Jaylen Brown signed a super max contract with the Boston Celtics this summer, making him the NBA’s highest earner. Which league stars could follow him in the next few years? SPOX shows potential candidates – and reveals how they can get big money.
Jaylen Brown will make around $300 million over the next five years with the Boston Celtics, fully guaranteed. The exact amounts still depend on how the league’s salary cap develops, as it is a percentage amount.
The players who sign a super-max contract next summer are currently expected to receive $303 million over five years. However, in order to qualify, certain requirements must be met.
The contract in question was officially named the “Designated Veteran Extension and Contract,” which clearly indicates that you have to have a few years in the NBA under your belt to be one of the top earners. When the contract was introduced in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 2017, those responsible agreed on seven years of experience in the league as a requirement. In addition, the player may not have changed teams after his first four seasons (= after the rookie contract).
Players are allowed to sign a “supermax” if only one or two years remain on their current working papers. The new deal can then be worth up to 35 percent of the current cap. However, this is only if the player was voted All-NBA Player or Defensive Player of the Year in either two of the three most recent or the previous season – or MVP in one of the three previous seasons.
Requirements for the “Supermax”:
At least seven years in the NBA at the “Supermax” startA maximum of two years left on the contract (if one year remains, you can sign for five years, otherwise for four)All-NBA nomination or Defensive Player of the Year in the previous season (or in two of the last three seasons) OR MVP in one of the last three seasons
For example: Jayson Tatum of the Celtics has been named to the All-NBA team in each of the past two seasons and is entering his seventh year in the league. So he has already qualified to sign such a contract in the summer of 2024 for an estimated 303 million over five years. His current contract only runs until 2025 without a player option, so that also fits into the criterion.
Now let’s take a look at the leading candidates who could qualify for a super max contract next season:
NBA Supermax: Luke Doncic (Dallas Mavericks)
Contract until 2026 (player option for 2026/27)
Luka Doncic is on track to become the first player to ever earn $70 million in a season. The 24-year-old has been voted into the All-NBA team since his second season in 2019/20; according to ESPN Stats & Info, only Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan and – who doesn’t know him? – Max Zaslofsky (1947-1950).
If Doncic achieves this goal again in the upcoming season, he would automatically be qualified for a super max contract that he could sign in the summer of 2025 – regardless of how the 2024/25 season goes.
Doncic would then have seven years of NBA experience and only one year left on his contract without his player option, meaning he could sign a five-year contract extension worth around $318 million. If the salary cap increases by the maximum permitted ten percent in each of the next three seasons, the contract would even have a total value of 367.5 million. Doncic would earn a staggering 83.6 million last year.
However, that seems very unlikely: the increases in the coming years are currently estimated at just under five percent.
NBA Supermax: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Like Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came into the league in 2018 and was also named to the All-NBA team last season. The circumstances are similar for him; he would also qualify for a “supermax” in the 2025 offseason with another All-NBA nomination. If the young Thunder take a step forward and the team wins more games than last year, that would certainly help Gilgeous-Alexander with a second call-up.
But be careful: the length of its current deal could be a slight disadvantage for SGA, as it runs until 2027. The Canadian could therefore only extend for four years in 2025 because he still has two years of contract.
NBA Supermax: De’Aaron Fox (Sacramento Kings)
Like Gilgeous-Alexander, De’Aaron Fox was also voted All-NBA player for the first time last season. With a second nomination in the coming season, he could sign a “supermax” as early as next summer, as he is a year ahead of Doncic and SGA came into the league. However, Fox is still under contract until 2026, which would only allow him to renew for four years in 2024.
If Fox is elected to an All-NBA team again in just under six months, he could also risk waiting until 2025 to then sign a “supermax” for the full five years. He would certainly have the qualifications, but of course he would still need the approval of the franchise.
NBA Supermax: Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors)
Pascal Siakam missed the All-NBA team last season but was named in 2022. If he manages to do this again next season, he could sign the five-year super max contract as a free agent in 2024 for a predicted value of 288 million.
However, Siakam is by far the oldest player on this list and would already be 30 years old at the time of the new contract. The power forward hasn’t missed too many games in his career so far, but every franchise will think twice about giving a 30-year-old a monster contract like this if he doesn’t belong in the top category of NBA superstars.
NBA Supermax: Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans)
Brandon Ingram was traded within his first four years in the league, so his move from the Los Angeles Lakers to the New Orleans Pelicans doesn’t disqualify him from a super max contract. He already has seven years in the NBA behind him, so with his first All-NBA nomination he would immediately be eligible for a new deal at the highest price.
Ingram’s contract expires in 2025, so if he is nominated he could sign a contract extension for the full five years next summer. To do this, however, he has to play significantly more games than in previous years: Due to the new CBA, players are only allowed to be elected to an All-NBA team after they have played 65 games. Ingram last managed that in his rookie season; last year he only played 45 games.
NBA Supermax: Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
Bam Adebayo could also be affected by a new CBA rule, as the All-NBA teams are now chosen without a position. Depending on the season, this could be both an advantage and a disadvantage for him: In recent years, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic occupied the top two spots, making the third spot in the center position highly competitive.
Adebayo could also qualify for the “Supermax” with the title of Defensive Player of the Year. That would work for next season as he enters his seventh year in the NBA. If he manages to do this as soon as possible, he could sign a four-year contract extension for an estimated 245 million in the summer of 2024.
NBA Supermax: Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)
Jaren Jackson Jr. has only completed five years in the league, so his title as the best defender of the year didn’t come at the best time in terms of his contract. However, this also means that if he defends his title next year or is nominated to an All-NBA team, he would already be qualified for the 2025 offseason.
A year later, his current contract will also expire, which is why he could sign a five-year contract extension in 2025 for an estimated 318 million. Jackson Jr. would probably have to take a small step forward offensively to be named to an All-NBA team, but he certainly has a good chance of being named the best defender again.
Last season he became the first player since 2015/16 to block an average of more than three shots per game (at least 50 games). Before that, Hassan Whiteside last achieved this with the Miami Heat, with a total of 3.7 rejections per game.
NBA Supermax: Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets)
Jamal Murray is the only player on this list who has not been named an All-Star or All-NBA and is considered one of the best players ever to receive neither honor.
The good news is that an All-NBA nomination would be enough for him, as he is entering his seventh season and could sign a “supermax” right away in 2024.
Murray then only has one year left on his contract, which means he could take the full five-year contract extension and an expected 303 million. The point guard played exactly the 65 games required last season, but he reached his highest level primarily in the playoffs.
2023-10-14 06:30:00
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