2025-26 NBA salary list TOP10: Curry leads nearly 6,000...

NBA offseason has always been crazy, and many players will sign large contracts. Now that the dust has settled, let's see who will be the highest-paid player in the 2025-26 season.

The 2025-26 season may be the last season in NBA history to have no players who earn $60 million in annual salary. Three players will now exceed $60 million in the 2026-27 season, and will reach nine by the 2027-28 season. This does not include the contract renewal contracts that Kevin Durant, Luka Doncic and Victor Vinbanyama have not yet signed. There is another interesting data this season: According to Hoops Hype statistics, as of mid-July, 174 players have paid no less than $10 million next season, and 91 players have paid more than $20 million. And just over a decade ago in 2014, when LeBron James returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers with an annual salary of about $20 million, this was the league's maximum salary. Now James' annual salary has not entered the top ten, and he only ranks 11th in the salary list.

NBA salary explosion is no longer a secret. Even the Dallas Mavericks No. 1 pick Cooper Flag, who will earn more than $11 million in a rookie season.

Which players can be among the top ten of the salary list next season? There are many surprising names hidden in this list.

10. Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Carl Anthony Towns (New York Knicks), Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics) 2025-26 season salary: $53,142,264

There are three players tied for the tenth place, but the three of them are in completely different situations. First is Devin Booker, who is expected to become the highest-paid player in the NBA in the 2028-29 season. This is because he just signed a two-year maximum salary renewal contract with the Suns. Including the existing contract, Booker's total salary will exceed $300 million in the next five seasons, which even exceeds the Marshall Islands' GDP.

Carl-Anthony Towns is not as lucky as Booker. The Suns are willing to keep the core players at all costs, but the Knicks are not so worried. Towns is not even the top player of the team. Jaylen Brunson signed a friendly contract that is only $35 million this season and only $41 million two years later, while Towns' salary continues to expand.

Let's take a look at Jaylen Brown. The first time he signed the Celtics was the largest contract in NBA history, and the fans were in an uproar. Like Towns, Brown is not the star of the Celtics, he is more like a supporter around Jason Tatum. But with Tatum missing the entire new season due to an Achilles tendon injury, Brown finally has the opportunity to prove that he deserves the top ten salary in the league.

7. Jason Tatum (Boston Celtics)

2025-26 Salary: $54,126,450

Frankly speaking, Bradley Bill was supposed to be in this position, but after being bought out by the Suns, he joined the Los Angeles Clippers with a two-year salary of $10 million, so this position was Tatum's turn. Next season, the Celtic superstar will be on the bench with a high salary.

In order to avoid triggering the second luxury tax line, the Celtics sold their assets wildly, like a big sale of merchants: Cristaps Porzingis was sent to Atlanta, and Ju Holiday moved from the championship team to Portland. The Celtics almost used all the money-saving methods, but they just didn't trade Jaylen Brown.

People generally expect Tatum to return to the top stars of the league after returning from injury. As the core of the top team, he deserves this high salary.

7. Jimmy Butler (Golden State Warriors)

2025-26 salary: $54,126,450

Golden State Warriors are trying their best to avoid the collapse of the Warriors dynasty, after all, Stephen Curry is still the top player in the league. They tried hard to grasp the current competitiveness, and the introduction of Jimmy Butler reflects the determination to keep Curry competitive later in his career.

Butler forced the Miami Heat to trade himself to the Warriors and immediately signed a two-year, $121 million maximum salary renewal with the Warriors. For a player who averages 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game, this treatment is quite good.

Butler's high salary is due to his performance at critical moments in the playoffs. He is the top star who can lead the team to the finals alone, which is also the reason why he is on the list. The Warriors hope Butler can "carry" the team again. As long as you can help Curry enter the finals again, it will be worth it no matter how much money you spend. Although this task is arduous, the rewards far exceed the investment.

6. Kevin Durant (Houston Rockets)

Salary in 2025-26: $54,708,608

Kevin Durant became the most popular player this summer's offseason. He left the Phoenix Suns as he wished and joined the Houston Rockets. This is the sixth team the future Hall of Fame player plays for his career.

Durant's salary will be slightly more than $54 million this season. Most people think he should have signed a maximum salary contract extension long ago and get $122 million for two years after next season, but despite constant rumors of renewal, he has not yet reached it. Does he plan to play for the Rockets for a season to see the situation and then enter the free market next year?

Durant has never reached the Finals since leaving the Warriors, and the Super Team formed with him at the heart of both the Nets and the Suns ended with a disappointing end. Now, he hopes to join forces with the young Rockets to build the team into a championship contender. It is worth noting that he will be 37 years old before the start of the season. Let's wait and see how he performs..

4. Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers)

2025-26 salary: $55,224,526

There are many players who are troubled by injuries like Durant, but few have an injury history that can lock the team like Joel Embiid. The former MVP missed many games last season due to facial and foot injuries, and ended up last season early due to knees and hands. Embiid has been with injuries throughout his career: he missed the entire new season due to foot surgery in his rookie season, and has suffered more than ten injuries so far in his career, most of which are concentrated in the lower body. This is also the reason why most people think his contract extension is outrageous.

Embid signed a three-year, $193 million contract extension with the 76ers last offseason, meaning that he will stay in Philadelphia with a sky-high salary until 2029. The

6ers performed disastrously last season, becoming one of the five worst teams in the league. People hope Embiid can be worthy of a $55 million salary and return to the field healthy, but history tells us that he is more likely to continue to miss the game. His ceiling is comparable to any player in the league, but may never reach it.

4. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)

Salary for 2025-26: $55,224,526

As Embiid's perennial opponent in the MVP selection, Nikola Jokic may be the best player in basketball today. He has been in the MVP competition for the past five years and was second after Shay Gilgers-Alexander last season. Despite the continuous mistakes of management, he kept the Nuggets competitive in the championship.

The fact that he and Jokic paid exactly the same salary was almost hilarious. Jokic is exactly what the Sixers want Embiid to be, playing as many games as possible, standing up at critical moments, being tenacious and not causing trouble.

Jokic has two seasons of contract with the Nuggets and may renew his contract in the future, but some people are curious whether he will wait and see. The Nuggets have made frequent moves this season, including firing head coach Mike Malone and exchanging Dario Saric and Michael Porter for Jonas Valanciunas and Cameron Johnson.

The Nuggets are creating a new championship roster around Jokic, but he may want to see Jamal Murray's form next season before deciding to renew his contract. In any case, his next contract is still the league's maximum salary.

2. Anthony Davis (Dallas Mavericks)

2025-26 season salary: $57,604,894

Anthony Davis's year is bizarre. The Dallas Mavericks sent Luca Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in the middle of the season in exchange for Davis and his huge contract. However, Doncic did not appear in this list, while Davis joined the Mavericks with the second highest salary in the league.

This is not a deal for breadcrumbs to trade cookies: Davis is still a top player, and his salary matches his performance. The Lakers may be dissatisfied with the fact that the "Davis LeBron era" only won one championship, but this has become a thing of the past. The Mavericks are collecting and managing the team around the Davis component, while the Lakers are preparing Doncic for the post-LeBron era.

Davis signed a three-year, $186 million maximum salary renewal contract with the Lakers before the 2023-24 season, and is eligible to renew his contract again this season. Based on the status quo, the Mavericks are likely to meet Davis's requirements. In order to get Davis, the Mavericks sent off superstar Doncic, lost the season ticket holder, sacrificed their season record, became a laughing stock in the league, and bet on all the chips. They could not easily let Davis leave the team.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)

2025-26 season salary: $57,604,894

The entire league is now focusing on Giannis Antetokounmpo's future. The league's top player has been fully committed to leading the Bucks to the championship for many years and successfully won the championship in 2021.

Because Milwaukee is a small NBA team, people have been making fun of Giannis for years and will join New York, Los Angeles or Miami, but the rumors of this offseason are particularly true. In order to keep Antetokounmpo, the Bucks made crazy moves this season's offseason: They bought out Damian Lillard through extended terms. Lillard originally had two years of $113 million in contract, but if he had not been cut, he might have been on this list. At the same time, Miles Turner signed for $57.6 million, but is that enough to make the Bucks a championship contender?

The Eastern Conference is weak this season, with basically only two strong teams, Cleveland and the New York Knicks, and the other teams have uneven competitiveness. If the Bucks can build a lineup around Giannis, they still have a chance to achieve a win-win situation. If the Bucks can reach the finals again, can they calm down the call for "Antetokounmpo should leave the team"?

1. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

Salary for 2025-26: $59,606,817

Stephen Curry became the highest-paid superstar in the NBA next season, with a salary of nearly $60 million next season. Curry is not only a top player in the league, but also one of the most popular stars in the world: he ranked second in sales of his jersey last season. When other superstars such as Luca Doncic, who tops the sales list, drives new jersey sales by changing teams, Curry continues to make money in the Bay Area. It is estimated that Curry's annual salary plus endorsement income is about US$100 million, and his total career income is expected to exceed US$1 billion before retirement.

As we grow older, Curry's data has declined. He is no longer the MVP candidate who led the team to the Finals, but he is still in excellent form: last season's average of 24.5 points was the lowest performance since the 2014-15 season, but he is still ranked 11th in the league, but the top ten players average more playing time than Curry, so he may be one of the most efficient scorers in the league.