The NBA’s minimum salary is one of several figures that changes from year to year at the same rate as the league’s salary cap. If the cap increases by 5% from one season to the next, the minimum salary will rise by the same amount.
That means that even though we don’t know yet exactly where the minimum salaries will end up for the 2024/25 season, we can make an educated estimate. The NBA’s most recent projection for ’24/25 called for a $141,000,000 cap, which is the number we’ll use to project next season’s minimum salaries.
[RELATED: NBA Minimum Salaries For 2023/24]
A player’s minimum salary is determined in part by how much NBA experience he has — a veteran who has 10+ seasons under his belt is eligible for a significantly higher minimum salary than a rookie would be.
Based on the current 2024/25 cap estimate, next year’s rookie minimum salary will surpass $1.16MM, while the minimum for a veteran with 10+ years of service will exceed $3.33MM.
Here are the current minimum salary projections for the 2024/25 season, using a $141,000,000 cap:
| Years of Experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| 0 | $1,160,544 |
| 1 | $1,867,722 |
| 2 | $2,093,637 |
| 3 | $2,168,944 |
| 4 | $2,244,249 |
| 5 | $2,432,511 |
| 6 | $2,620,778 |
| 7 | $2,809,042 |
| 8 | $2,997,308 |
| 9 | $3,012,229 |
| 10+ | $3,313,453 |
Given the rate at which the NBA’s salary cap has increased in recent years, the league’s projection of a 3.7% increase appears relatively conservative. In each of the past two offseasons, the cap has increased by the maximum allowable 10%.
While it’s rare for the NBA’s projection to be so far off, it’s not entirely out of the question that a 10% rise could occur again in 2024. Certainly, player agents are hoping for it — that’s why an extension like Jaylen Brown‘s super-max contract with the Celtics was reported to be worth in excess of $300MM+, rather than the $286MM that Brown’s deal would be worth based on a 3.7% cap increase.
A 10% increase, rounded to the nearest thousand, would result in a $149,623,000 cap. Here’s what the minimum salaries would look like in 2024/25 if the cap were to rise to $149,623,000:
| Years of Experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| 0 | $1,231,518 |
| 1 | $1,981,945 |
| 2 | $2,221,675 |
| 3 | $2,301,588 |
| 4 | $2,381,498 |
| 5 | $2,581,274 |
| 6 | $2,781,054 |
| 7 | $2,980,832 |
| 8 | $3,180,612 |
| 9 | $3,196,445 |
| 10+ | $3,516,090 |
We’ll update these figures later in the season if the NBA adjusts its cap projection for the 2024/25 season, and then again next year when the league officially sets the ’24/25 cap.
$1,168,124? Who can live on that?