Stephen Curry Tops Underpaid Players for NBA 2016-17 Season; LeBron James, James Harden and Russell Westbrook Among Biggest Moneymakers
The highly anticipated opening of the 2016-17 NBA season is just around the corner and it is already clear who are the payroll losers and winners. NBA MVP Stephen Curry tops the list of players with underwhelming salary, while Finals MVP LeBron James leads the biggest moneymakers.
Underpaid Players
According to Hoops Hype, Curry will be underpaid next season with his salary of $12,112, 359. The 28-year-old point guard has one more season left with the Golden State Warriors before turning free agent next summer, where he is expected to get the highest salary raise.
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In the past two seasons, Curry achieved two NBA MVP awards and won one championship title, but he has been the least paid All-Star player in the team. This could be attributed to the four-year $44-million rookie scale contract extension he signed with the Warriors in 2012. He battled several health woes during the early years of his career, making the franchise hesitate in giving him a max contract.
Next season, per Basketball-Reference, Curry will continue to become the All-Star player in the team who has the smallest salary. His All-Star teammates Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will get $26,540,100, $17,826,150 and $16,400,000 respectively.
In addition to Curry, Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker ($12 million), Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry ($12 million) and Brooklyn Nets point guard Derrick Favors ($11.05 million) are among next season's underpaid players, as listed by Hoops Hype. Indiana Pacers point guard Jeff Teague ($8 million) and Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas ($6.587 million) also made it to the list.
Salary Winners
While Curry is underpaid, his top rival is bound to become the highest-paid NBA player next season and in the history of the league. Per Spotrac, James inked a three-year $99,857,127-contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, giving him an annual average pay of $33,285,709. Next season, the basketball superstar will receive a base salary of $30,963,450.
Trailing behind James as the top moneymaker next season are Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden and Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan. Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook, Boston Celtics center Al Horford and Warriors small forward Durant are also among of the highest-paid players. They will all receive a salary of $26,540,100 next season.
Moreover, according to Hoops Hype's latest data, the Portland Trail Blazers, Detroit Pistons and Cavaliers are currently leading as the top spenders for the 2016-17 season. The Blazers already allotted $119,595,973 for the players' payrolls while Pistons and Cavaliers apportioned $116,081,780 and $115,202,834 respectively.
