Who Has The Highest Payroll In The NBA?
The answer may surprise you. Find out which team has the highest payroll in the NBA.
Los Angeles Lakers
2019-20 Salary Cap: $109.1 million
The Los Angeles Lakers have the highest payroll in the NBA for the 2019-20 season at $109.1 million. The Lakers are followed by the Golden State Warriors ($107.7 million), Houston Rockets ($104.7 million), and the Brooklyn Nets ($103.8 million). The Nets’ payroll is actually higher than that of the Warriors when luxury taxes are factored in, as Brooklyn will pay a league-high $143.8 million in taxes this season.
2019-20 Luxury Tax: $132.6 million
The Lakers will pay a league-high $132.6 million in luxury taxes this season, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
This is the fourth consecutive season that the Lakers will have the highest luxury tax bill in the NBA. They paid $27.8 million in 2016-17, $26.2 million in 2017-18, and $85.7 million last season.
The Lakers’ tax bill is more than double the next highest team, the Brooklyn Nets, who will pay $63.0 million in taxes this season.
Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets currently have the highest payroll in the NBA. Their payroll for the 2019-2020 season is $148 million. The Nets are followed by the Los Angeles Lakers, who have a payroll of $145 million. The Lakers have the second highest payroll in the NBA.
2019-20 Salary Cap: $102.8 million
The 2019-20 NBA salary cap is $102.8 million. The tax level is $132.6 million. These figures represent a $7 million increase over last season’s salary cap of $101.9 million and a $10 million increase over the tax level of $122.6 million.
The Brooklyn Nets have the highest payroll in the NBA at $164 million. The Nets’ tax bill for the 2019-20 season is an NBA-record $66 million. The Nets are followed by the Los Angeles Lakers ($141 million) and the Houston Rockets ($140 million).
2019-20 Luxury Tax: $129.2 million
The Nets have the highest payroll in the NBA for the 2019-20 season at $129.2 million, which includes $41.7 million in luxury taxes. The Nets’ total tax bill for the season is $86.5 million. The Nets are followed by the Warriors at $127.8 million, including $54.0 million in luxury taxes, and the Knicks at $124.9 million, including $47.9 million in luxury taxes.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have the highest payroll in the NBA. They are also the only team in the NBA with 3 players that make over $20 million a year. The Rockets are led by James Harden, who is the highest paid player in the NBA. The team also has 2 other All-Stars in Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.
2019-20 Salary Cap: $101.8 million
The Houston Rockets currently have the highest payroll in the NBA at $101.8 million. The Rockets have 10 players under contract for the 2019-20 season, and those 10 players are owed a combined $101.8 million. The Rockets also have two players (Gerald Green and Austin Rivers) who are on non-guaranteed contracts, but those contracts would only count towards the salary cap if they were to remain on the roster past September 1st.
The Rockets’ $101.8 million payroll is just barely ahead of the second-highest payroll in the NBA, which belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder at $101.7 million. The Thunder have 11 players under contract for next season, and those 11 players are owed a combined $101.7 million. Unlike the Rockets, however, the Thunder don’t have any non-guaranteed contracts on their books for next season.
The Golden State Warriors currently have the third-highest payroll in the NBA at $95.4 million. The Warriors have 10 players under contract for next season, and those 10 players are owed a combined $95.4 million. The Warriors also have three players (Kevon Looney, Damion Lee, and Alen Smailagic) who are on non-guaranteed contracts, but those contracts would only count towards the salary cap if they were to remain on the roster past September 1st.
2019-20 Luxury Tax: $127.2 million
The Houston Rockets have the highest payroll in the NBA for the 2019-20 season at $127.2 million. The team is also over the luxury tax threshold, which is projected to be $132 million for the 2019-20 season. The Rockets are not the only team with a high payroll, as the Washington Wizards and Brooklyn Nets also have payrolls over $100 million.
Portland Trail Blazers
As of the 2019-2020 season, the Portland Trail Blazers have the highest payroll in the NBA at $140,431,817. This is due to the fact that they have a lot of big-name players on their team, such as Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
2019-20 Salary Cap: $101.6 million
The Portland Trail Blazers have the highest payroll in the NBA for the 2019-20 season at $101.6 million. The Blazers are followed by the Houston Rockets ($99.8 million), Los Angeles Lakers ($92.5 million), and Golden State Warriors ($91.6 million). The Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, and Oklahoma City Thunder round out the top seven.
2019-20 Luxury Tax: $126.9 million
The Portland Trail Blazers have the highest luxury tax bill in the NBA at $126.9 million for the 2019-20 season, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The Blazers are projected to have a tax bill of $119.3 million if they keep their current roster intact and make no trades before the Feb. 6 deadline, but that number could rise if they make any additions.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in second place with a projected tax bill of $115.7 million, followed by the Brooklyn Nets ($113.2 million), Houston Rockets ($110.6 million) and Golden State Warriors ($109.5 million).
The luxury tax is assessed on teams that exceed the salary cap, which is set at $109.1 million for the 2019-20 season. The tax rate increases as a team’s payroll gets closer to the cap, with teams paying an additional dollar in taxes for every dollar they are over the cap.
The Blazers have been one of the most active teams in trade talks this season, as they look to improve their roster for a playoff run. They acquired forward Rodney Hood from the Cleveland Cavaliers last month, and have been linked to several other players, including New Orleans Pelicans forward Nikola Mirotic and Los Angeles Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the highest payroll in the NBA. This is due to the fact that they have two superstars in Russell Westbrook and Paul George. They also have a number of other very good players such as Steven Adams and Dennis Schroder. The Thunder’s payroll is currently over $130 million.
2019-20 Salary Cap: $101.3 million
The Oklahoma City Thunder have the highest payroll in the NBA for the 2019-20 season. The team’s total salary is $101.3 million, which is over $4 million more than the second highest-paid team, the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder’s payroll is also nearly $30 million more than the league average of $71.6 million.
The Thunder have four players who are each making over $15 million this season: guard Russell Westbrook, forward Paul George, center Steven Adams, and forward Danilo Gallinari. Westbrook is the highest-paid player on the team, with a salary of $35.3 million. He is followed by George, who is making $32.1 million; Adams, who is making $25.8 million; and Gallinari, who is making $22.6 million.
The Thunder also have several other players who are making significant salaries this season. Forward Jerami Grant is in the first year of a three-year, $27 million contract, while guard Dennis Schröder is in the first year of a four-year, $70 million contract that he signed last summer. Guard Andre Roberson is also making a significant salary this season, as he is in the third year of a four-year, $30 million contract that he signed in 2016.
2019-20 Luxury Tax: $126.4 million
The Oklahoma City Thunder are facing a luxury tax bill of $126.4 million for the 2019-20 season, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
The tax bill is based on the projected salaries of the Thunder’s 15-man roster, which currently stands at $158.7 million. The team’s payroll is only expected to increase once they sign restricted free agent Nerlens Noel to a new contract.
The luxury tax threshold for the 2019-20 season is $132 million, meaning the Thunder will have to pay a tax of $12.4 million on their overage.
This is the second straight season that the Thunder will be paying the luxury tax. They paid a tax bill of $93.6 million for the 2018-19 season.
