The highest-paid player on every NBA team
- NBA player salaries have skyrocketed in recent years.
- We used Spotrac to determine the highest-paid player on every team.
- Multiple players make over $30 million a year, and several make over $40 million per year.
Using Spotrac, we took a look at the highest-paid player on every NBA team.
Salaries have exploded in recent years, and it is commonplace for good players to make over $25 million a year. There are 24 teams whose highest-paid player makes over $25 million this season, and some teams have multiple players making such figures.
Check out each NBA team's highest-paid player below.
Atlanta Hawks: Danilo Gallinari - $19 million
Position: Forward
Age: 32
Contract: 3 years, $61 million
All-Stars: 0
One thing to know: Gallinari is shooting 40% from three for a third straight season but is averaging 23 minutes per game, his lowest since his rookie year.
Boston Celtics: Kemba Walker - $34.3 million
Position: Point guard
Age: 30
Contract: 4 years, $140.7 million
All-Stars: 4
One thing to know: Walker signed with the Celtics in 2019 after the Hornets declined to offer him a five-year "supermax" contract worth over $200 million.
Brooklyn Nets: James Harden - $41.2 million
Position: Guard
Age: 31
Contract: 4 years, $171 million
All-Stars: 9
One thing to know: The Nets have over $114 million committed this season to the trio of Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving.
Charlotte Hornets: Gordon Hayward - $28.5 million
Position: Guard/Forward
Age: 31
Contract: 4 years, $120 million
All-Stars: 1
One thing to know: Hayward has produced at an All-Star level when healthy, but injuries have plagued him, as he's played in just 169 games over the last four seasons.
Chicago Bulls: Nikola Vucevic - $26 million
Position: Center
Age: 30
Contract: 4 years, $100 million
All-Stars: 3
One thing to know: Vucevic's deal declines in annual value each year, but he looks likely to cash in on a near-max deal when he's a free agent in 2023.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love - $31.2 million
Position: Forward/Center
Age: 32
Contract: 4 years, $120 million
All-Stars: 5
One thing to know: Love has been on the trade block for years but has been difficult to deal because of his big contract and the Cavs' high asking price.
Dallas Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis - $29.4 million
Position: Forward/Center
Age: 25
Contract: 5 years, $158 million
All-Stars: 1
One thing to know: Porzingis has played in just 96 games over two and a half seasons with the Mavs but is having his best season shooting the ball in 2020-21.
Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic - $29.5 million
Position: Center
Age: 26
Contract: 5 years, $147 million
All-Stars: 3
One thing to know: Jokic, the front-runner for MVP this season, might be a bit of a steal for the Nuggets: he's the 24th highest-paid player this year and has two more years left on his contract.
Detroit Pistons: Jerami Grant - $19 million
Position: Forward
Age: 27
Contract: 3 years, $60 million
All-Stars: 0
One thing to know: Many people scoffed when the Pistons gave Grant a $60 million contract, but he has responded by averaging a career-high 22 points per game.
Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry - $43 million
Position: Guard
Age: 33
Contract: 5 years, $201 million
All-Stars: 7
One thing to know: After becoming an MVP on a $44 million contract, Curry could have a chance to sign back-to-back $200 million deals.
Houston Rockets: John Wall - $41.2 million
Position: Guard
Age: 30
Contract: 4 years, $171 million
All-Stars: 5
One thing to know: Injuries continue to be a problem for Wall — who is done for the season after a decent year in Houston — as he's now played just 113 games over the last four seasons.
Indiana Pacers: Malcolm Brogdon - $20.7 million
Position: Guard
Age: 28
Contract: 4 years, $85 million
All-Stars: 0
One thing to know: Brogdon continues to make the Pacers look smart for giving him an $85 million contract, averaging a career-high 21 points per game to go with 5.3 rebounds and 5.9 assists.
LA Clippers: Paul George - $35.4 million
Position: Forward
Age: 30
Contract: 4 years, $136 million
All-Stars: 7
One thing to know: George is currently on the deal he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018, but he signed a 4-year, $176 million extension with the Clippers that kicks in next season.
Los Angeles Lakers: LeBron James - $39.2 million
Position: Guard/Forward
Age: 36
Contract: 4 years, $153 million
All-Stars: 17
One thing to know: James signed a 2-year, $85 million extension with the Lakers this past offseason, perhaps in part because his plans to sign a mega-five-year deal were foiled again.
Memphis Grizzlies: Jonas Valanciunas - $15 million
Position: Center
Age: 28
Contract: 3 years, $45 million
All-Stars: 0
One thing to know: Valanciunas is having a career year for the Grizzlies, averaging a career-high 17 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.
Miami Heat: Jimmy Butler - $34.3 million
Position: Guard/Forward
Age: 31
Contract: 4 years, $140.7 million
All-Stars: 5
One thing to know: Butler is quietly shooting a career-high on two-point shots, his second-best free-throw percentage, and a career-high in assists this season.
Milwaukee Bucks: Khris Middleton - $33 million
Position: Guard/Forward
Age: 29
Contract: 5 years, $177 million
All-Stars: 2
One thing to know: Middleton won't be the Bucks' highest-paid player for long, as Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a 5-year, $228 million extension this season.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns - $29.4 million
Position: Center
Age: 25
Contract: 5 years, $158 million
All-Stars: 2
One thing to know: Towns has struggled to stay on the floor the last two seasons, playing a total of 76 games.
New Orleans Pelicans: Steven Adams - $29.5 million
Position: Center
Age: 27
Contract: 4 years, $100 million
All-Stars: 0
One thing to know: Adams is in the final year of his contract and may have a hard time finding another $100 million deal in free agency.
New York Knicks: Julius Randle - $18.9 million
Position: Forward
Age: 26
Contract: 3 years, $62 million
All-Stars: 1
One thing to know: Randle is having a career year, is the favorite for Most Improved Player, and could sign a 4-year, $106 million extension this offseason unless he wants to hit free agency to sign a bigger deal.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Al Horford - $27.5 million
Position: Center
Age: 34
Contract: 4 years, $109 million
All-Stars: 5
One thing to know: There is a $23 million gap between Horford and the Thunder's second-highest-paid player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who makes $4 million this season.
Orlando Magic: Otto Porter Jr. - $28.4 million
Position: Forward
Age: 27
Contract: 4 years, $106.5 million
All-Stars: 0
One thing to know: Porter was traded to the Magic at the deadline and has appeared in just three games. He is a free agent at the end of the season.
Philadelphia 76ers: Tobias Harris - $34.3 million
Position: Forward
Age: 28
Contract: 5 years, $180 million
All-Stars: 0
One thing to know: Harris is quietly having one of his best seasons scoring the ball, averaging a career-high 20 points on a career-best 56.4% eFG.
Phoenix Suns: Chris Paul - $41.3 million
Position: Point guard
Age: 35
Contract: 4 years, $159 million
All-Stars: 11
One thing to know: Paul has catapulted the Suns to a new tier and looks like he plenty left in the tank for the twilight years of his career.
Portland Trail Blazers: Damian Lillard - $31.6 million
Position: Point guard
Age: 30
Contract: 5 years, $139 million
All-Stars: 6
One thing to know: Lillard is in the final year of his contract, and his 4-year, $176 million extension kicks in next season.
Sacramento Kings: Buddy Hield - $24.7 million
Position: Guard
Age: 28
Contract: 4 years, $94 million
All-Stars: 0
One thing to know: After averaging 20 points per game on 45.8% shooting in 2018-19, Hield's scoring average and FG% have dropped in consecutive seasons.
San Antonio Spurs: DeMar DeRozan - $27.7 million
Position: Guard/Forward
Age: 31
Contract: 5 years, $139 million
All-Stars: 4
One thing to know: DeRozan is in the final year of his deal and is set to be one of the biggest free agents in the NBA next summer.
Toronto Raptors: Pascal Siakam - $30.5 million
Position: Forward
Age: 27
Contract: 4 years, $136 million
All-Stars: 1
One thing to know: Siakam is the focal point of the Raptors' re-tool, but his play has been up and down since last March, and he is posting a career-worst eFG% this season.
Utah Jazz: Mike Conley - $34.5 million
Position: Guard
Age: 33
Contract: 5 years, $152 million
All-Stars: 1
One thing to know: Long a member of the "Best players to never make an All-Star team" club, Conley finally got in this year when Devin Booker was scratched due to injury.
Washington Wizards: Russell Westbrook - $41.3 million
Position: Guard
Age: 32
Contract: 5 years, $206 million
All-Stars: 9
One thing to know: After a slow start to the season, Westbrook is once again averaging a triple-double, his fourth time in five years.
Now, check out our rankings of the best big men in the NBA...
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