The way the world works is that when you are really good at a job, you get paid well for your performance. The same goes for the highest-paid NBA superstars as we head into the 2022-23 season. The highest-paid NBA players are among the best in the world and their organizations have rewarded them handsomely for the player they have been and, hopefully, the player they will continue to be. Sometimes these mega contracts work out and other times they have come back to bite the organization where the sun doesn’t shine.
- Point Guard
- Stephen Curry – $48,070,014
- Shooting Guard
- Bradley Beal – $43,279,250
- Small Forward
- LeBron James – $44,474,988
- Power Forward
- Kevin Durant – $44,119,845
- Center
- Rudy Gobert – $38,172,214
- How Would This Team Perform Together On The Court?
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Today, we will build a lineup of the highest-paid players at each position and conclude if they could win a championship together or not. This lineup is filled with shooting, three-level scoring, defense, and playmaking. In this lineup are already established champions and MVPs of the league who have proven themselves worthy of the money they are receiving. Other players on this list have been incredible basketball players during their careers but haven’t delivered a championship to their respective cities. Take a look at this lineup below and decide if they can come together to make a championship unit.
Here is the most expensive starting lineup that we could create for the 2022-23 NBA season.
Point Guard
Stephen Curry – $48,070,014
2nd Most Expensive Point Guard: John Wall – $47,345,760
Stephen Curry is not only the highest-paid point guard in the NBA, but he is also the highest-paid player in the NBA, period. Obviously, Curry has earned it over the years by becoming the greatest shooter the NBA has ever seen and delivering 4 championships to the Golden State Warriors over the past 8 seasons. He has taken home 2 MVP awards, 1 Finals MVP award, and earned the title of one of the greatest point guards to ever play the game. Debate amongst yourselves.
In 2021-22, Stephen Curry proved the doubters wrong once again. Many talking heads on television had proclaimed that Curry and the Warriors were done winning championships and that it was time to usher in a new era of younger talent atop the NBA. How did Curry respond? Well, he broke the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made record and then led the Warriors to the NBA Finals. Curry didn’t stop there as he went nuclear in the Finals with 31.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 5.0 APG on 48.2% shooting overall and 43.7% from three.
Shooting Guard
Bradley Beal – $43,279,250
2nd Most Expensive Shooting Guard: Klay Thompson – $40,600,080
Our highest-paid shooting guard also happens to be the 6th highest-paid player in basketball and that is Bradley Beal. The Washington Wizards shooting guard will make just over $43 million in 2022-23 and signed a massive extension that will net him over $50 million per season, starting in 2024-25. Beal missed 42 games in 2021-22 but still managed to average 23.2 PPG on the season, one year after battling Stephen Curry for the NBA scoring title. Beal struggled to find his shot from different spots on the court, but now that he is once again healthy, the tides are sure to change in his game.
Beal is a pure three-level scoring threat when healthy, which is best evidenced by his 2020-21 season. Beal played60 games in 2020-21 and averaged 31.3 PPG on 48.5% shooting. He shot 66.0% at the rim, 53.0% from 3 to 10 feet, and 34.9% from three. All of those percentages are considerably higher than his 2021-22 injured season. Beal should be ready to go in 2022-23 and the Wizards will benefit greatly from it, but first, he fills in as our starting shooting guard for this lineup.
Small Forward
LeBron James – $44,474,988
2nd Most Expensive Small Forward: Paul George – $42,492,568
LeBron James has been one of the highest-paid players in basketball for the last 15 years. He also happens to be the only active NBA player who is worth over $1.0 billion in net worth. James just recently signed an extension with the Lakers for 2 years that will pay him $50 million starting in 2024-25. It is hard to imagine that LeBron will be around until 2025 considering he is already 20 years into his NBA career, but he has defied the odds his entire life, so who am I to say he can’t?
LeBron James has all of the pressure off of his shoulders in this lineup as far as scoring goes. James can be the aggressive player he has built a career on and penetrate the lane as much as he wants with weapons on the perimeter everywhere he looks. His play style will open up the game of both Curry and Beal from the outside, leading to maximum production from this lineup. Eventually, this will also open up LeBron’s scoring as defenders cheat toward the perimeter to handle the outside presence of Curry and Beal.
Power Forward
Kevin Durant – $44,119,845
2nd Most Expensive Power Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo – $42,492,492
Our starting power forward for our lineup of most expensive players is none other than the 5th highest-paid player in the NBA, Kevin Durant. Kevin Durant is under contract with the Brooklyn Nets for 3 more seasons and is set to start making $50 million in 2024-25 as well. Durant has had a few up and down seasons in Brooklyn which culminated in a trade request that rocked the NBA’s offseason. Durant seems to have bought into Brooklyn’s plans moving forward, for now, while the team heads into 2022-23.
Durant had an up-and-down season in 2021-22 among the drama that encapsulated their season. Durant averaged 29.9 PPG on the season and had it not been for injuries, could have been in the MVP conversation. Durant brings more scoring to an already high-scoring lineup. LeBron will have plenty of weapons to work with and 3 capable shooters on the perimeter with the addition of Durant to this lineup. Durant will be the go-to scorer as far as creating his own shot and getting a bucket when the team needs him to most. With Durant’s addition, the lineup we have built has become borderline unguardable.
Center
Rudy Gobert – $38,172,214
2nd Most Expensive Center: Karl-Anthony Towns – $33,833,400
Contrary to the popular trend on social media, Rudy Gobert has earned a massive contract that will see him earn over $40 million starting in 2023-24. Gobert has been the best interior defender in basketball over the past 5 seasons and has the Defensive Player of the Year awards to prove it. Over the last 3 seasons, Gobert has been selected to his first 3 All-Star teams and has earned 6 All-Defensive Team selections as well. He led the league in blocks in 2017 and rebounds in 2022. His trade to the Minnesota Timberwolves has many thinking they can finally capture an NBA championship in the coming years.
Gobert brings some much-needed interior defense to this lineup as the only real shot-blocker on the team. Gobert is a capable finisher around the basket on offense, but his primary purpose will be to anchor the defense as it should be. With Gobert in the paint, James and Durant can be aggressive on the perimeter with their assignments knowing that the league’s best shot-blocker is behind them. It isn’t only about shot-blocking, however, as Gobert alters shots and disrupts the flow of an offense simply by being on the court. With this lineup, Gobert might finally see what a Conference Finals series looks like.
How Would This Team Perform Together On The Court?
Now that we have selected our team of the most expensive players at every position, it is time to break down how they would mesh together on the basketball court. On offense, this team is stacked in every way possible. They have the best 3-point shooter to ever play the game in Stephen Curry who should have no issues running off of screens away from the ball to find his shots. They have 2 serious three-level scorers in Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant who can knock down outside shots and get to the rim as well. Then, they have one of the greatest playmakers ever in LeBron who will also be able to attack the rim at will due to the spacing this lineup provides.
Defensively is where this team will have some issues. Their first line of defense with Curry and Beal isn’t exactly the greatest defensive backcourt combination that can be trotted out on the court. However, LeBron, Durant, and Gobert can make up for it with their size and speed on that side of the ball. LeBron will have to be a free safety of sorts, roaming around to help out wherever it’s needed. Gobert will very clearly be the team’s best defender and anchor the paint on that side. Overall, this team is quite clearly a championship contender. Between the 5 of them, there are 10 NBA championships and 7 Finals MVP awards. If any roster can step up when the lights are the brightest, it is the most expensive starting lineup of the 2022-23 NBA season.
