Few jobs in this world would be sweeter than an NBA player. You can play in 82 games and the playoffs, there are fewer serious injuries and hits than football, and you can make generational wealth even if you are not one of the great players in the league.
Remember Anthony Bennett, one of the worst No. 1 overall picks (2013) in NBA history? He still made $16.5 million, which is more in millions than if you added his points per game in his 4 seasons together (15.9).
Even someone like J.J. Redick, a Duke star who never made an NBA All-Star team, made just south of $120 million in his 15 seasons.
But the great ones get paid even more, and their contracts are often fully guaranteed, which is something you might want to consider if you’re planning on betting on them at the top NBA sportsbooks, such as Bovada (check our Bovada Review). Heard the expression, “playing for a contract”? Well, guess what happens to most when they get paid?
Who are the top money makers for the 2023-24 season? We found the top 10 list using Spotrac and have included each player’s cap hit for this season.
The list includes 7 players who have won an NBA championship and/or MVP award.
1. Stephen Curry, Warriors – $51.9 Million
Steph Curry is this season’s lone $50 million player, but at 35 years old, he is still a feared shooter with an incredible release, and he has the motor to wear defenses out when he doesn’t have the ball.
Curry has not played 70 games in a season since 2016-17, but when he is healthy, he has shown few signs of slowing down for Golden State. Curry averaged 29.4 points per game last season and scored 50 points in a Game 7 in Sacramento, a record that stood for only a few days before Jayson Tatum broke it for Boston.
A 4-time champion and 2-time MVP, Curry owns 4 of the top 5 seasons in NBA history in 3-point field goals made. He is looking to push the career 3-point field goal records out of reach before he retires.
Curry has to carry the Warriors now more than he did during the dynasty years, but they are still a tough team to beat and expect to be in the title hunt again this year behind their best player.
Curry has already earned more than $300 million in NBA player salary in his career.
2. Kevin Durant, Suns – $47.6 Million
Like his former teammate Steph Curry, Kevin Durant is also 35 years old, has gone through some injuries in recent years, still has an incredible shot, and he is filthy rich with over $350 million in career salary earnings since joining the NBA in 2007.
The Slim Reaper was traded to Phoenix last season, and he is trying to lead this team back to the Finals with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. Durant has led the NBA in postseason minutes per game in each of the last 2 seasons, but he has not played more than 55 games in a regular season since 2018-19.
Still one of the most exciting players to watch, Durant ranks No. 4 in NBA history in career points per game (27.27). With over 27,000 career points, Durant can move into the top 10 in that category this season.
3. LeBron James, Lakers – $47.6 Million
We still don’t know when the story will end for LeBron James, but the fact that he is worthy every penny of his massive contract while he is a few weeks away from turning 39 is remarkable.
In a game against the Clippers this season with Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George on the court, LeBron was still the best player there. He led the Lakers to an overtime win and had 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists.
Last February, James surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabar for the most points in NBA history. He also reached the Western Conference Finals before getting swept by Denver.
James is a 19-time All-Star, 4-time MVP, 4-time Finals MVP, and 4-time MVP. His list of records will be unfathomable, and one of the craziest is that he averaged 25.0 points per game for 19 straight seasons, and he has a shot to do it for a 20th season this year.
With over $430 million made in his NBA career already, LeBron will go down as one of the greatest (and richest) athletes of all time.
4. Nikola Jokic, Nuggets – $47.6 Million
While LeBron James is the greatest player of this century, Nikola Jokic is the king of the NBA right now. Jokic has roughly the same cap hit as LeBron and Joel Embiid this season, but he is the reigning Finals MVP, and he had an argument for winning his 3rd-straight regular season MVP last year after almost averaging a triple-double.
Jokic is only 28 years old, which makes him the youngest player on our top 10 money makers list. But Jokic has already made nearly $150 million from his NBA salaries, which is pretty good for the husky kid from Serbia who loves horses, which are expensive.
Jokic plays the game with absurd efficiency and is always a triple-double threat. He led the NBA in triple-doubles in each of the last 2 seasons.
Unlike many of the stars on our list, Jokic has yet to play with anything resembling a super team. Jamal Murray has been his best teammate with the Nuggets, and Murray was not healthy for a couple of years during the pandemic. But once he returned last season, Murray and Jokic together brought the Nuggets their first championship.
Still a favorite to repeat and in the MVP race again, Jokic is a joy to watch and is one of the most unique, versatile players in NBA history.
5. Joel Embiid, 76ers – $47.6 Million
After leading the NBA in scoring for the 2nd year in a row with 33.1 points per game, Joel Embiid won his 1st MVP award for the Philadelphia 76ers. But the 29-year-old from Cameroon is still seeking his first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals as the 76ers have been close in his career but yet to break through.
The lack of playoff success for Embiid has kept him in a lower tier than the other superstars in this league, but along with Jokic, he is one of the few elite centers we still have to watch in an NBA that has moved towards smaller players and 3-point shooting.
Embiid can do a little of everything, including shooting 3s and blocking shots. He has already earned more than $165 million in salary in his NBA career. Last year’s MVP likely pushes his future Hall of Fame probability to a strong number, but he does need to stay healthy as we have never seen him play 70 games in any regular season after he was drafted 3rd overall in 2014.
6. Bradley Beal, Suns – $46.7 Million
We feel you giving us the side-eye, but we are just listing the highest contracts. We didn’t give Bradley Beal a 5-year deal worth $251 million, but that’s the contract Phoenix took on to get Beal from Washington.
This also means 2 of the top 6 cap hits are on Phoenix, and somehow neither is Devin Booker, who might be the best player on the team this year given his role as a scorer and facilitator with Chris Paul gone. Booker’s 2023-24 cap hit is $36 million, which ranks 24th.
Beal’s contract may be bad, he has started this season with a back injury, and his Hall of Fame probability is currently 2.3% at Basketball Reference, but he is not a scrub.
Beal, 30, is a 3-time All-Star selection with a career average of 22.1 points per game. He averaged more than 30 points per game with Washington in back-to-back seasons in 2020-21.
He will have a lot to prove in Phoenix to make this move worth it, but even if he doesn’t, Beal has already made over $220 million in NBA salary.
7. Damian Lillard, Bucks – $45.6 Million
It still feels weird to write that Damian Lillard is not on the Portland Trail Blazers. But after 11 seasons where he made over $235 million in salary, Lillard went to the Bucks to join forces with Giannis Antetokounmpo to try to win his first championship after never getting very close with Portland.
Lillard, 33, is a Hall of Fame lock and one of the best 3-point shooters of all time. He has incredible shooting range, has been a clutch player on teams that were not strong, and he averages 6.7 assists per game in his career.
Lillard had an incredible debut game for the Bucks in a win over Philadelphia, but there will be some bumps in the road before we should see this team clicking on all cylinders. Seeing Lillard win a championship would be a great highlight for his career, but his legacy without one is still intact as he has already been named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
8. Paul George, Clippers – $45.6 Million
After trading for James Harden, the Los Angeles Clippers have 4 probable Hall of Famers on their roster, and the one with the least impressive resume is making the most money this year.
That would be Paul George, who has had a great career, but it is hard to put it above Kawhi Leonard, Harden, and Russell Westbrook. However, a healthy George could be a real threat on this team if it can find the right chemistry while playing for one of the league’s best coaches in Tyronn Lue.
George, 33, has already made more than $260 million in his career. But a championship would be a great way to fix the sore spot on his resume where the playoffs have been infamously hard for him going back to his days with Indiana.
Despite playing in 108 playoff games, George has never been to the NBA Finals. He was injured last postseason, but if this team can stay healthy, they will have a shot at a magical run this year.
9. Kawhi Leonard, Clippers – $45.6 Million
We said George is the highest-paid Clippers player this year, but that’s a little misleading. It more or less is the same as what Kawhi Leonard is making, and the difference in their average per-year salary is reportedly less than $100.
But the 32-year-old Leonard is arguably the most important player on the Clippers. We know what he can do in the playoffs as a 2-time champion who led the Raptors to a championship for his 2nd Finals MVP award in 2019.
Leonard is a great performer in the clutch, one of the best mid-range shooters in the game, and his laugh is hysterical. Unfortunately, his injuries have been no laughing matter as Leonard has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career going back to his time in San Antonio. Leonard has played more than 66 games in a season just twice, and the last time was back in 2016-17.
Perhaps the player most synonymous with “load management” in the NBA, if Leonard can stay healthy for this team into the playoffs, then we could be in for a treat this spring in watching a masterwork in the most important games of the season.
Leonard has already made $233 million in his career but winning a 3rd championship and Finals MVP with a 3rd franchise is the kind of achievement that only LeBron James can boast. Leonard can join him if he does it for the Clippers.
10. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks – $45.6 Million
Finally, our No. 10 money maker is Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Greek Freak himself, who had one of the best championship runs ever in 2021 with Milwaukee. But after a shocking playoff exit in the 1st round, after Giannis was injured in Game 1, he has a new coach and a new Robin to his Batman in Damian Lillard, the No. 7 money maker on our list.
That means 6-of-10 players on our list are teammate duos in Durant-Beal, George-Leonard, and Lillard-Antetokounmpo. Giannis will turn 29 in December and has already made over $190 million in NBA salary.
Giannis averaged a career-high 31.1 points per game last season, but one has to wonder what he would do if he shot free throws more like Joel Embiid (81.9%) than the 70.7% career shooter he is at the line.
But in this era of big men before rookie Victor Wembanyama takes over, Giannis is still a thrill to watch. He combines brute force with unbelievable quickness for his size. He is also a gifted passer.
A deep playoff run with Giannis (and Lillard) would be a good thing for NBA fans this season. A postseason without so many injuries to big stars and money-makers is all we want after the last couple of years.
