Ranking the Wildest Salaries and Contracts NBA Superstars Could Get Over Next 5 Years | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Potential next contract: Five years, $346.3 million ($59.7 million starting salary)

Players with 10 or more years of NBA experience are eligible to sign contracts with a starting salary worth 35 percent of the salary cap, whereas most players with 7-9 years of NBA experience can only sign for 30 percent of the cap. There are exceptions to that rule, though, which Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Dončić is now poised to exploit next summer.

To qualify for a supermax contract early, a player needs to win MVP or Defensive Player of the Year in any of the past three seasons, make two All-NBA teams in the past three seasons or make an All-NBA team in the most recent season. They also need at least seven years of NBA experience.

Dončić has made five straight All-NBA teams, which guarantees him supermax eligibility even if he misses the All-NBA team next season. However, he has only six years of NBA experience, so he isn't eligible to sign a supermax extension until next offseason.

Dončić is signed with the Mavericks through 2025-26, and he has a $49.0 million player option for the 2026-27 season. If he turns down that option, he'll be eligible to sign a five-year supermax extension with the Mavericks next offseason worth a projected $346.3 million, with a starting salary of $59.7 million in 2026-27.

• 2026-27: $59,713,500
• 2027-28: $64,490,580
  
• 2028-29: $69,267,660
  
• 2029-30: $74,044,740
  
• 2030-31: $78,821,820
  
• Total: $346,338,300
  

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was not eligible to make an All-NBA team this year because he fell short of the new 65-game minimum. However, he now has 10 years of NBA experience, which means he'll be eligible for the same five-year, $346.3 million supermax extension that Dončić is next summer. (Like Dončić, Embiid also has a player option for the 2026-27 season worth $59.0 million.)