Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown joined an elite group when he became the 12th player to sign a supermax contract since the lucrative clause was included in the 2017 collective bargaining agreement.
The contract, projected at $288 million (which could increase to $304 million if the salary cap increases by the maximum 10% for next season), is the richest in NBA history. Brown became eligible to sign the supermax deal by making an All-NBA team last season, something a number of players will be aiming for this season.
To help understand what is at stake in the 2023-24 season, here is a look at the players who could become supermax eligible if they earn All-NBA and also other bonuses to monitor this season.
Let's first examine what changed in the new collective bargaining agreement and the impact it could have moving forward.
The 2023 collective bargaining agreement
The rules of the Designated Veteran Extension and Contract (what we commonly call the "supermax") remain the same.
A player with one or two years left on his contract, who has seven or eight years of service and has never changed teams (except during the first four seasons in the league) is eligible to negotiate a contract for up to 35% of the salary cap and a total of six years (including what is left on his existing contract) if the below criteria is met:
Named to the All-NBA first, second, or third team, or was named Defensive Player of the Year, in the immediately preceding season or in two of the immediately preceding three seasons; or
The player was NBA MVP during one of the preceding three seasons.
Brown met the criteria when he was named All-NBA in 2022-23, entered the 2023 offseason with one year left on his contract and with seven years of service.
His teammate Jayson Tatum on the other hand has to wait until the 2024 offseason to sign what is currently projected as a $303 million extension, which would surpass Brown's deal as the largest in NBA history.
Tatum has only six years of service, making him ineligible for a supermax extension this summer. However, because Tatum was named All-NBA in both 2022 and 2023, he has already met the criteria to sign a supermax in 2024 (two of the immediately preceding three seasons) even if he does not play a game this season.
A free agent with eight or nine years of service, like the Raptors Pascal Siakam who is set to become a free agent in 2024, can sign a five-year supermax contract if he reaches one of the above criteria in 2023-24.
While there were no changes to the core principles of the supermax, two new rules could drastically change which players gain supermax eligibility.
The first is that in order to be eligible for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA, All-Defensive, players must play at least 65 regular-season games (the in-season tournament counts toward the 65, but the championship game -- an 83rd game for the teams that reach it -- does not).
A player will be ruled to have met the games played criteria if he played in 62 regular-season games and suffered a season-ending injury, as long as he appeared in at least 85% of his team's games prior to suffering the injury.
One curveball to the game requirement rule is that if a player plays less than 20 minutes, the game does not count toward the criteria. However, if during the regular season, a player plays less than 20 minutes but at least 15 minutes in two games, those games count (this is to avoid players making a token appearance to hit a games played requirement, like Jrue Holiday did in the season finale in 2021-22).
If the 65-game criteria rule had been in place starting in 2017, Joel Embiid would have been ineligible to sign a supermax contract when he did in 2021, as he played only 51 games during the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season (prorated to 58 in an 82-game schedule). Embiid would have met the criteria a season later, when he played 68 games and earned All-NBA honors again.
The second change that could potentially impact supermax eligibility is that All-NBA and All-Defensive Team voting is now positionless.
Eliminating the center position could have an impact on a player like Bam Adebayo, who would become supermax eligible if he is named All-NBA or wins Defensive Player of the Year.
The NBA also eliminated the rule restricting teams from carrying no more than two players signed to a supermax contract.
The economics of the supermax
The numbers are staggering: $1 billion in contracts between Brown, Nikola Jokic, Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker.
Add Tatum's $303 million next offseason and the five players who have signed or will sign supermax extensions since 2022 projects to surpass $1.4 billion.
The reality, however, is that Jokic's $47.6 million salary this season is no different than Chris Bosh's $20.6 million salary on the first year of the deal he signed with the Miami Heat in 2014.
At least from a salary cap perspective.
Yes, Jokic is making $27 million more in salary in the first season of the contract and $150 million more over the length of the deal, but both contracts represented exactly 35% of the NBA salary cap at the time.
As the chart below shows, as revenue continues to grow each year, resulting in the salary cap to increase (it can only increase or decrease year-to-year a maximum of 10%), expect the first year salary in a supermax contract to grow substantially.
The supermax candidates
The list of players is unprecedented: Jamal Murray, De'Aaron Fox, Pascal Siakam, Brandon Ingram, Bam Adebayo, Jaren Jackson Jr., Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic.
Each of these eight players has at one point so far either been named All-NBA, been an All-Star, won Defensive Player of the Year, or been on a championship team. Now each of them has an opportunity to add another significant financial milestone.
If any of those players are selected in 2023-24 to the All-NBA team, named Defensive Player of the Year or win MVP, they become eligible to sign a supermax deal starting in the 2024 or 2025 offseason. This doesn't even include Tatum, who, as stated above, is already supermax eligible in 2024.
To help understand what is at stake financially, let's take a look at each player.
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Doncic is on pace to become the first $70 million player in NBA history.
The Mavericks guard is one of four players to make All-NBA first team four times before 25, joining Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan and Max Zaslofsky, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
He joined LeBron James as the only players with 9,000 points and 2,500 assists before turning 25 years old.
If he earns All-NBA in 2023-24, Doncic would then become eligible to sign a five-year projected $318 million supermax extension. He is not allowed to sign the extension in 2024 because he will have only six years of service but he will have met the criteria (All-NBA in two of the immediately preceding three seasons) and will be able to sign an extension in 2025 that would kick in for the 2026-27 season.
Note: If the salary cap increases 10% over the next three years, the Doncic extension would be $367.5 million. The last year of the contract would be $83.6 million.
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets
Murray is the only player out of the eight not to be selected to an All-Star Game or named All-NBA.
The big reason why is a torn left ACL suffered in March 2021 that resulted in the guard missing 115 games.
Murray has been a standout in the playoffs and is one of two players (Kevin Durant is the other), to average 30 points on 50-40-90 shooting in multiple playoff series (2020 first round and 2023 conference finals), per ESPN Stats & Information.
He also became only the fourth player (joining LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson) in history to average 20 points and 10 assists in the Finals.
If Murray meets the supermax criteria by earning All-NBA honors this season, he would become eligible to sign a five-year, $303 million extension in the 2024 offseason. He received no All-NBA votes in 2022-23.
Murray is also eligible up until Oct. 23 to sign a three-year, $145 million extension that would start in 2025-26.
De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings
Fox was named All-NBA third team in 2022-23 but is not supermax eligible now because he has only six years of service.
The Sacramento guard led the NBA in clutch time scoring last season and was one of three players in NBA history to record 20 points and 5 assists in each of his first six career playoff games, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The other two players were Oscar Robertson and Trae Young.
If Fox meets the supermax criteria, he would then become eligible to sign a four-year, $245 million extension in the 2024 offseason. Because he would have earned All-NBA in back-to-back seasons, Fox would also become eligible to sign a five-year supermax extension in the 2025 offseason.
He is also eligible up until Oct. 23 to sign a two-year, $97 million extension that would start in 2026-27.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
Like Fox, Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the All-NBA team for the first time in his career this past season.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in total points off drives in 2022-23, nearly 200 more than any other player, per Second Spectrum tracking.
He was the only player to record 2,000 points and 100 steals in 2022-23 and posted the third highest scoring average (31.4 PPG) in Thunder history.
If Gilgeous-Alexander earns All-NBA once again this season, he would then be eligible to sign a four-year $258 million supermax extension in the 2025 offseason. He would not be allowed to sign the extension in 2024 because he would only have six years of service, but will have met the criteria (All-NBA in two of the immediately preceding three seasons). The extension would start in 2027-28.
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
With positions now eliminated for All-NBA, Adebayo's best chance to gain supermax eligibility might come with a Defensive Player of the Year win.
Adebayo has been named All-Defensive Second-Team four straight years and is one of six players to record 300 blocks, 300 steals in the past five seasons.
Last season, he switched the second-most vs. on-ball screens as the screener defender per Second Spectrum tracking. In addition, he was one of four players to match up at least 1,000 times against guards, forwards and centers, along with Kristaps Porzingis, Evan Mobley and Draymond Green.
If Adebayo meets the supermax criteria, he would become eligible to sign a four-year, $245 million extension in the 2024 offseason.
He is also eligible up until Oct. 23 to sign a two-year, $97 million extension that would start in 2026-27.
Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
Siakam led the NBA in minutes played in consecutive seasons and is the only player in Raptors history to average 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in a season.
He was named All-NBA in two out of the past four seasons (2019-20 and 2021-22) but has not yet met the supermax criteria. Last season he received 15 votes and ranked ninth among all forwards in All-NBA voting.
Siakam is an unrestricted free agent in 2024 and would be eligible to sign a five-year, $288 million supermax contract with Toronto if named All-NBA.
He is also eligible to sign a four-year, $192 million extension with the Raptors up until June 30.
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
An injured left big toe resulted in Ingram playing the fewest games in his career (45) last season. When he was healthy, he averaged a career-high 24.7 points per game.
Per ESPN Stats & Information, Ingram is one of two players to average 20 points in at least four different seasons in Pelicans history. He ranked in the top-three in made midrange field goals per game the past three seasons as well.
Because he was traded within the first four years in the NBA, Ingram is eligible to sign a five-year, $303 million extension in the 2024 offseason if he earns All-NBA in 2023-24.
He is also eligible up until Oct. 23 to sign a three-year, $145 million extension that would start in 2025-26.
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
Winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 gives Jackson two paths to reaching supermax criteria.
If Jackson Jr. is named Defensive Player of the Year once again or is named All-NBA, he would become eligible to sign a five-year, $318 million extension in the 2025 offseason. The extension would start in 2026-27. The NBA allows a player to combine Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA honors to gain supermax eligibility.
Jackson led the NBA in blocks per game last season and became the first player to average three blocks while playing at least 50 games since Hassan Whiteside in 2015-16.
Jackson held opponents to 47% shooting at the rim last season, the best in the NBA among players to defend 200 shots at the rim, per Second Spectrum tracking.
The rookie extension class
Three players who've already signed their rookie extensions -- Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton -- have clauses in their contracts that will increase the first-year salary in their extensions from 25% of the salary cap to 30% if they win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, or are named to an All-NBA team in 2023-24. That increase would be worth an additional $41 million over the life of the contract for each player.
Since 2017, 21 players have signed rookie max extensions that included some form of performance based criteria. Out of that group, only Siakam, Young and Ben Simmons earned the bonus by being named All-NBA in their fourth season. Doncic had reached the criteria before even signing his extension.
In the 2023 loss to Denver in the first-round, Edwards averaged 31.6 points per game, the third-highest scoring average in a playoff series by a player age 21 or younger. Edwards was the first United States player to score 30-plus points in a FIBA World Cup game since Kevin Durant did it twice in 2010.
He received eleven All-NBA votes in 2023, finishing 11th among all guards.
Haliburton became the first player in NBA history to average 20 points, 10 assists and 40% shooting on 3-pointers in a season. Despite a record breaking 2022-23 season, Haliburton received only two votes and finished 12th among all guards.
The games played criteria, a deep pool of guards and team success likely negates Ball receiving All-NBA consideration. In his first three seasons, Ball has played 51, 75 and 36 games.
The bonuses
All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Khris Middleton are part of a group of 12 players who signed free agent contracts in the offseason that include contract incentives. In total, 55 players have incentives in their contracts, including seven who signed rookie extensions in the 2022 offseason.
Bonuses are nothing new for Irving.
The four-year contract he signed in 2019 with Brooklyn included a complex set of eight incentives each season that totaled $4 million ($1 million each year) over the length of the contract. Irving earned $1.5 million of a possible $4 million in incentives under that contract.
Irving's three-year, $120 million deal with Dallas contains an additional $2 million per season of incentives but with less complicated language. Irving will receive $1 million each season if he plays in at least 65 games and an additional $1 million if the Mavericks win at least 50 games (Irving also has to play in 50 games to earn this bonus).
The last time Irving played in at least 65 games was the 2018-19 season with Boston.
Middleton has $2.8 million of incentives in his contract for the 2023-24 season, $617,284 that are considered likely because Milwaukee reached the first-round of the playoffs in 2023 and he played in 70% of the postseason games.
The remaining $2.2 million in unlikely bonuses are divided between four categories including $1.5 million if Middleton appears in 62 games or more in 2023-24.
Prior to the 2022-23 season, Middleton had appeared in at least 62 games for five consecutive seasons.
More bonus tidbits
Bonuses that are considered unlikely before the season starts but reached during the regular season or postseason are applied to team salary at the end of the season. New York Knicks forward RJ Barrett, for example, has a $967,263 bonus in his contract if he earns a spot on the All-Star team. If Barrett is a 2024 All-Star, that bonus would be applied to the Knicks' team salary at the end of the season and then would be considered a likely bonus for 2024-25.
Unlikely bonuses are included in team salary for purposes of calculating whether a team is over the first and second apron. The Bucks are considered a second apron team because of the unlikely bonuses for Holiday and Middleton.
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. has $4.7 million in unlikely bonuses in his contract this season, including $2.4 million if he plays in 60 games or more. At the time of the extension last October, the games played bonus was considered likely (Porter played 61 games in 2021-22) and counted against the Rockets cap in 2023-24. Porter would eventually sit out the final game of the 2022-23 season, falling one game short of reaching the criteria. As a result, the Rockets would go on to create an additional $2.4 million in room this past offseason (Porter wouldn't have received any additional money for playing that final game, because the bonus was part of his extension, not the existing rookie deal he was playing under). If the Rockets (or any team Porter is on to finish the season) finish with one of the top eight winning percentages, reach the first round of playoffs and Porter plays in more than 2,000 regular season minutes, Porter's $15.8 million salary in 2024-25 becomes guaranteed.
Two other Rockets players, Jeff Green and Dillon Brooks have incentives in their new contracts. Brooks will earn $1 million if the Rockets reach the first round of the playoffs this season. Green will receive $1.6 million if he plays in at least 55 games and averages 19 minutes per game. The bonuses for Green are considered likely based on his 2022-23 season in Denver.