The NBA has sent franchises the breakdown of the 2025-26 NBA season’s salary cap. As they had suggested previously, the following season’s salary cap sees a 10% increase from this season’s salary cap, with similar increments accompanying the respective aprons and luxury tax limits. You can see the full breakdown below, with the thresholds from this season provided as a comparison:
Salary Cap 2024-25: $140.6 million
Salary Cap 2025-26: $154.6 million (increased by %10 – $14 million)
Luxury Tax 2024-25: $170.8 million
Luxury Tax 2025-26: $187.9 million (increased by 10% – $17.1 million)
First Apron 2024-25: $178.1 million
First Apron 2025-26: $195.9 million (increased by 10% – $17.8 million)
Second Apron 2024-25: $188.9 million
Second Apron 2025-26: $207.8 million (increased by 10% – $18.9 million)
This will allow several teams in the NBA a little more financial flexibility when it comes to roster construction next season. With more financial leeway, teams can offer their players more money and can sign players to slightly bigger contracts without having to worry about the repercussions outside of their internal financial implications, or external, such as exceeding the luxury tax or reaching one of the dreaded aprons.
Teams like the Celtics, who were recently sold for $6.1 billion, will not appreciate whatever financial reprieve this increase proposes. They have an incredibly expensive team, clocking in at $195.6 million, going past the second apron this season. Under next year’s salary cap limits, they will once again be well past the second apron, with an expected wage bill of $223.9 million.
The Celtics house the two most expensive players in NBA history, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who combined earned $107.2 million next year. This eats into over half of their salary cap space. That isn’t to mention Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Derrick White, all of whom earn over $28 million, bringing their starting five’s combined salary to nearly $200 million.
So far, the Grousbeck family had been willing to pay the luxury tax, but the team’s rising cost did become a motivation for them to sell the team. We will have to see if new owner Bill Chisholm will be equally open with the purse strings as the previous owners.
Another team that will be looking to get under the aprons and the luxury tax is the Phoenix Suns. Mat Ishbia managed to construct the most expensive team in NBA history when he paired Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, who take up $150 million in salary.
The three players’ salaries alone put the Suns above the salary cap. Their total wage bill for this season is $214 million, roughly $26 million over the second apron. This is a big reason why they tried trading Bradley Beal before the deadline and are likely to trade Kevin Durant in the summer.
The new salary cap rules will offer some reprieve to teams, but more than anything, it will force teams to pay their players a lot better.
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