Now that the NBA has set its salary cap for the 2018/19 league year at $101,869,000, we have a clearer idea of what maximum-salary contracts will look like for the coming season.
While these numbers could soon be applied to contracts for free agents like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Paul George, and Nikola Jokic, they’re also relevant for players who signed maximum-salary extensions last year, such as Russell Westbrook, Joel Embiid, and Andrew Wiggins.
Listed below are the maximum-salary contracts for players signing contracts that start in 2018/19. The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous team can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player signing with a new team.
A player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players. In the charts below, the “6 years or less” column details the maximum contracts for players like Jokic and Wiggins; the “7-9 years” column applies to free agents like George and DeMarcus Cousins; and the “10+ years” column applies to vets like James and Chris Paul.
Here are the maximum salary figures for 2018/19:
A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):
| Year | 6 years or less | 7-9 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/19 | $25,467,250 | $30,560,700 | $35,654,150 |
| 2019/20 | $27,504,630 | $33,005,556 | $38,506,482 |
| 2020/21 | $29,542,010 | $35,450,412 | $41,358,814 |
| 2021/22 | $31,579,390 | $37,895,268 | $44,211,146 |
| 2022/23 | $33,616,770 | $40,340,124 | $47,063,478 |
| Total | $147,710,050 | $177,252,060 | $206,794,070 |
A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):
| Year | 6 years or less | 7-9 years | 10+ years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018/19 | $25,467,250 | $30,560,700 | $35,654,150 |
| 2019/20 | $26,740,613 | $32,088,735 | $37,436,858 |
| 2020/21 | $28,013,975 | $33,616,770 | $39,219,565 |
| 2021/22 | $29,287,338 | $35,144,805 | $41,002,273 |
| Total | $109,509,176 | $131,411,010 | $153,312,846 |