[Note: The following is a snapshot of the NBA 2022-23 Luxury Tax Tracker from 2/1/23, just over a week ahead of the 2/9/23 NBA trade deadline—prior to the Kyrie Irving trade. The live NBA 2022-23 Luxury Tax Tracker will have the current and eventually final figures for the season.]
Teams generally prefer to stay under the NBA’s luxury tax threshold ($150,267,000 for 2022-23) unless they’re a championship contender.
Some may have begun rebuilding (or aren’t as good as they had hoped) but still have large contracts on the books that will soon expire.
As of early December, 10 teams are over the tax for roughly $692 million in penalties. Half that figure would be distributed to the 20 teams under the line at about $17.3 million each. If the Philadelphia 76ers, who are over by about $1.2 million ($1.8 million penalty), can get under, the franchise would be due for approximately $16.4 million in the tax kickback (a 1/21st share).
The Portland Trail Blazers are so close to the tax that they may be initially unwilling to add another player to fill in for injured forward Nassir Little (hip). The team can manage for now without losing that end-of-year distribution.
The following shows how close each team is to the luxury tax line, and if over, what they project to pay. Check back as NBA franchises execute trades or sign additional players.
| Team | Taxable Amount | Under/Over | Penalty |
| Atlanta Hawks | $149,085,798 | -$1,181,202 | $0 |
| Boston Celtics | $173,974,389 | $23,707,389 | $58,902,709 |
| Brooklyn Nets | $185,306,752 | $35,039,752 | $108,958,698 |
| Charlotte Hornets | $121,637,286 | -$28,629,714 | $0 |
| Chicago Bulls | $148,557,260 | -$1,709,740 | $0 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | $147,795,776 | -$2,471,224 | $0 |
| Dallas Mavericks | $164,386,925 | $14,119,925 | $26,549,813 |
| Denver Nuggets | $160,806,227 | $10,539,227 | $17,598,068 |
| Detroit Pistons | $122,949,279 | -$27,317,721 | $0 |
| Golden State Warriors | $190,494,052 | $40,227,052 | $176,532,601 |
| Houston Rockets | $135,850,968 | -$14,416,032 | $0 |
| Indiana Pacers | $113,134,453 | -$37,132,547 | $0 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | $191,952,781 | $41,685,781 | $144,693,241 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | $170,020,252 | $19,753,252 | $44,198,069 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | $121,373,360 | -$28,893,640 | $0 |
| Miami Heat | $150,074,105 | -$192,895 | $0 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | $176,699,627 | $26,432,627 | $69,838,665 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | $147,012,825 | -$3,254,175 | $0 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | $146,883,229 | -$3,383,771 | $0 |
| New York Knicks | $142,536,544 | -$7,730,456 | $0 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | $142,394,756 | -$7,872,244 | $0 |
| Orlando Magic | $121,443,272 | -$28,823,728 | $0 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | $151,439,998 | $1,172,998 | $1,759,497 |
| Phoenix Suns | $166,652,753 | $16,385,753 | $33,253,697 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | $150,199,518 | -$67,482 | $0 |
| Sacramento Kings | $133,138,138 | -$17,128,862 | $0 |
| San Antonio Spurs | $96,195,849 | -$54,071,151 | $0 |
| Toronto Raptors | $145,798,719 | -$4,468,281 | $0 |
| Utah Jazz | $143,320,105 | -$6,946,895 | $0 |
| Washington Wizards | $148,907,330 | -$1,359,670 | $0 |
| Total Salary (Taxable) | $4,460,022,326 | Penalty Total | $682,285,058 |
| Tax Teams | 10 | Non-Tax Team Share | $17,057,126 |
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
(Updated on 2/11/23)
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