10 Highest Paid NBA Players by Salaries

The introduction of the concept of super-max contracts has given NBA franchises the ability to tie down players they've drafted themselves to the franchise for the extent of their physical primes, but the effects that these players' presence (or the lack of it) has on the team's fortunes is arguably much more than the amount that they're contracted for.

We've already brought to you a list of the best earners in the NBA in terms of total earnings from endorsements and salaries, so now we dissect their earnings further and categorize them by only their NBA wages in the article that follows:

#10 James Harden - $30.43 million

One of the most recognizable players in the league, the Beard has gone from strength to strength through the course of his NBA career. Starting out as a 3-and-D energy guy off the bench in his rookie season for the Thunder, Harden blossomed into a franchise player and an offensive hub of sorts when traded to the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2012.

6 straight All-Star selections, 2 runner-up finishes and a win in the MVP voting later, no one would bat an eye when they take a look at his wage bill for the 2018-19 season, which stands at $30.43 million but still seems too low for a player who's commonly regarded as a top 5 offensive talent in the league.

#9 Mike Conley - $30.51 million

Anyone who questioned the merits of handing out a 5-year, $153 million contract to Mike Conley Jr was emphatically forced to shut their mouth when the veteran point guard balled out in the 2016-17 NBA season before turning it up a notch against the league's best defensive team (the Spurs) in the first round of playoffs that year.

True, injury concerns ruled him out last season, but Conley is the engine that keeps the Grizzlies' offense buzzing along, and the main reason why they are looking much like the Grit n Grind Grizzlies of old once more. The best player in the NBA today not to be named to an All-Star team yet, expect Conley to keep up the quiet production for the rest of his prime.

#8 Paul George - $30.56 million

Oklahoma City Thunder v Charlotte Hornets

Transitioning from versatile bench player to bonafide superstar took a lot of work from Paul George during his Indiana days, but I'd argue that settling into the co-star role alongside Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City has been as big a deal for him as getting to stardom in the first place. Russ isn't the easiest of players to play with given his questionable shot selection at times, but PG-13 is probably the most perfect complementary player outside of Kevin Durant to play alongside the Brody.

The effects of the duo's chemistry are obvious. Even without the team's best perimeter defender, George's hustle and energy have been infectious, and the whole team turns the clamps on when he's on the floor. George is a sleeper MVP candidate so far and has been outplaying the 4-year, $137 million contract that he signed in the summer.

#7 Kyle Lowry - $31.2 million

Kyle Lowry was part of a trade swung by an organization that expected to tank following Rudy Gay's departure, but he instead turned the tide around for the Raptors in his first few games, almost leading them to a playoff sport that very season, and placing them 5th on the Eastern Conference standings the season following that.

Lowry has low-key been the Raps' most valuable player over the past 5 seasons, with or without considering DeMar DeRozan. Tenacious as a pit bull, Lowry embraces challenges on both ends of the floor, and while he doesn't have much of a scoring arsenal, he's a difference maker in a variety of ways that don't necessarily show up on the box score (he's one of the leading charge-takers in the entire NBA), and make him worth the $31.2 million he's owed this season.

#6 Gordon Hayward - $31.21 million

White LeBron, as Hayward was called by Jazz fans before the swingman's decision to join the Celtics as a free agent, is slowly easing himself back into All Star form. Having gone down for the entirety of the 2017-18 NBA season with a freakishly NSFW ankle injury, Hayward is now part of the Celtics' rotation off the bench having started the season as part of the starting lineup.

He signed a 4-year contract paying him $127 million over 4 seasons, of which $31.2 million will be his paycheck for the 2018-19 season. While he's certainly not been bad given his injury history, the Celtics were hoping for more production from him, and he might be placed on the trade block by the All-Star break if he doesn't show the ability to do so.

#5 Blake Griffin - $34.23 million

Griffin was pitched a 5-year, $171 million contract by Jerry West with the promise of seeing his jersey hung up on the rafters of the Staples Center as a Clipper, only for the wily old man to flip him for Tobias Harris, Boban and Avery Bradley when the going got tough and Griffin missed time with injury.

Nevertheless, his contract should be scant consolation for the change in lifestyle in moving from LA to Detroit, and he's playing arguably the best basketball of his life for the Pistons today. If All-Star voting were to end today, it'd be hard to keep Griffin off the Eastern Conference starting 5. Worth every penny of his contract.

#2 (tied) LeBron James - $35.65 million

James' decision to move to Los Angeles and don the fabled Purple and Gold jerseys has brought a boost not only to the team's fortunes on and off the court but also to his own legacy and his bank balance. Under contract for 4 years and $154 million with a player option on the final season of his deal, James has turned around the stuttering Lakers from a lottery team to one that is certainly going to make the playoffs this season in the toughest playoff race in recent memory.

The fact that James is still well and truly the world's best player, it's the most dominant force of nature at the age of 34, and that he's still making tomahawk jams better than most explosive 19-year-olds in the league will never cease to amaze me.

#2 (tied) Russell Westbrook - $35.65 million

Oklahoma City Thunder v New Orleans Pelicans

The Oklahoma City Thunder are off to a rousing start in the Western Conference playoff race thanks not only to PG-13, but also the greatest player in Oklahoma City franchise history. Westbrook has missed 8 games this season due to injury troubles, but the Thunder have and will always miss the most tenacious player in the NBA when he's away.

Westbrook signed a supermax deal that guarantees him $201 million through 5 seasons in 2017, and he's slated to earn $35.65 million through the course of the 2018-19 season. His triple-double production would be worth about twice that amount if there were no CBA rules to follow, just a hard salary cap. He's the life and soul of this team and deserves to be paid as such.

#2 (tied) Chris Paul - $37.45 million

A free agent this past summer, Chris Paul was expected to re-sign on a long-term deal with the Rockets, and Daryl Morey duly obliged with a 4-year, $160 million deal that will keep CP3 near the top of the NBA wages echelon for the next 4 seasons. A player worth the supermax whenever on the floor, the Point God struggled for form and fitness at the start of this season, leading to many people questioning the wisdom of giving him a 4-year deal.

But CP3's game is much more easy to transition into an old man game, and court vision and tenacity aren't qualities that are easily found in the NBA. For what it's worth, I'd still trust Paul over a whole host of guards to be the centerpiece on a championship team.

#1 Stephen Curry - $37.45 million

Steph signed a supermax extension that kicked in from 2017-18 onwards. It guarantees him $205 million over 5 seasons, which means he'll be the highest wage-earner this season in the NBA at $37.45 million, and will not finish below the top 3 for the next 3 seasons.

Supermax contracts can serve as a team's anchor on their way to the top, but Steph is himself the gateway to championship success for the Warriors, and one might even argue that the design of the supermax limits his earning ability, for he's definitely more valuable on and off the court than the $37.45 million he's owed over the season.

Edited by Rahul Arun