Players Set To See The Largest Raises In 2015/16

Jimmy Butler probably would have jumped at a salary of nearly $14.4MM in the fall, when he was reportedly prepared to settle for salaries between $12.5MM and $13MM in extension talks with the Bulls. Instead, that $14.4MM figure represents merely the amount of the raise he’s getting. He’ll make $16,407,500, the maximum salary for a player of his experience, in 2015/16 after having earned only $2,008,748 last season. No one in the NBA is slated to see a more significant raise this year.

Butler personifies two traits shared by most of the 10 players slated to see raises of $10MM or more this coming season. He re-signed with his team, and he was coming off a rookie scale contract. Khris Middleton, Draymond Green and DeMarre Carroll are the only players on the list below who aren’t coming off rookie scale deals, and Green and Middleton made the minimum last season. Carroll and Greg Monroe are the only ones to change teams, even though free agents can receive the same starting salaries wherever they sign.

An eleventh player seems poised to join this group eventually. Tristan Thompson, who made $5,138,430 last season on the final year of his rookie deal, is the most prominent free agent still available, and he’s eligible for that same $16,407,500 max.

1. Jimmy Butler, Bulls — $14,398,752 ($2,008,748 to $16,407,500)
2. Khris Middleton, Bucks — $13,784,757 ($915,243 to $14,700,000)
3. Tobias Harris, Magic — $13,619,406 ($2,380,594 to $16,000,000)
4. Kawhi Leonard, Spurs — $13,513,441 ($2,894,059 to $16,407,500)
5. Draymond Green, Warriors — $13,345,627 ($915,243 to $14,260,870)
6. Klay Thompson, Warriors — $12,425,120 ($3,075,880 to $15,501,000)
7. Reggie Jackson, Pistons — $11,708,675 ($2,204,369 to $13,913,044)
8. DeMarre Carroll, Raptors — $11,157,545 ($2,442,455 to $13,600,000)
9. Greg Monroe, Bucks — $10,927,565 ($5,479,935 to $16,407,500)
10. Enes Kanter, Thunder — $10,712,826 ($5,694,674 to $16,407,500)

The Basketball Insiders salary pages were used in the creation of this post.

Which of these raises was the most-deserved? Least-deserved? Leave a comment to let us know.