The richest contracts in NBA history

Contract: Five years, $303,734,893 (2024-25 thru 2028-29)

Is it a staggering number? Yes. Is it strange that Jaylen Brown is the NBA's first player with a $300 million contract? Kind of. But — and this is the $300 million question — is it a fair contract? I'm going to go with yes. Brown is one of the best 20-25 players in the NBA, and he's entering his prime. Those guys get supermax contracts. With the salary cap continuing to rise, we're going to see players who are better than Jaylen Brown and probably an equal number of players who are worse than Jaylen Brown land "the richest deal in NBA history". 

Contract: Five years, $276,122,630 (2023-24 thru 2027-28)

Pretty open and shut case here. Nikola Jokic is the best player in the world. He's at the peak of his powers. And he's worth every penny of this deal. The two-time MVP, and defending Finals MVP, will enter his ninth season with a chance to vault himself into the discussion as the greatest international player of all-time with another MVP and/or championship. That's right — he'll be up there with the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki and Giannis Antetokounmpo, if he's not already on the same level as the latter two.

Contract: Five years, $251,019,650 (2022-23 thru 2026-27)

Worst. Contract. Negotiation. Ever. Bradley Beal is definitely not HIM and anyone who was involved in this contract negotiation on the Wizards' side should not only never be allowed around a basketball front office again, they should be investigated to see if there was some sort of under-the-table kickback involved in this Beal extension. At the time this was signed, Beal was no better than the 30th-best player in the league, and he was heading towards the back end of his prime. Somehow, he landed a supermax contract AND the only no-trade clause in the whole NBA.

Contract: Four years, $234,572,800 (2019-20 thru 2023-24)

Bradley Beal isn't worth the supermax, but his new teammate, Devin Booker, certainly is. Booker is an absolute alpha dog. The prototypical two-guard in the modern NBA. Booker is still only 26 years old and coming off a postseason where he led the NBA in scoring (33.7 PPG) and dished out 7.2 APG with hyper-efficient 59-51-87 shooting splits.

Contract: Four years, $234,572,800 (2019-20 thru 2023-24)

This contract seems to fluctuate between stomachable and vomit-worthy by the month. At his best, Karl-Anthony Towns is arguably the best shooting big man in NBA history — a matchup nightmare for every opponent in the league. At his worst, which all too often tends to occur in the playoffs and important games, KAT disappears on offense, gets himself into foul trouble and is a net negative when his team needs him the most. It wouldn't be surprising to see KAT traded before the end of this deal.

Contract: Five years, $228,200,420 (2021-22 thru 2025-26)

If you were shocked by the Jaylen Brown contract extension sticker price, get ready for when Giannis Antetokounmpo opts out of the last year of this deal to sign whatever the supermax is in the summer of 2025. It'll almost certainly be over $350 million. And it will be well-deserved. Giannis is an all-time great player who will be locked in a battle with Nikola Jokic for the Best Player on the Planet Belt and the Best International Player Ever Belt for the remainder of their respective careers (unless Luka Doncic or Victor Wembanyama have something to say about that). 

Contract: Five years, $216,616,000 (2023-24 thru 2027-28)

Gulp! Domantas Sabonis was a revelation during the regular season last year (19.1 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 7.3 APG on 61.5 percent shooting) and helped lead the Kings end their 16-year playoff drought. But then the playoffs came around, and he was completely outclassed by Draymond Green and Kevin Looney and saw those numbers drop to 16.4 PPG, 11 RPG, 4.7 APG on 49.5 percent shooting. Perhaps Sabonis will prove me wrong, but something tells me the Kings may regret throwing this big of a bag his way when some of their other contributors' contracts come due.

Contract: Four years, 215,353,664 (2022-23 thru 2025-26)

Stephen Curry is in a tier with LeBron James where no matter what he's paid, it isn't nearly enough money considering his value to his team and the NBA. Curry has had an invaluable impact on the game of basketball, and has made the league much more aesthetically entertaining than people ever could have imagined a decade ago. If there was no salary cap, this contact would easily breach $100 million per year, and Warriors' governor Joe Lacob would gladly pay it considering how much value Curry has brought to his franchise.

Contract: Five years, 215,159,700 (2022-23 thru 2026-27)

Five years into his illustrious career, Luka Doncic has established himself as the most advanced young player since LeBron James. Though his defense will probably always leave a little to be desired, Doncic is an offensive system unto himself and averaged an eye-popping 32.4 PPG, 8.6 RPG and 8 APG last season despite only shooting 34.2 percent from three and 74.2 percent from the free-throw line. He's obviously worth every cent of this "fun" max contract, and, assuming he exercises his player option at the end of the 2025-26 season, could be the most sought after free agent since Kevin Durant entered unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2016.

Contract: Five years, $215,159,700 (2022-23 thru 2026-27)

On the spectrum of supermax contracts, Zach LaVine is definitely in the Beal-Sabonis-Towns realm of guys who aren't good enough to be the number-one option on a legitimate contender. That said, LaVine, when healthy, is a lethal three-level scorer — both with the ball in his hands and without. His true shooting percentage is elite at 60.7 percent. He'd be an incredible third option and is dynamic enough to be a second option on a contender with an elite big man like Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic or Giannis Antetokounmpo. Unfortunately, his career and massive salary have set him on a path of being an under-qualified number one option, which is why we will likely never see him advance past the first round while on his current deal. 

Contract: Five years, $215,159,700 (2022-23 thru 2026-27)

From a statistical standpoint, Trae Young is more than justifying his supermax contract. His numbers from the past four seasons (27.4 PPG and 9.7 APG) are about as good as any point guard's numbers ever. However, save for what appears to have been an outlier run to the conference finals in 2021, it's unclear how much those elite numbers translate to team success. Atlanta has given him the keys to the franchise, but will need him to become a better connector and off-ball player in order for the Hawks to get back into contention with him as their centerpiece.

Contract: Four years, $210,112,000 (2023-24 thru 2026-27)

Joel Embiid, one of the highest-paid players in the NBA on an annual basis, would make even more if the league had no salary cap. In the past three seasons, the league's reigning MVP has finished second (2020-21), second (2021-22) and first (2022-23) in MVP voting. At 29 years old, he's in the middle of his prime and will be through the remainder of this contract, which includes a player option after the 2025-26 season. His early-career injury issues seem to be behind him (knock on wood), so the only thing the Sixers need to be concerned about is him getting a wandering eye if they fail to build a contender around him.

Contract: Five years, $206,794,070 (2018-19 thru 2022-23)

While it's not Russell Westbrook's fault — he merely signed the contract that was offered to him — this was one of the worst max contracts in recent NBA history. It wasn't the production that made it such a bad deal (21 PPG, 8.8 APG, 8.7 APG); it was the wild playing style (4.2 turnovers per game), wildly inefficient shooting (44-30-68 shooting splits) and poor defense. The deal was so bad that he was traded five times and waived once over the course of the contract.

Contract: Five years, $205,900,000 (2024-25 thru 2028-29)

This "fun" max extension, which was quickly signed this offseason, was an absolute no-brainer. Anthony Edwards is the face of the T'Wolves franchise and has rapidly risen into the superstar discussion at age 22. In addition to his production (PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, BPG) and shooting efficiency across the board in each of his seasons, he's also developed into one of the better wing defenders in the league, embracing a challenge that many young players of his stature often opt out of. Assuming he stays on this trajectory, and the salary cap continues to rise, Edwards could eventually become the first, or one of the first, NBA players to accumulate over a billion dollars in career earnings from NBA contracts.

Contract: Five years, $205,900,000 (2024-25 thru 2028-29)

Same contract for LaMelo Ball as Ant Edwards, but it certainly doesn't give you the same warm, fuzzy feeling. And that's somewhat ironic because, like Edwards, Ball's productivity across the board has also increased every season. His efficiency hasn't improved every season, but it's still decent (41-38-84 shooting splits last season). The main issue is that it's unclear whether he's the type of winning player a franchise can build around for a decade. By the end of this contract, we'll know the answer.

Contract: Five years, $205,900,000 (2024-25 thru 2028-29)

Same contract as the two guys before, but definitely closer to Anthony Edwards in terms of outlook. Tyrese Haliburton absolutely blew up last season, averaging 20.7 PPG on elite efficiency (49-40-87) while nearly leading the NBA in assists per game (10.4). In fact, had the Pacers not shut him down late in the season with an injury, he probably would have dragged them into the playoffs. The sky is the limit for the Pacers with Haliburton locked up through the rest of the decade.

Contract: Five years, $205,900,000 (2024-25 thru 2028-29)

The last of the "fun" maxes that were handed out this summer went to Desmond Bane, who has already vastly outperformed his draft selection (30th overall pick), and could go down as one of the best bargain draft picks in NBA history. Bane is the perfect player to pair with Memphis' other stars, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. He's got a well-rounded game (21.5 PPG, 5 RPG, 4.4 APG), is extremely efficient (48-41-88 shooting splits), and is a tough-nosed wing defender. At 25 years old, his game is probably closer to what it will look like at its peak as compared to Edwards, Ball and Haliburton, but any team in the NBA would pay him the max for the type of production he provides.

Contract: Five years, $205,000,002 (2021-22 thru 2025-26)

While Rudy Gobert should remain an elite rim-protector through the entirety of this contract, make no mistake about it, this contract will make it difficult for the T'Wolves to build a contender around Anthony Edwards. At 31, Gobert still is exclusively a rim-runner on offense and is showing some signs of decline on defense, especially with his ability to move his feet on the perimeter. His contract won't age as poorly as Westbrook's did, but it'll be cause for consternation for T'Wolves fans for years to come.

Contract: Five years, $201,158,790 (2017-18 thru 2021-22)

Wait, wasn't Stephen Curry already on this list? Yes, Mr. Curry is on this list twice as the NBA's collective bargaining agreement rewards players for staying with the same team, especially ones that win awards and make All-NBA teams like Curry has so frequently. At the time he signed this agreement, it was the largest contract in NBA history. Crazy to think how much the contracts have spiked since then!

Contract: Five years, $197,230,450 (2023-24 thru 2027-28)

Assuming he can behave himself off the court, this should be an excellent contract for both Ja Morant and the Grizzlies once it kicks in. Morant, who will be 24 years old when the season begins, has already been a Second-Team All-NBA selection (2021-22) and probably would have been at least that this past season had he not been suspended as he averaged 26.2 PPG, 8.1 APG and 5.9 RPG on a Memphis team that finished second in the West. If he gets it together off the court, he could be the face of the NBA. 

Contract: Five years, $197,230,450 (2023-24 thru 2027-28)

Speaking of needing to get it together off the court, Zion Williamson is up next and has the same exact max-contract extension has Ja Morant. Like Morant, Williamson seems to be on the verge of letting off-court issues get in the way of what should be a Hall of Fame career. Unlike Morant, Williamson has been plagued by injuries through his four seasons as a pro - playing only 114 of a possible 328 games — which makes this contract a daunting one for the Pelicans. If he can stay healthy and in shape, Zion should have New Orleans competing for championships in the very near future. If not, he will almost assuredly be sent packing (as will the GM that drafted him, David Griffin).

Contract: Five years, $197,230,450 (2023-24 thru 2027-28)

The least controversial of the three max extension guys from the 2019 Draft is Darius Garland, who is a delightfully efficient modern-day point guard. In 2022-23, Garland had an excellent season — 21.6 PPG, 7.8 APG with 46-41-86 shooting splits — while impressively navigating the incorporation of star guard Donovan Mitchell. It's no easy task for any guard to suddenly need to learn how to play alongside a high-usage, volume scorer like Mitchell — especially a guard in his early 20s — but Garland handled it about as well as one could. That bodes well for the Cavaliers, who will need to nail their moves around the fringes as their young, talented team becomes more and more expensive.