"You’re Going To Have Players Making More Than The Owners" - Mark Cuban Suggests There Will One Day Be $1 Billion NBA Contracts

Just 10 years ago, the highest-paid player in the NBA in the 2014-15 season was Kobe Bryant (RIPIP) at $23.5M. As we enter the 2024-25 season, there are a total of 62 players that will earn at least that amount, and there are 14 players who will earn at least 2x that total. Times certainly have changed, and they most definitely aren't slowing down. With the NBA becoming more and more of a global sport, and more revenue streams and new TV money worth 10s of billions of dollars being injected into the league, things are going to start getting even crazier.

It used to be a pretty big deal when someone would sign a $200M deal, and now those are being tossed around as max rookie extensions for players who haven't even made an All Star game yet. It's probably why all the older generation players can't stop shitting on the new era of players, but that's just the sign of the times. You are worth what the market is willing to pay, and these massive salaries and contracts are just the price of doing business.

But how crazy are things going to get? Well if you put any stock into Mark Cuban's thoughts on this subject, he believes we're full steam ahead towards having a $1 billion dollar NBA player

I know $1B sounds like an insane number (because it is), but Cuban is right on the money here. With all the new TV deal money headed the NBA's way (roughly $76B over 11 years), everything else will go up. The salary cap will go up which in turn will raise what we're seeing in terms of player yearly salaries. Before that money has even hit we're already seeing players sign extensions worth $60M+ per year

and I'm not sure people are ready to accept what's coming Luka's way once he signs his supermax next summer

Maybe I've just become numb to these figures because every player on my favorite team is signing max extensions that pay them between 30-60M a year, but while some out there freak out over these totals, I look at it as simple math. These deals are nothing more than a percentage of the cap that players become eligible for based on their on court production. I never really understood why people out there got all bent out of shape over salary figures or max deals, because at the end of the day that's just the market. Once you change your thinking from the dollar amount to the percentage of the cap that a player gets, it's a bit easier to process. 

The line of "This guy isn't worth $70M!" is a bit outdated. Throw the dollar amount out. Is that guy worth the 35% max? If the answer is yes (like Luka, Tatum etc), then the dollar amount shouldn't matter to you.

At the same time, that dollar amount does matter to teams given the new CBA rules. Even with the cap increasing, teams are going to be in quite the pickle once a single player on their roster is making $78M. With the 2nd apron and the repeater tax penalties, team building is going to become even harder once all these new money deals start to happen. It's why when you have a title window at this moment in time, you have to go for it because things will change in a blink of an eye. If you have an owner that wants no part of paying the luxury tax, good luck keeping your elite talent.

In terms of who the $1 billion dollar player is going to be, that's easy. I don't think it's crazy to suggest Wemby is a lock to get there eventually. This guy has $1B player written all over him should he stay healthy

It's hard to argue against someone like Luka as well, just in terms of his age and where the league will probably be after he plays through this upcoming supermax (and then prob another one). I could totally see Luka signing a $1B deal once he hits his early to mid 30s, because given his playstyle I can't imagine his game doesn't age gracefully. He's still going to be doing vintage Luka shit probably until he retires, similar to LeBron. 

I'd say the same thing about a guy like Tatum who is a similar age and is basically an ironman and easily has 2 or 3 more supermaxes at the very least headed his way

While the big headline might be what the top-end stars eventually make, to me, the real story is what a disaster this new CBA has been for the NBA's "middle class". If you're a role player, life for you is hell right now. There are quality players still in the free agent market (Markelle Fultz), some are forced to accept training camp invite deals (Lonnie Walker), and some may be out of the NBA altogether (Oshae Brissett). No team wants to give out midlevel money anymore because of what it means for their cap situation. Teams are avoiding the 2nd apron like the plague, and with that the middle class of the NBA is taking the biggest hit. 

Paying your star players their max is an easy decision, but how you handle the margins of your roster is everything in the NBA in 2024, and that means quality rotation players end up getting the short end of the stick. I almost wonder if that's why free agency is basically dead at this point. I'm not sure what the Player's Association was thinking with this new CBA, but it doesn't seem to be working out too well.