Out of Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Michael Porter Jr., only Young qualified for a higher maximum salary following the 2021-22 NBA season’s annual awards. Young was named to the All-NBA Third Team. had any of the others won Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year or were recognized as All-NBA First, Second or Third Teams, their contract extensions starting with the 2022-23 campaign would have jumped significantly.
Usually, the most a player with fewer than seven years of experience can sign for is 25 percent of the salary cap. If qualified (like Young), the player’s salary can climb to the middle tier (7-9 years of service) at 30 percent of the cap. The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) also has a similar mechanism for veterans in that middle tier to earn a “supermax” starting at 35 percent of the cap (otherwise reserved for players with at least 10 years of experience. Nikola Jokic and Karl-Anthony Towns recently signed supermax extensions.
Dating back to the first season of the current CBA (2017-18), 29 players have signed with the potential to earn above their standard max:
| Player | Team | Signed | Type | Qualified | % of Cap |
| Stephen Curry | Golden State | 2017-18 | Veteran Contract | 2015-16 MVP | 35% |
| Joel Embiid | Philadelphia | 2017-18 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| James Harden | Houston | 2017-18 | Veteran Ext. | 2016-17 1st Team | 35% |
| John Wall | Washington | 2017-18 | Veteran Ext. | 2016-17 3rd Team | 35% |
| Russell Westbrook | Oklahoma City | 2017-18 | Veteran Ext. | 2016-17 MVP | 35% |
| Andrew Wiggins | Minnesota | 2017-18 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Devin Booker | Phoenix | 2018-19 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota | 2018-19 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Damian Lillard | Portland | 2019-20 | Veteran Ext. | 2018-19 2nd Team | 35% |
| Jamal Murray | Denver | 2019-20 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Pascal Siakam | Toronto | 2019-20 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | 2019-20 2nd Team | 28% |
| Ben Simmons | Philadelphia | 2019-20 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | 2019-20 3rd Team | 28% |
| Bam Adebayo | Miami | 2020-21 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee | 2020-21 | Veteran Ext. | 2019-20 MVP | 35% |
| De’Aaron Fox | Sacramento | 2020-21 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Rudy Gobert | Utah | 2020-21 | Veteran Ext. | 2019-20 3rd Team | 31% |
| Donovan Mitchell | Utah | 2020-21 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Jayson Tatum | Boston | 2020-21 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Oklahoma City | 2021-22 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Luka Doncic | Dallas | 2021-22 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | 2019-20 & 2020-21 1st | 30% |
| Joel Embiid | Philadelphia | 2021-22 | Veteran Ext. | 2020-21 2nd Team | 35% |
| Michael Porter Jr. | Denver | 2021-22 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Trae Young | Atlanta | 2021-22 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | 2021-22 3rd Team | 30% |
| Devin Booker | Phoenix | 2022-23 | Veteran Ext. | 2021-22 1st Team | 35% |
| Darius Garland | Cleveland | 2022-23 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Nikola Jokic | Denver | 2022-23 | Veteran Ext. | 2021-22 MVP | 35% |
| Ja Morant | Memphis | 2022-23 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
| Karl-Anthony Towns | Minnesota | 2022-23 | Veteran Ext. | 2021-22 3rd Team | 35% |
| Zion Williamson | New Orleans | 2022-23 | Rookie-Scale Ext. | N | 25% |
Notes
- The 2017-18 rules differed slightly for rookie-scale extensions, specifically impacting Embiid. His All-NBA Second Team nod would have triggered the higher salary in any other year. Instead, he needed to reach that mark in two of his first four seasons.
- Teams are not obligated to the full five percent jump. Simmons and Siakam had language in their contracts that paid out 28 percent by their All-NBA selections.
- Siakam only signed an extension for four additional years. While he received the bump in pay, he didn’t do so as a “designated” player. For rookie-scale extensions and contracts, designated refers to the number of years. A player can be signed for five additional years at the 25 percent max as a designated player. Or, like Sikam, for four years as an undesignated player, but still at the higher tier max if qualified.
- The same rule doesn’t apply to veteran extensions and contracts. The player must be designated to receive the bump in pay.
- A veteran must meet the qualifications before signing a designated extension or contract. Embiid’s 2020-21 Second Team All-NBA nod was enough for him to get the 35 percent max when he signed in August of 2021.
- For a rookie-scale extension, the player has a season to qualify. Simmons signed his extension in 2019 before qualifying—which he did on the 2019-20 All-NBA Third Team.
- Ten players have signed designated veteran extensions. Curry was the lone veteran to sign a designated contract.
- Eighteen have signed rookie-scale extensions (17 designated) with the potential to climb above the 25 percent max. Only four have qualified.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @EricPincus.
(Updated 6/13/23)
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