- Jaylen Brown became the first player in NBA history to sign a $300 million contract after his new extension with the Boston Celtics
- NBA salaries are rising exponentially and it is expected that a player will also break the $400 million mark in the coming years
- According to CBS, Shai Gilegous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder could be the man to sign the first-ever $400 million contract
The Supermax contract was introduced by the NBA to motivate superstars to sign with the teams that drafted them instead of leaving for bigger markets. And as the league continues to grow, those salaries have also grown exponentially.
Jaylen Brown became the NBA’s first-ever $300 million man when it comes to a single contract after signing his latest extension. And according to CBS, the player likeliest to break the $400 million mark is none other than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“Our prime candidate here is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who did not get a player-option on the last year of his rookie extension like draft-mates Doncic and Young,” wrote CBS Sports.
“So if he wants to tack five years onto his deal, he will have to wait until the summer of 2026. If he does so and remains at the All-NBA level he reached last season, he has a real chance to become the NBA’s first $400 million player.”
The key to getting a contract like this is timing. Jaylen Brown wouldn’t even crack the Top 10 list for most fans at the moment, but he is worth a supermax from the Celtics. And by becoming a free agent in 2024, he ensured that he would be negotiating a new deal after another salary cap spike, leading to the $300 million number.
The salary cap is expected to rise by 10% every season, the maximum that it can, especially with new billion-dollar TV deals on the horizon for the NBA. If that happens, then 35% of a team’s cap will warrant a $400 million contract for the ones that start in the 2027-28 season.
That’s why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a prime candidate, considering that he will be ready to negotiate an extension in 2026, one year before he becomes a free agent at the age of 28 in 2027.
Luka Doncic And Joel Embiid Are Among Those Who Could Also Get A $400 Million Deal First
Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid are both perennial MVP candidates, and Embiid is already the MVP. They are on track to be among the highest-paid players in NBA history, considering that they are already on $200 million contracts currently.
Both could become free agents in 2027, and Luka and Embiid can exercise their player options for the 2026-27 season. If they do so, they too will be negotiating at the same time, and their proven superstar status could see them become the first to achieve it.
Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Ja Morant, and Zion Williamson are also candidates, and it’s a matter of when, not if, this happens in the NBA. It will be exciting to see which player becomes the first to do it.
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