What is the average NBA salary for the 2024-25 season?
By Elaine Blum
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NBA players are some of the highest-paid athletes in the world, and salaries continue to increase. Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum just signed a massive five-year, $314 million extension that will kick off in the 2025-26 season. This deal marks the biggest contract handed out in NBA history.
Not every NBA player is as lucky to make so much money, though, as Tatum will make far over the average salary.
What is the average NBA salary in 2024-25?
NBA salaries for next season span from less than a million dollars to around $55 million. Stephen Curry is entering the 2024-25 season with the biggest salary for the season, making $55,761,216. Following him are Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, who also all make over $50 million.
On the other end of the spectrum are younger players, who are still trying to make a name for themselves in the NBA, or older veterans claiming the final contracts of their careers. The minimum salary for the 2024-25 season starts at $1,157,153, while two-way contracts are worth $578,577.
According to Basketball Reference, the average NBA salary for the 2024-25 season is $11,813,143.
Where do Magic players fall when it comes to 2024-25 salaries?
The Orlando Magic are one of the cheaper teams in the league right now. Only the San Antonio Spurs and the Utah Jazz will spend less money on their players.
Many of the Magic's players are still on rookie contracts or team-friendly deals. Jonathan Isaac and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope are currently the highest-paid players on the team. Both make well over the average salary, sitting at $25 million and roughly $22 million respectively.
Meanwhile, Magic stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner will only combine to make roughly $19 million in 2024-25–around $7 million for Wagner and $12 million for Banchero. That will change soon, though, as Wagner already signed a max extension, and Banchero will do so next summer.
How has the average salary changed over recent years?
The average NBA salary has increased steadily every year. Just last season, the average was $9.7 million. The almost $12 million average salary calculated by Basketball Reference for the 2024-25 season marks a significant increase and the highest average salary for an NBA season.
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