5 players with the biggest salary raise in the 2021-22 NBA season
Like in every NBA season, many players will see huge salary raises during the 2021-22 campaign. Several players who were in the final year of their rookie contracts in the previous campaign will see their extensions kicking in.
It is one of the key reasons why as many as 12 players in the NBA will be earning at least $10 million more than what they made during the 2020-21 campaign. On that note, here is a look at the five players who will receive a huge salary raise in the 2021-22 season:
#5 Jayson Tatum - Salary raise: $18,206,380
Boston Celtics' young All-Star Jayson Tatum is set to earn $28 million next season. Last season, his earnings were close to $9 million. Tatum signed a 5-year $195 million deal in the 2020 NBA offseason, which could go up to $200 million if he makes the All-NBA team.
Tatum is a bonafide superstar of the game. The Celtics' forward had three 50-point games last season, including one in the playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets. He will be the 38th best-paid player and the best-paid Celtics player in 2021-22.
#4 John Collins - Salary raise: $18, 862, 698
John Collins declined a $90 million extension offer during the 2020 NBA offseason, as he believed he is a max-contract player. It turned out to be the correct decision for the Atlanta Hawks forward, who ended up signing a five-year $125 million deal in free agency with the Hawks.
Collins' solid performance in the playoffs played a key role in helping the franchise make the Conference Finals, which they lost against eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks.
Nevertheless, Collins will be earning $23.5 million next season, roughly $18.8 million more than what he earned last campaign in the final year of his rookie contract. He is the highest-paid player in the Atlanta Hawks' roster for the 2021-22 NBA season.
#3 De'Aaron Fox - Salary raise: $20,003,873
De'Aaron Fox is coming off an All-Star caliber year, averaging 25.2 points and 7.2 assists per game. The Sacramento Kings will be glad to see their star man develop at this rate, as they have invested a lot in him for the next few seasons. The Kings signed Fox on a five-year extension worth $163 million last offseason.
He is set to make $28,103,500 next season, which is roughly $20 million more than what he earned in the final year of his rookie contract last season. Fox will be the highest-paid player in the Sacramento Kings' roster this season and the 37th best-paid player overall in the NBA.
#2 Donovan Mitchell - Salary raise: $22,907,999
Donovan Mitchell's five-year $195 million extension that he signed in the 2020 NBA offseason is set to kick in during the 2021-22 NBA campaign. He will be earning $28,103,500 next season. It is roughly $23 million more than what he earned during the 2020-21 campaign.
Mitchell has turned into one of the most explosive guards in the NBA over the last few years. He led the team to the best record in the NBA last season, and is key in helping them replicate that feat for many more years. He will be the second-best paid player in the Utah Jazz's roster this season.
#1 Bam Adebayo - Salary raise: $22,984,508
Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo leads the list, as he will be earning a staggering $23 million more than what he made last season. Adebayo signed an extension worth up to $163 million last offseason, and is set to earn $28,100,000 next campaign.
He was in the reckoning for the Defensive Player of the Year award, and has become one of the Miami Heat's most reliable players alongside Jimmy Butler. Adebayo is the second-best player in the Miami Heat roster and the fourth-best paid center in the NBA in the 2021-22 campaign.