NBA

The 10 Highest Paid NBA Players For The 2024-25 Season

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Anthony Cardenas
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Published03 Oct 2024

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Last year, Stephen Curry became the first NBA player to earn $50 million in a single season. There are a handful of players that will him this year, though, as there are now five guys around the league that will be making north of $50 million and even more that are less than $1 million away topping that mark.

Who are the highest paid players in the NBA for the 2024-25 season? Here are the top-10, based on their salary cap hit for the season.

10 Highest Paid NBA Players For The 2024-25 Season

  1. Stephen Curry — $55.7 million
  2. Joel Embiid — $51.4 million
  3. Nikola Jokić — $51.4 million
  4. Kevin Durant — $51.1 million
  5. Bradley Beal — $50.1 million
  6. Devin Booker — $49.2 million
  7. Jaylen Brown — $49.2 million
  8. Karl-Anthony Towns — $49.2 million
  9. Kawhi Leonard — $49.2 million
  10. Paul George — $49.2 million

(All numbers based on info from Spotrac)

1. Stephen Curry — $55.7 million

Curry signed a one-year extension during the off-season, but $62 million price tag won’t kick in until 2027-28. But the $55.7 million that he is owed for the campaign is still the highest in the NBA, and has a sizeable $4.3 million gap between the next-highest paid deal. Curry was the highest paid player last season as well, the first time that anyone earned over $50 million for a single year.

2. Joel Embiid — $51.4 million

Embiid enters the $50 million club this year, an increase in salary of nearly $4 million as compared to last season. But the real money for the 76ers’ center lies down the road. The extension that he signed ties him to the team until the 2028-29 season, a year in which he has a player option that is worth a whopping $69 million.

3. Nikola Jokić — $51.4 million

The winner of 3 of the last 4 NBA MVP awards, Jokic comes in tied with Embiid for the second-highest cap hit. The 29-year-old from Serbia will be one of four players ing the $50+ million mark, and as widely been regarded as the best player in the league for the past few seasons. His current deal lasts until the end of the 2027-28 season, and will see increases of roughly $4 million for each campaign.

4. Kevin Durant — $51.1 million

The first of three consecutive Phoenix Suns on the list, Durant is still on the deal that he signed with the Brooklyn Nets before being traded. It will be the first time in his career that he earns over $50 million, and is still considered one of the league’s top players at age 36. 2024-25 will be the second-to-last year of his current deal, and it is anyone’s guess as to where he will finish his career.

5. Bradley Beal — $50.1 million

Beal is still a productive player, but his availability has made his contract one of the worst in the league. He is entering the third of a five-year deal this season that will pay him over $50 million, and has played in just 260 of a possible 390 games (66%) over the last 5 seasons. The Suns traded for Beal before the start of last season, and will owe him over $57 million during the 5th and final year of his deal.

6. Devin Booker — $49.2 million

Booker is the third member of the Suns to appear in the top-ten, and all within the top-six. He is one of the handful of players on the list that will earn $49.2 million this year, and is in the first season of a four-year deal worth over $220 million. He is the youngest of the trio of he, Durant, and Booker, and has been a mainstay in Phoenix since being drafted by the team. If and when the franchise decides to ship off parts, Booker is likely to be the one that they choose to keep and pay.

7. Jaylen Brown — $49.2 million

Brown still has the most valuable overall contract in the NBA, which is a five-year deal worth over $285 million in totality. But given his growing resume, it can be argued that Brown is well worth the money. He was named the NBA Finals MVP when his Celtics finally got over the championship hump last year, and is a part of one of the more dominant duos in the entire league. During the final season of his current deal, he will be earning just shy of $65 million.

8. Karl-Anthony Towns — $49.2 million

Given both their immediate and future cap situations, the Timberwolves traded Towns and his contract to the Knicks last week, who are now on the hook for the $49.2 million that he is owed for the season. It will be the first of a four-year extension that was signed a couple of summers ago, which will see a $61 million player option in the final season.

9. Kawhi Leonard — $49.2 million

Like Beal, Leonard can be considered overpaid due to his availability. Few star players have missed the extended time that he has, including playoff runs and an entire missed season in 2021-22. His currently health is even in question as there have been reports of inflammation in his surgically repaired knee. Leonard will earn just over $49 million for the season, a salary that only increases by $1 million over the following two seasons.

10. Paul George — $49.2 million

George is now a member of the 76ers, meaning that Philadelphia has two players in the top-ten when it comes to highest paid. They are certainly in win-now mode with Tyrese Maxey in the mix as well, but will have to make some financial decisions within a couple of years. In 2026-27, the 76ers are slated to owe $154.3 million to the trio of George, Embiid, and Maxey.