The 2023-24 NBA season is just around the corner. The offseason drama is nearly done, as stars are on their new teams, and the preseason is underway. Fans may never agree on who the best player of all time is, or even who the best player in the league at any given time is, but one thing that isn't up for debate is who's getting paid the most. Here are the 25 (technically 26) highest-paid players in the league for the upcoming 2023-24 NBA season.
T-24. Kristaps Porzingis – $36 million
The Boston Celtics made headlines early in the offseason when they landed Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards and Memphis Grizzlies. Porzingis had a career year with the Wizards last season and will be relied on to provide the Celtics with a consistent scoring option outside of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Porzingis signed a two-year, $60 million extension that allows Boston to retain his services through the 2025-26 campaign after they exercised his player option for the 2023-24 season.
T-24. Karl-Anthony Towns – $36 million
Last summer, the Minnesota Timberwolves signed Karl-Anthony Towns to a four-year, $224 million supermax extension, making him the highest-paid player on the team. With Anthony Edwards' stock rapidly rising all offseason long, this duo and Rudy Gobert have a chance to put the Timberwolves back on the map this upcoming season. Health is the name of the game for Towns, as a grade-three calf strain limited him to just 29 games last year.
T-24. Devin Booker – $36 million
Chris Paul and Deandre Ayton are out, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are in for the new-look Phoenix Suns. Devin Booker has been the one constant for a team that wallowed in futility, rose all the way to the NBA Finals, and is now reloading all during his time with the team. Booker signed that same four-year, $224 million supermax contract as Towns last year and will remain the centerpiece for the Suns. Can Booker and the Suns get the job done with a full year of Durant and the addition of Beal?
23. Jrue Holiday – $36.8 million
Jrue Holiday was just one piece caught up in the hurricane of movement around the league brought on by the Damian Lillard trade. But Holiday's acquisition by the Celtics solidified a solid offseason plan, as they added size and scoring with Porzingis and effectively upgraded Smart by swinging a deal for Holiday. The new-look Celtics, with Holiday and Porzingis, are just one of many retooled contenders with high expectations entering the year.
22. Kyrie Irving – $37 million
While the Dallas Mavericks season unceremoniously fell off a cliff after the acquisition of Kyrie Irving last year, a full year of Irving and Luka Doncic has to bode well, right? As excited as Mavs fans were to get Irving, no one would be able to look you in the eye and say they only believed good things would come of this union. That's the result of Irving's journey through four teams in seven years, leaving increasingly messy situations behind him each time he has demanded a trade. But the Mavs locked him down to a three-year, $124 million deal this summer, so, for now, everyone in Dallas is optimistic.
T-20. Ben Simmons – $37.8 million
Perhaps no one in the league will be under as much scrutiny as Ben Simmons when he steps out onto the court for the first time in the 2023-24 season. Simmons' departure from the Philadelphia 76ers and his inability to play meaningful minutes for the Brooklyn Nets alongside Durant and Irving was very frustrating for many fans. But all signs point to Simmons' mind and body being right for the first time in a long time, and if he can return to his All-Star form, his contract will be a bargain.
T-20. Pascal Siakam – $37.8 million
Somehow, Pascal Siakam, at 29 years old, will be one of the “old guys” in the Toronto Raptors' locker room this year. Okay, if not old, then definitely one of the most experienced. Siakam is one of the last remaining pieces from the Raptors 2019 championship team, and he is far and away the highest-paid player on the team. He's been the most valuable one as well, leading the entire NBA in minutes per game the past two years. The Raptors have a lot of solid pieces on their roster, but all eyes will be on Siakam as the main superstar of this team.
19. Tobias Harris – $39.3 million
“Tobias Harris over me?” is a refrain that will long live in the minds of Sixers fans as they ponder what could have been if they had kept Jimmy Butler over Tobias Harris back in 2019. Harris has been good but has not quite played up to the level he's being paid, while Butler has taken the Miami Heat well past anywhere the Sixers have made it to in the playoffs, featuring some of the most astonishing playoff performances of the last decade. Harris is in the final year of his contract and will need to show something a bit more in crunch time to stay with the Sixers past this season.
T-16. Zach LaVine – $40 million
Zach LaVine's biggest problem has often been his own front office's inability to bring in complimentary pieces around him. The Chicago Bulls thought they had something brewing with LaVine and Lonzo Ball before Ball's injury problems sidelined him for the foreseeable future. LaVine has been worthy of his big payday in Chicago, though, evolving into a more complete player than his time in Minnesota indicated. He's averaged just about a 25/5/5 line during his time with the Bulls and authored two All-Star seasons as well.
T-16. Trae Young – $40 million
Like nearly every player on this list, barring the top five, there are some questions about Trae Young and his contract. Is he a good locker room fit, will he improve his defense, who can you fit around him so the Atlanta Hawks can succeed, and why wasn't he on the Team USA FIBA World Cup team? Okay, maybe those are a few more questions than normal. The fact remains that Young has all the talent in the world and has shown the ability to be the franchise guy the Hawks hoped he'd be when they traded for him on draft night. His five-year, $215 million max contract says that Atlanta believes in him, too.
T-16. Luka Doncic – $40 million
Drafted the same night, traded for each other, and signed to the same five-year $215 million max extensions, Luka Doncic and Young will always be linked. A half season of a Irving and Doncic backcourt was enough to get the Slovenian to buy in with the Mavericks and sign his extension. Unlike Young, though, Doncic is on pace to earn an otherworldly supermax extension in a few years. The success of this pairing will determine both Doncic's willingness to stay and the Mavericks' willingness to hand him such a deal.
15. Anthony Davis – $40.6 million
Anthony Davis, at his peak, is a top-five player in the league. The reason he's not paid as such is his injury history, as well as a desire to keep roster building flexible, especially on a Los Angeles Lakers team that is always ready to throw everything and the kitchen sink at a title opportunity. Davis' health will likely be the biggest factor in the Lakers' success this year, with a close second being the success of LA's offseason roster retool, but Davis' health is not something that can be fixed with a move at the trade deadline.
14. Fred VanVleet $40.8 million
Fred VanVleet got paid this offseason. The former Raptor went well south of the border to the Houston Rockets, who paid him handsomely. VanVleet's new deal pays him $125.5 million over three years, with about $84 million of that being guaranteed. He joins a talented core highlighted by Jalen Green, as well as fellow splash acquisition Dillon Brooks. VanVleet and the Rockets will look to bring the team out of the Western Conference basement for the first time in the post-Harden era.
13. Rudy Gobert – $41 million
Last year, the Utah Jazz blew it all up and sent Rudy Gobert to the Timberwolves. Gobert, paired with Karl-Anthony Towns down low, was intriguing if not fully reaching its potential last year. The Timberwolves made the playoffs but ran into the Denver Nuggets buzzsaw immediately. But as Edwards grows and matures, so do the Timberwolves aspirations. It's clear that this will be Edwards' team, but Gobert is still very capable of playing elite basketball. The biggest question will be if he can mesh well enough offensively to avoid being a liability in the playoffs.
12. Klay Thompson – $43.2 million
Klay Thompson still playing basketball is a minor miracle in itself. Thompson finally had nearly a full season of work after missing two full seasons in a row and most of a third from 2019-2021. And given what Thompson has delivered to the Golden State Warriors in his time there, it makes sense he's getting paid quite a large sum of money. Much of the Warriors title contention hopes continue to hinge Thompson's ability to hit big shots and play elite defense when it matters most.
11. Jimmy Butler – $45.2 million
The legend of Butler only grows with each passing year. He is the archetype of every fan's favorite player: the player who has another gear when the lights are brightest. Butler gives the Heat high-level scoring, defense, and playmaking throughout the year, but he becomes nearly unstoppable in the playoffs and the clutch. While the Heat and Butler's desire to add Lillard this offseason was well-documented, their undermanned upset of the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of last year's playoffs proves that when healthy, this Heat team can still compete for a title.
T-7. Damian Lillard – $45.6 million
Two dynamic duos occupy the T-7 slot on this list. Lillard's trade saga is mercifully over, as he finally landed in Milwaukee as Giannis Antetokounmpo's new running mate. And with his new contract in tow, he's locked down for three years with a player option for year four. Lillard is getting older but is feasibly still in his prime. This is going to be his opportunity to bring home a title as one of the guys. He's never been on a true title contending team before. How does he handle the increased pressure, and how will he and Giannis mesh? These are some of the biggest storylines to watch in the East this year.
T-7. Giannis Antetokounmpo – $45.6 million
Antetokounmpo will be a hero in Milwaukee for as long as he lives, thanks to the 2021 NBA title he delivered to the city. But life in the NBA moves quickly, and now Adrian Griffin is the new head coach of the Bucks, and Lillard is the new point guard. Antetokounmpo's unwillingness to sign a new extension this offseason was also well-publicized, as he wanted a franchise commitment to chase titles. Is a small market team splashing for Lillard enough? In theory, yes. But let's see how things play out on the court, as that will likely be the main indicator of whether or not Antetokounmpo stays in Milwaukee long-term.
T-7. Kawhi Leonard – $45.6 million
Is this the year “The Klaw” returns? For real this time? Kawhi Leonard's prime has been decimated by injuries, as he hasn't played more than 60 games in a season since the 2016-17 campaign. But somehow, in the middle of two serious injuries, he still showed up in Toronto and led the Raptors to a title. His tenure with the Los Angeles Clippers and Paul George hasn't yielded the same results yet, though. He and George are both under contract for two more years, including this one, and they need to take a real step forward in order to prove to the Clippers that it's worth it to play out the rest of their contracts.
T-7. Paul George – $45.6 million
As we just mentioned, George and Leonard are getting paid the same amount of money across the next two years, they both have a player option after this year, and they haven't played that many games together. So what's going to happen to this Clippers team? Will they fizz out like Lob City did? Well, again, if everyone can stay healthy, they've shown flashes of being one of the best teams in all of basketball. So, in all likelihood, this year will dictate the flow of the Clippers franchise in the near future, not to mention George and Leonard's careers, and what that entails for their next contracts pending their health.
6. Bradley Beal – $46.7 million
The acquisition of Beal solidified a roster that bears little resemblance to the one that went up 2-0 in the NBA Finals just two years ago. Beal, like Lillard, will begin his first season on a new team this year. Both stars spent their whole careers to date on largely irrelevant teams they helped occasionally overachieve. With Beal, Durant, and Booker, the Suns have three of the best shooters in the league. But how will their defense, specifically the interior, look without Ayton? Beal has done more than enough to establish himself as a great basketball player in the NBA. The question of whether someone can contribute to winning basketball in a great way is always a different answer, and watching Beal step into a new role should be very exciting for his fans.
T-3. Joel Embiid – $47.6 million
Last season's MVP is raking in the cash after signing a four-year supermax extension last summer. Joel Embiid has been dominant the last few years, but front-office misses on roster construction and dud playoff performances mean that there's been no postseason success to show for it. Sixers fans want to see Embiid play at the level of dominance he's shown to be capable of when it matters most and get support from the players around him. That's not a huge ask. Right? If recent history is anything to go by, that's a lot harder than it looks. Philly does have Embiid locked up for the near future as a centerpiece, but there's a player option looming a few years down the road, and the Sixers should do everything in their power to make sure there's not a question in Embiid's mind on whether he should sign it.
T-3. Nikola Jokic – $47.6 million
One way to reward a five-year supermax extension is to solidify your claim on the “best player in the world” title and to lead your team to an NBA championship. That was Nikola Jokic's last 15 months or so, so what's in store for us next? Well, after a short summer of rest and relaxation at the horse farm, the big Serbian is back in the States and ready for all challengers. Jokic is locked down in Denver until the 2027-28 season, and there's no real reason the Nuggets won't be one of the Western Conference's favorites every year Jokic is in town and healthy.
T-3. LeBron James – $47.6 million
LeBron James is about to embark on his 21st season in the NBA, and he is still one of the best players in the world and is the third-highest-paid player in the league. There's nothing new to say about LeBron, so we'd all be best off just appreciating his greatness. The Lakers have retooled their roster around James and Davis, and like every team that LeBron has ever played on, it's championship or bust. And while James has made it clear he views Davis as the guy on this team, the fans and other players will turn to James when the lights are brightest.
2. Kevin Durant – $47.65 million
Like his former Nets teammate in Irving, Durant has been on a journey over the last several years. Since leaving Golden State, Durant hasn't found the team success that came so easily there. In fact, his old team went and won another ring just a couple of years after he left. But Durant's decision to depart for the Nets was proved right in theory because when he, Irving, and Harden were all on the court at the same time, the Nets were incredible. They were even a half-shoe size away from knocking off the eventual NBA champs in 2021. But in practice, the personal dynamics and drama were too much to keep together. So now Durant is set to begin his first full season with the Suns. Can this new collection of stars prove Durant right in practice this time?
1. Stephen Curry – $51.9 million
No player has been more valuable to a single franchise in the last 15 years than Stephen Curry. Curry was the catalyst for an offensive revolution across the league and a brand-new dynasty. He's the exact player the NBA made the supermax extension for. With the addition of Chris Paul, not to mention that Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney are still in town, Warriors fans absolutely feel they have several years left to win more titles with Curry. But regardless of how long the title window stays open, Warriors fans would be happy seeing Curry top this list for as long as he plays basketball.
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