Luka Doncic is basking in the Los Angeles sun because, at least in part, team governor Patrick Dumont and Dallas Mavericks ownership balked at paying the 25-year-old the largest contract in NBA history, $346 million over five years.
That’s a lot of money, but with the tidal wave of cash about to wash over the NBA from the new television contract, that’s the going rate for the kind of franchise cornerstone star who can lead a team to the Finals (which Doncic did). The dollar amounts for NBA contracts will only become more mind-blowing in the coming years.
Other owners are not going to hesitate to write big checks so their teams can win. So, who is getting paid this summer? And how much? Here are five names to watch.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be the first NBA player to be paid more than $80 million for one season. Let that sink in.
That will come in the final year of the four-year, $293 million super-max extension Gilgeous-Alexander is expected to sign this summer — the largest contract in NBA history ($73.25 million average annual salary). Unlike management in Dallas, the Thunder are expected to offer the contract the first day they can and lock up their superstar.
SGA has already met the super-max qualifications, he was First Team All-NBA each of the past two seasons (and might win MVP this season). When this season ends, SGA will have two years and $79.1 million remaining on his current contract, which is why he can only sign for four more years (a contract can’t have more than six years on it).
Luka Doncic
The Lakers don’t hesitate to pay their stars.
Doncic is expected to be offered and sign a max extension with the Lakers this summer — Los Angeles can offer up to five years, $229 million (average annual salary of $57.25 million). However, it is likely any contract Doncic signs has a player option after three years, in the summer of 2028, when Doncic will reach 10 years of service in the league and can re-sign for 35% of the salary cap, instead of the 30% he can sign for now.
Doncic is not eligible for the super-max extension because he was traded last month (only the team that drafted a player, or traded for him while on his rookie contract — like the Thunder did with Gilgeous-Alexander — can offer a super-max).
Kyrie Irving
Dallas is going to double down on Kyrie Irving this summer. It’s really a bet GM Nico Harrison made when he traded Doncic to Los Angeles for Anthony Davis, a player he thought paired better with Irving.
Irving has a player option for $43 million next season that he is widely expected to opt out of, looking for the security of a longer deal (at age 32 this is likely his last max contract). Dallas can offer Irving a five-year, $313 million contract, but Bobby Marks at ESPN suggests that the Mavericks are more likely to offer a three-year max contract at $176 million, which lines Irving’s contract up with Davis. Don’t be surprised if Irving pushes for another year on the deal at least — he has all the leverage in this situation with Doncic gone.
Regardless of how many years it ends up being, it will be a max contract, and Irving will be paid by the Mavericks this summer.
De’Aaron Fox
Much like the Lakers with Doncic, if you trade for the man, pay the man.
As of August 3, Fox becomes eligible to sign a four-year, $229 million extension ($57.25 million a season on average). However, the price tag could go higher than that because if the Spurs have available cap space after their offseason moves, they can renegotiate the final year of Fox’s existing contract to give him a raise using up that cap space, then the four-year extension numbers build off whatever his new salary is for the 2025-26 season.
San Antonio needs to be aggressive this offseason — Victor Wembanyama’s play has forced their hand, he’s too good now to continue to slow-play building out the roster. In the next two summers, the Spurs will have financial space to be aggressive, but in the summer of 2027, when Wembanyama’s extension will kick in, roster building will be much more difficult. The Spurs shouldn’t be pinching pennies to give Fox a raise, if this is going to be a contending team in the coming couple of years San Antonio needs to be aggressive starting this offseason.
Paolo Banchero
This is a no-brainer for the Magic, a young team on the rise that needs to lock down its best offensive player.
The Magic can offer Banchero a five-year, $246 million max rookie contract extension. If he makes All-NBA next season, that would jump to $296 million ($59.2 million a season).
Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren are eligible for the same contract — throw in SGA’s extension and you can see how things are getting very expensive for the Thunder in the coming years.
