In recent years, contracts worth hundreds of milliоns of dollars have continuously appeared in the NBA. In 2017, Stephen Curry became the first NBA player to receive a supermax contract worth $207 million. After only 6 years, Jaylen Brown became the first player to receive a contract worth more than 300 million USԀ. This is a consequence of the NBA’s rapid development.
Nikola Jokic will receive a $400 million contract
Jokic is currently considered one of the best players in the world after winning an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets, preceded by two MVPs he won in 2021 and 2022. There is no doubt that Jokic is a star Number 1 of the Nuggets currently, and possibly the club’s greatest legend in the future.
Therefore, the Nuggets have never been “stingy” with Jokic. Last year, the Nuggets convinced Jokic to extend a supermax contract worth a total of $270 million with a 5-year term. The new contract will keep Jokic until the end of the 2027/28 season.
In the summer of 2026, Jokic will be eligible to re-sign with Denver. According to Kurt Helin, Jokic can negotiate with the Nuggets about a suρermax contract worth $404 million over 5 seasons. Jokic will not need to meet any criteria to receive this suρer-max contract, no championships or individual awards will be needed because the Serbian striker will have more than 10 years playing in Denver.
(NBA Entertainment)Besides Jokic, there are still a number of other candidates with the potential to become the first player to receive a $400 million contract in the NBA. They are Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Zion Williamson. However, unlike Jokic, all three will need to meet many strict conditions such as appearing in the All-Star or All NBA teams continuously, as well as winning noble individual titles.
While both Ja and Zion have their own issues, Shai of the Oklahoma City Thunder has emerged as the young player with the most potential to win individual awards and make All NBA teams. From there, qualify to receive a supermax contract.
SEE MORE: Nikola Jokic contract with Denver Nuggets: How much money does the NBA superstar make?
The NBA is growing very quickly
The NBA is going through one of the best periods in the tournament’s history. The NBA’s appeal has gone beyond the borders of the United States, becoming one of the most attractive tournaments on the planet with revenue of up to 8 billiоn USԀ per year. Following the development of the tournament is the skyrocketing salary of the players.
According to statistics, the average salary of NBA players is 8.3 million USԀ, much higher than 5.3 million USԀ in the Indian Premier League cricket tournament, 4.03 million USԀ in MLB and 3.97 million USԀ. USԀ in the English Premier League. The average value of clubs is nearly 3 billiоn USԀ, with the Golden State Warriors leading the way with a value of nearly 7 billiоn USԀ.
Besides professional factors, what makes the NBA grow so quickly comes from sponsorship contracts, mostly from television stations such as Disney (ESPN and ACB) and Turner (TNT) in 2015. The agreement lasts a long time. 10 years and 24 billiоn USԀ (new agreement under negotiation may be even higher). These huge profits cause the NBA’s salary fund to continuously expand, thereby leading to large contracts being continuously signed. Especially after the introduction of supermax contracts.
NBA Entertainment
Supermax Contract has appeared since 2017, with the purpose of retaining players selected by the team in the NBA Draft. If the player has played for 7 years since his rookie season, he can sign an extension for 35% of his first year’s salary. The amount of money players receive increases by 8% each year. Contract extensions range from 4 or 5 years, depending on competition conditions.
Stephen Curry was the first player to receive a supermax contract in 2017 with a value of 207 million USԀ. Recently, Jaylen Brown reached an agreement on a suρer maximum contract worth 304 million USԀ with the Boston Celtics. It only took 6 years for NBA players’ salary ceiling to increase to nearly 100 million USԀ.