Stephen Curry’s cap number crosses $62 million this season, the first time any NBA contract has cleared that mark. The question of who is the highest-paid NBA players for 2026-27 are comes down to a mix of aging superstars still cashing supermax checks and younger stars whose extensions haven’t kicked in yet. Spotrac’s cap hit figures put Curry, Nikola Jokic, and a three-way tie among Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, and Jayson Tatum at the top of the group.
A decade ago, the league’s top earner barely cleared $30 million a season. That ceiling has roughly doubled since, a jump tied directly to the NBA’s new television deal and the rising salary cap that comes with it.
How We Ranked the Highest-Paid NBA Players
This list uses the 2026-27 cap hit, the actual charge a player’s salary places against his team’s cap for this specific season. That’s different from total contract value, which spreads every guaranteed dollar across the life of a multi-year deal instead of isolating one season. Figures come from Spotrac, which pulls directly from signed contract paperwork rather than estimates.
Base salary and cap hit generally match for veteran players, though bonuses and incentive language can widen the gap slightly. Ranking by cap hit matters because it’s the number that determines what a team actually owes this year and how close a roster sits to the luxury tax line.
The Top 10 Highest-Paid NBA Players in 2026-27
1. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors): $62.59 million
Nobody has topped the NBA’s cap hit chart in a single season since Curry first took the crown back in 2017-18, and he’s now the first player ever to clear $60 million on his own. The number comes from a one-year extension he signed in 2024, keeping him in Golden State through his age-38 season. His four-year, $215.35 million maximum extension ran out before this deal, and free agency awaits next summer for the first time in over a decade.
2. Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets): $59.03 million
Jokic’s number climbs under Bird rights, the salary cap exception that lets teams exceed the cap to re-sign their own free agents and keep continuity intact. He signed a five-year, $276.12 million supermax extension in 2022, and this season’s figure represents an 8% raise off last year under that deal, per Spotrac. Three MVP trophies in five seasons give him that kind of leverage in negotiations.
3 (tie). Giannis Antetokounmpo (Miami Heat): $58.46 million
Antetokounmpo’s cap number now travels with him to Miami after his blockbuster trade out of Milwaukee, a franchise shift that reshuffled the balance of power in the East. The figure stems from the three-year, $175.37 million deal he originally signed with the Bucks in October 2023, still climbing toward $60 million in its final season. The Heat inherited both the production and the price tag in one trade.
3 (tie). Anthony Davis (Washington Wizards): $58.46 million
Davis carries the exact same $58.46 million cap hit as Antetokounmpo, tied to a three-year, $175.37 million contract he originally signed with the Lakers in 2023. Two trades later, first to Dallas in the Luka Doncic deal and then to Washington, the money followed him regardless of jersey. Spotrac projects his 2027-28 figure jumping to $62.79 million, making him the second player behind Curry to reach that mark.
3 (tie). Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics): $58.46 million
Tatum’s cap hit traces back to the five-year, $313.93 million supermax extension he signed in July 2024, still the largest contract in NBA history by total value. He returned from a torn Achilles on an accelerated timeline in 2026, a recovery pace that surprised even the Celtics’ own medical staff. Boston is paying prime-years money for a player who spent most of last season rehabbing instead of on the floor.
6. Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers): $57.99 million
Embiid’s $57.99 million comes from a three-year, $187.87 million supermax extension he signed in September 2024, a deal that only became available after seven All-Star selections and an MVP award. Injuries have limited him to 58 total games across the two seasons since, a number that shadows every conversation about his price tag. The 76ers are betting on health as much as talent at this rate.
7 (tie). Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns): $57.08 million
Booker’s number reflects the second extension he’s signed with Phoenix since 2022, the only franchise he’s played for across his career. Spotrac projects his cap hit will clear $60 million by 2028-29 under the terms of that deal. Suns owner Mat Ishbia has already paid nine figures in luxury tax penalties trying to build a contender around him.
7 (tie). Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics): $57.08 million
Brown’s five-year, $285.39 million supermax puts him second in cap hit on his roster behind Tatum, a rare case of two max players from overlapping draft classes sharing one payroll. He’s posted career highs in points, rebounds, and assists since signing the deal, answering the critics who questioned its size. Boston now carries two of the league’s five most expensive cap numbers.
7 (tie). Karl-Anthony Towns (New York Knicks): $57.08 million
Towns never played a single game under the four-year, $220.44 million supermax he signed with Minnesota in 2022, traded to New York less than three weeks before the deal even started. His cap hit followed him to the Knicks, where he helped the franchise reach its first Eastern Conference final since 2000. Most contracts in league history have not traveled that far from where they were signed.
10. Jimmy Butler (Golden State Warriors): $56.83 million
Butler’s two-year, $110.96 million extension, signed the same day he was traded from Miami in February 2025, now sits on Golden State’s books next to Curry’s. A torn ACL cut his 2025-26 season short, adding uncertainty to a deal that already carried a 36-year-old’s price tag. The Warriors are now paying two of the league’s ten highest cap hits to players over the age of 35.
Full 2026-27 Cap Hit Leaderboard
| Rank | Player | Team | 2026-27 Cap Hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stephen Curry | Warriors | $62.59M |
| 2 | Nikola Jokic | Nuggets | $59.03M |
| 3 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Heat | $58.46M |
| 3 | Anthony Davis | Wizards | $58.46M |
| 3 | Jayson Tatum | Celtics | $58.46M |
| 6 | Joel Embiid | 76ers | $57.99M |
| 7 | Devin Booker | Suns | $57.08M |
| 7 | Jaylen Brown | Celtics | $57.08M |
| 7 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Knicks | $57.08M |
| 10 | Jimmy Butler | Warriors | $56.83M |
| 11 | Paul George | 76ers | $54.13M |
| 12 | Kawhi Leonard | Clippers | $50.30M |
| 13 | Cade Cunningham | Pistons | $50.11M |
| 13 | Donovan Mitchell | Cavaliers | $50.11M |
| 13 | Evan Mobley | Cavaliers | $50.11M |
| 13 | Jamal Murray | Nuggets | $50.11M |
| 17 | Bam Adebayo | Heat | $49.50M |
| 17 | Luka Doncic | Lakers | $49.50M |
| 17 | De’Aaron Fox | Spurs | $49.50M |
| 17 | Trae Young | Wizards | $49.50M |
| 21 | Jaren Jackson Jr. | Jazz | $49.00M |
| 22 | Zach LaVine | Kings | $48.97M |
| 23 | Anthony Edwards | Timberwolves | $48.92M |
| 23 | Tyrese Haliburton | Pacers | $48.92M |
| 23 | Pascal Siakam | Pacers | $48.92M |
Source: Spotrac
The Biggest Contracts by Total Value
Cap hit and total contract value tell different stories. Curry leads the league in this year’s cap number, but he’s playing on a single-season deal that won’t show up on a total-value list at all. That ranking instead belongs to a younger group locked into five-year commitments.
| Rank | Player | Team | Years | Total Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jayson Tatum | Celtics | 2025-29 | $313.93M |
| 2 | Jaylen Brown | Celtics | 2024-28 | $285.39M |
| 3 | Nikola Jokic | Nuggets | 2023-27 | $276.12M |
| 4 | Cade Cunningham | Pistons | 2025-29 | $269.09M |
| 4 | Evan Mobley | Cavaliers | 2025-29 | $269.09M |
| 6 | Anthony Edwards | Timberwolves | 2024-28 | $244.62M |
| 6 | Tyrese Haliburton | Pacers | 2024-28 | $244.62M |
| 8 | Paolo Banchero | Magic | 2026-30 | $239.25M |
| 8 | Chet Holmgren | Thunder | 2026-30 | $239.25M |
| 8 | Jalen Williams | Thunder | 2026-30 | $239.25M |
| Source: Spotrac | ||||
Boston’s pair sits above everyone else on this list. Tatum’s $313.93 million extension broke the record Brown had set only months earlier at $285.39 million, and both deals now dwarf what Jokic signed back in 2022 for $276.12 million. The roughly $250 million gap between the top of this list and the top of the cap hit list shows how much one extra guaranteed year separates the two rankings.
Supermax Deals and the Numbers Behind Them
A supermax extension is the largest contract the league allows, reserved for veterans who’ve won MVP, Defensive Player of the Year or made an All-NBA team in their most recent season. Nine of the ten highest cap hits in 2026-27 trace back to one of these deals. That eligibility bar explains why so few players ever reach it and why teams treat the signing as a franchise-defining decision rather than routine business.
Bird rights work alongside supermax rules to let teams exceed the salary cap when re-signing their own free agents, which is how Jokic and Towns ended up on contracts larger than a standard max deal would allow with a new team. The luxury tax apron, a secondary spending threshold above the cap that restricts trade tools and free agency flexibility once a team crosses it, now shapes roster-building in Boston and Phoenix as much as any single contract does.
Notable Names Off the List
LeBron James doesn’t appear in the 2026-27 top 25 cap hits, a shift after his $52.6 million salary ranked 12th as recently as 2025-26, according to Spotrac figures cited by Sportico. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander sits even further outside the group, his below-market extension keeping this year’s number down before a new deal worth an estimated $60.6 million kicks in during 2027-28. Both cases show that cap hit rewards contract timing as much as it rewards production on the floor.
FAQ
Who is the highest-paid NBA player in 2026-27?
Stephen Curry holds the top cap hit at $62.59 million, per Spotrac, making him the first NBA player to clear the $60 million mark in a single season.
What is the largest NBA contract in total value?
Jayson Tatum’s five-year, $313.93 million supermax extension with the Boston Celtics, signed in July 2024, remains the largest contract in league history by total guaranteed value.
How many NBA players earn over $50 million in 2026-27?
At least 16 players carry a 2026-27 cap hit above $50 million, led by the trio tied at $58.46 million behind Curry and Jokic, according to Spotrac’s leaderboard.
Why isn’t LeBron James on the highest-paid list anymore?
James’ $52.6 million salary from 2025-26 no longer ranks inside the league’s top 25 cap hits for 2026-27, as a wave of younger stars signed extensions that outpaced his current deal.
What’s the difference between cap hit and total contract value?
Cap hit measures what a player counts against the cap in one specific season, while total contract value adds up every guaranteed dollar across the life of a deal. That’s why Curry can lead one list and rank far lower on the other.
Bottom Line
Answering who is the highest-paid NBA players for 2026-27 takes more than one number. Curry owns the season’s biggest cap hit, Tatum owns the richest contract on paper, and a fresh wave of extensions for players like Banchero, Holmgren, and Williams shows where the next round of nine-figure deals is headed. The gap between the league’s top earner and its rookie minimum, still just over $1.2 million, keeps widening every summer the cap climbs.
