more.
With the help of Spotrac, we've listed the 31 highest-paid players in the NBA.
31. D'Angelo Russell - $30 million
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Age: 25
Contract: 4 years, $117 million
One thing to know: Since making his first All-Star team with the Nets in 2018, Russell has played just 87 total games over the past two seasons.
30. Jrue Holiday - $30.1 million
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Age: 31
Contract: 4 years, $134 million
One thing to know: After being traded to the Bucks in 2020, Holiday signed an incentive-laden contract that could bring the total to $160 million.
29. Nikola Jokic - $30.5 million
Team: Denver Nuggets
Age: 26
Contract: 5 years, $147 million
One thing to know: Jokic, the reigning MVP, is perhaps a bit underpaid now but could sign the largest extension in NBA history in 2022 - a 5-year, $241 million deal.
28. Chris Paul - $30.8 million
Team: Phoenix Suns
Age: 36
Contract: 4 years, $120 million
One thing to know: After a surprise run to the Finals, the seemingly ageless Paul opted out of a $44 million salary for 2021-22 to sign a long-term deal with the Suns at a cheaper rate.
27. C.J. McCollum - $30.86 million
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Age: 30
Contract: 3 years, $100 million
One thing to know: One of the most underrated players in the NBA, McCollum, has averaged over 20 points per game the last six seasons but never made an All-Star Game.
26. Kevin Love - $31.2 million
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Age: 33
Contract: 4 years, $120 million
One thing to know: Love has lasted longer in Cleveland than many would have expected, in part because his contract has made him a difficult player to include in trades.
25. Joel Embiid - $31.5 million
Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Age: 27
Contract: 5 years, $147 million
One thing to know: Coming off an All-NBA Second Team season, Embiid signed a 4-year, $195 million extension this summer that will kick in for the 2023-24 season.
24. Andrew Wiggins - $31.57 million
Team: Golden State Warriors
Age: 26
Contract: 5 years, $147 million
One thing to know: Wiggins hasn't lived up to his contract, but he did make strides last season with the Warriors, shooting career-highs from two-point and three-point range.
T21. Devin Booker - $31.6 million
Team: Phoenix Suns
Age: 24
Contract: 5 years, $158 million
One thing to know: Booker has established himself as one of the NBA's purest scorers with an offensive attack that resembles Kobe Bryant's.
T21. Karl-Anthony Towns - $31.6 million
Team: Minnesota Timberwolves
Age: 25
Contract: 5 years, $158 million
One thing to know: Staying on the court has been an issue for Towns the last two seasons, as he's played a combined 85 games.
T21. Kristaps Porzingis - $31.6 million
Team: Dallas Mavericks
Age: 26
Contract: 5 years, $158 million
One thing to know: Porzingis had his most efficient season shooting the ball last year, but a poor postseason has raised questions about his long-term fit in Dallas.
T19. Ben Simmons - $33 million
Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Age: 25
Contract: 5 years, $177 million
One thing to know: Simmons has reportedly asked the 76ers for a trade and is threatening not to report to training camp, meaning he may be on the move soon.
T19. Pascal Siakam - $33 million
Team: Toronto Raptors
Age: 27
Contract: 4 years, $136 million
One thing to know: Siakam will be looking to rebound from a disappointing 2020-21 season and prove he can be the face of a franchise for the rebuilding Raptors.
18. Bradley Beal - $34.5 million
Team: Washington Wizards
Age: 28
Contract: 2 years, $71 million
One thing to know: Beal has finished second in scoring the past two seasons after averaging over 30 points per game.
17. Kyrie Irving - $34.9 million
Team: Brooklyn Nets
Age: 28
Contract: 4 years, $136 million
One thing to know: Irving is coming off one of his best seasons, putting up an impressive 50-40-90 shooting line while averaging nearly 27 points per game.
16. Rudy Gobert - $35.34 million
Team: Utah Jazz
Age: 29
Contract: 5 years, $205 million
One thing to know: Who says teams don't pay for defense? Gobert, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, is the highest-paid center in the NBA.
15. Anthony Davis - $35.36 million
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Age: 28
Contract: 5 years, $189 million
One thing to know: Davis had arguably the worst season of his career last year and will be looking to rebound and reassert himself as a top-5 player.
14. Khris Middleton - $35.5 million
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Age: 30
Contract: 5 years, $177 million
One thing to know: Middleton, long an underrated player, might have elevated himself into the national consciousness by averaging 24 points per game and delivering clutch play in the Finals.
13. Tobias Harris - $35.9 million
Team: Philadelphia 76ers
Age: 29
Contract: 5 years, $180 million
One thing to know: Harris came just shy of posting a 50-40-90 season last year and also averaged career-high 3.5 assists per game.
12. Jimmy Butler - $36 million
Team: Miami Heat
Age: 32
Contract: 4 years, $140 million
One thing to know: A crafty, bullying, non-shooting point-forward these days, Butler signed a three-year, $146 million extension that kicks in next season.
11. Klay Thompson - $37.9 million
Team: Golden State Warriors
Age: 31
Contract: 5 years, $189 million
One thing to know: If Thompson can't return to form after missing the last two seasons with a torn ACL and torn Achilles, his contract may go down as one of the worst ever.
T7. Damian Lillard - $39.3 million
Team: Portland Trail Blazers
Age: 31
Contract: 4 years, $176 million
One thing to know: Lillard is entering a pivotal season where he wants to see the Blazers make some playoff strides. Otherwise, he might request a trade.
T7. Kawhi Leonard - $39.3 million
Team: LA Clippers
Age: 30
Contract: 4 years, $176 million
One thing to know: Leonard will miss significant time - if not the whole season - with a torn ACL.
T7. Paul George - $39.3 million
Team: LA Clippers
Age: 31
Contract: 4 years, $176 million
One thing to know: With Kawhi Leonard sidelined, George will get a chance to show what he can do as a leading man on a Clippers squad with playoff goals.
T7. Giannis Antetokounmpo - $39.3 million
Team: Milwaukee Bucks
Age: 26
Contract: 5 years, $228 million
One thing to know: Antetokounmpo signed the supermax extension with the Bucks last season, then delivered an all-time Finals performance to help the Bucks win a championship.
6. Kevin Durant - $40.9 million
Team: Brooklyn Nets
Age: 32
Contract: 4 years, $164 million
One thing to know: Durant proved he may be the best player in the world this past postseason and got a 4-year, $194 million extension in turn.
5. LeBron James - $41.1 million
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Age: 36
Contract: 2 years, $85 million
One thing to know: James has missed significant time with injuries in two of the last three years and will turn 37 this December, but will also enter the 2021-22 season well-rested.
4. Russell Westbrook - $44.2 million
Team: Los Angeles Lakers
Age: 32
Contract: 5 years, $206 million
One thing to know: Playing on his third team in three years, Westbrook has his best shot at a championship in years but is going to need to blend his skills with LeBron James.
T2. James Harden - $44.3 million
Team: Brooklyn Nets
Age: 32
Contract: 4 years, $171 million
One thing to know: Harden is surely eager to get the bad taste of last season - a sloppy trade request and injury in the playoffs - out of his mouth and re-establish himself as one of the best playmakers in the league.
T2. John Wall - $44.3 million
Team: Houston Rockets
Age: 31
Contract: 4 years, $171 million
One thing to know: Wall wants a trade out of Houston, but his massive contract and injury history makes him a tricky player to move.
1. Stephen Curry - $45.7 million
Team: Golden State Warriors
Age: 33
Contract: 5 years, $201 million
One thing to know: Curry, once underpaid, signed a four-year, $215 million extension this offseason, becoming the first player in league history to sign back-to-back $200 million contracts.