The 6 Biggest Contracts in NBA History

There is a new player with the biggest contract in NBA history. One year after Denver’s Nikola Jokic set a record for the largest NBA contract, the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown owns the record for the largest contract ever signed in the NBA. We are examining Jokic and Brown’s contracts while delving into the rest of the richest NBA contracts signed in NBA history.

On Tuesday, July 25, Brown signed a $304 million supermax extension with the Celtics. Brown turned an All-NBA season into the richest NBA ever recorded in the league. We should get used to seeing headlines featuring the biggest NBA contract ever over the next several years.

Due to the seven-year CBA agreement between the NBA and NBPA, the upper limits on extensions are up to 140% from 120%. Additionally, there is improved leverage for restricted free agents, with a 10% increase in qualifying offers. As league license revenue increases, so will the salary cap¹.

For the 2023-24 season, the salary cap has officially been set at $136 million². According to RealGM, in ten years, the salary cap is projected to be $220 million for the 2023-24 campaign³. What does this mean for NBA contracts in the future?

We will be revisiting the largest NBA contracts signed in NBA history often. On the heels of Brown’s supermax extension, we are reviewing the six biggest contracts in NBA history entering the 2023-24 season.

Biggest Contracts in NBA History

1. Jaylen Brown – Boston Celtics, $304,000,000

The player with the biggest contract in NBA history is not LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, or Jokic. That honor belongs to No. 7 of the Celtics. Brown is officially the highest-paid NBA player ever after landing a five-year, $304 million supermax extension in July.

The No. 3 overall pick from the 2016 NBA Draft is coming off his best season in the league. He scores 26.6 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game, both career highs for the 6-foot-6 shooting guard.

Here is the breakdown on the Jaylen Brown super max extension in Boston:

2024-2025 $52,368,085

2025-2026 $56,557,532

2026-2027 $60,746,979

2027-2028 $64,936,425

2028-2029 $69,125,872

Total $303,734,893

— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 25, 2023

There were talks of Brown wanting out of Boston, but he ultimately accepted the most money that he could receive. There isn’t another team in the NBA that could offer Brown $304 million. Now, Brown has to help bring an NBA Championship to Boston for the first time since 2008.

According to Bovada, the Celtics have the second-best odds to win the 2024 NBA Championship. The Nuggets are favored at +450, while the Celtics aren’t far off at +500. Despite being the highest-paid player in the NBA, Brown is a longshot to win the 2023-24 NBA MVP at +10000.

2. Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets, $276,000,000

Jokic’s five-year, $276 million NBA contract broke a record for the wealthiest in the NBA. At the time, it was the 15th-largest contract in sports. In return for the money, the Nuggets front office asked Jokic to deliver the Nuggets a title.

That is exactly what he did less than a year after signing the contract. The Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in five games to win their first-ever championship this past June. Jokic did exactly what was expected of him.

"A record that has stood for 56 years."

Nikola Jokic has now recorded the most triple-doubles ever in a single Playoff run 👏

4Q underway on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/VKF3KeYtpH

— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2023

The 28-year-old center averaged 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists through the 2024 NBA Playoffs^[4]. In addition to the NBA title, Jokic was named Finals MVP for his tremendous effort. 

The Nuggets are favored to repeat at NBA betting sites. Also, Jokic is favored to win the 2023-24 NBA MVP regular season award. Oddsmakers at BetUS have Jokic at +450 to win the MVP.

3. Bradley Beal – Washington Wizards, $261,000,000

The Washington Wizards were able to find a trade suitor for Beal and the third-richest NBA contract in the league. After adding Kevin Durant to their roster, the Phoenix Suns are going all-in by acquiring Bradley Beal.

The Suns will be equipped with Devin Booker, Durant, and Beal, but we will see if there is enough depth on their roster to make a deep run in the playoffs. Beal had been rumored to be trade bait for several years in Washington and it finally happened in June.

Barring a trade, the Suns will be with Beal for at least the next three seasons. Beal has a player option for the 2027-28 season and is an unrestricted free agent in 2028⁵. The former Florida Gator is coming off another productive season in his 11th year in the league.

The 30-year-old shooting guard averaged 23.2 points per game on a career-high 50.6 percent shooting. Despite playing on a bad team, he continued to be a solid facilitator on the floor with 5.4 assists per game.

4. Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks, $228,200,830

The Bucks’ stud and a former two-time MVP, Antetokounmpo (6-11, 242) signed the 25th-best contract in professional sports in 2020. The lanky power forward from Greece dubbed “The Greek Freak,” led Milwaukee to an NBA title in 2021.

Highest FG% by a Finals MVP:

61.8% – Giannis (2021)
61.2% – Kawhi (2014)
61.1% – Shaquille O’Neal (2000)

Where does Giannis rank All-Time? pic.twitter.com/stk1t7KAwG

— Bucks Muse (@BucksMuse) July 25, 2023

Similar to Jokic, it didn’t take Giannis long to repay his employer with a championship. There are some players that take the money and regress, but that didn’t happen to Jokic and Giannis. In the 2022-23 season, Giannis was one of the most productive players in the NBA.

He recorded a career-high in points with 31.1 per game and shot 55.3 percent from the field. As long as Giannis is healthy, the Bucks are going to be a threat to win. Currently, the Bucks have the fifth-best odds to win the 2024 NBA Championship at +750.

5. James Harden – Houston Rockets, $228,000,000

In 2017, James Harden signed a four-year contract worth $228 million with the Houston Rockets. Since then, he has been with the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. Harden could be on the move again, as he reportedly wants to play for a new team.

Harden was eligible to sign a four-year deal for over $210 million. Instead, he opted into the second year of his current contract for $35.6 million. This was with the intention of Harden being traded to a new team.

So far, though, Harden remains with the 76ers despite requesting a trade to another team. A lot has happened since Harden came to a $228,000,000 agreement with the Rockets six years ago.

6. (Tie) — Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves, $224,000,000

In 2022, the Minnesota Timberwolves inked Towns to a four-year, $224,000,000 supermax extension. The contract deal does not begin until the 2024-25 season and runs through 2028⁶.

Some might argue that this is an overpay for the Timberwolves. However, the deal might look good for the Timberwolves in a few years if KAT is playing well. The price for contracts is only going up, so it may not look as bad in the future.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft is coming off a tough season, though. Towns suited up for only 29 games due to a lingering right calf injury. When Towns was on the floor, he scored 20.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.

6. (Tie) — Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns, $224,000,000

Booker and Towns are in a tie for the sixth-largest NBA contract ever. While Towns’ deal hasn’t kicked in yet, neither has Booker’s contract. They are virtually identical, with Booker signing a four-year, $224 million supermax extension that begins in the 2024-25 season⁷.

As is the case with Towns, Booker is expected to remain with the team that drafted him through 2028. Also, Booker and Towns were selected in the NBA Draft. Booker went off the board 13 picks following Towns at No. 13.

Booker forms one part of the “Big 3” for the Suns in 2023-24. He will be joined by Durant and Beal. Durant joined the Suns during the season in a trade. Meanwhile, Beal will be playing his first game with the Suns this season.

Trading for Durant didn’t get the Suns over the top. They lost in the second round to the Nuggets in disappointing fashion. Booker still had a strong season, notching a career-high 27.8 points per game on 49.4 percent shooting.

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