Recently, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics became the highest-paid player in the NBA after signing a five-year deal. NBA fans are skeptical that he merits the huge contract after his lackluster performance in the playoffs, especially against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference finals.
However, records are made only to be broken. A top NBA analyst believes that Nikola Jokic could get a much higher contract from his team, after his stellar performance in the Nugget’s first championship win.
Nikola Jokic poised to shatter NBA contract records
Brown’s record-breaking contract may not remain at the top for long, since other players like Nikola Jokic are expected to earn more in the following years, as Kurt Helin of NBC Sports stated in a recent story.
Helin suggested Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets as a player who might potentially get a contract for more than $400 million. The Joker, widely regarded as one of the league’s greatest players, inked a $274 million deal the year before. Due to a player option, Nikola Jokic has a chance to sign the first-ever $400 million NBA deal by 2026.
“Nikola Jokic is arguably the best player walking the face of the earth right now — and the best hooper singing with his shirt off — and he just signed a contract extension worth $274 million before the start of last season,” Helin wrote.
“However, thanks to his player option at the end of it, by the summer of 2026 he could sign the NBA’s first $400 million contract as an extension of his current deal, specifically five years at $404 million. Jokic could get that money whether he wins another MVP or title or not because he will have 10 years of service and be eligible regardless (his style of play should age well),” he stated.
Furthermore, Helin predicted that further super-max contracts will reach the $400 million mark by the summer of 2026. Some athletes that have the potential to reach this top group of earners are Ja Morant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Zion Williamson.
Jaylen Brown signs record breaking contract
Boston Celtics standout player Jaylen Brown agreed to a record-setting supermax contract agreement for a total of $304 million. After Portland’s Damian Lillard, Brown becomes only the second athlete in U.S. team sports history to sign a contract worth at least $60 million yearly with his new deal.
The NBA has seen a rise in high-paying salary cap contracts, with 32 of the 50 highest-paying contracts in North American sports. This supermax contract was awarded to Brown because he made second-team All-NBA in 2022–23. Jayson Tatum, another member of the squad, will also be eligible for a Supermax deal the following season.
Brown’s remarkable play has been a major factor in the Celtics making the playoffs for the ninth year in a row. He is averaging a career-high 26.6 pts per game. Although fans are still disappointed with his performance in the last season, especially during the playoffs, his effort to come out better each coming day is what he is best known for.
