The annual salary is 59.6 million, the league s number one, and the career income exceeds 1 billion is not satisfied! The 200 million formation is in a crisis of disintegration

Editor|Old Kankanqiu

NBA offseason has passed halfway. This summer, many maximum salary contracts have been born in the free trading market. Just like the championship Thunder, spending 822 million US dollars to renew the contract with the three core companies (Alexander 285 million in 4 years, Jewish 287 million in 5 years, and Chett 250 million in 5 years), setting an NBA historical record, shocking everyone. Obviously, with the entry into force of the new broadcast contract (US$77 billion in 2011), not only the players' contracts are soaring, but even the team's market value is also rising.

Take the past two seasons as an example. In 2023, Mavericks boss Cuban sold most of his equity at a valuation of US$3.5 billion; in 2024, the market value of the Celtics soared to US$6.1 billion, and the team owner Dongwick Grosbeck chose to cash out at a high level; in 2025, 46 years ago, the Bass family sold more than 84% of the team's equity for US$10 billion, setting a record for the highest transaction of professional sports teams in the world. You should know that 46 years ago, Bass spent only 67.5 million to buy the Lakers, and now, the money has increased by nearly 150 times.

It is obvious that both teams and players' incomes are soaring. Next season, as many as 14 people in the league have an annual salary of more than 50 million, of which Curry ranks first in the league with an annual salary of 59.6 million. In addition to Jimmy Butler's $54.12 million, the total salary of the two has reached $114 million, which directly pushes the Warriors' total salary to the dangerous area of the second rich line. The total salary, which has been ranked among the top three in the league for many years, has pushed the Warriors' dynasty's salary structure to the brink of breaking.

According to NBA reporter Anthony Slater, Curry will obtain a new contract renewal on August 30. Due to the rules, the two sides will reach a one-year renewal contract worth about 70 million yuan, which also means Curry will become the highest-paid player in the league for 11 consecutive seasons. By then, Curry will usher in a historic moment when his career income exceeds $1 billion (salary + endorsement contract).

However, Curry still seems to be not satisfied with the current revenue model. When participating in the Complex podcast recently, he talked about the current topic of player salary. Curry said: "In the current labor-management agreement, players cannot participate in the team's equity allocation, so we can only make profits from short-term returns. You should know that although those salary numbers sound amazing, the league's current income may increase by more than 10 times compared to before. So, I think players' salary is still relatively low."

Obviously, Curry hopes that players can participate in the team's equity allocation. It is true that Curry made great contributions to the Warriors' market value from the league's last ten years ago to the league's top spot, but in the world of capitalists, players are still just workers. It is basically impossible to share more cakes on their plates. You should know that most NBA teams have accumulated industries that have been accumulated by generations of families. It is a fantasy for players to divide their equity after playing for a short period of time. This is what Curry said. If James said the same thing, it would probably cause greater controversy.

In fact, the Warriors have a hard time in the near future. The issue of Kumingga's contract renewal has become the sword of Damocles hanging above the Warriors' heads, and the negotiations between the two sides are in a deadlock - Kumingga's team insists that the asking price of $82 million in three years will not let go, while the Warriors insist on keeping their annual salary at around $20 million.

And this tug-of-war has ushered in a critical juncture recently. According to the Warriors, Kumingga's position remains unchanged. He refuses to sign a new two-year, $45 million contract that is beneficial to the Warriors, and may accept a one-year, $7.9 million qualification offer, and becomes a full free agent one year later.

"Kuminga is determined to defeat the death." ESPN team reporter Anthony Slater wrote, "The Warriors are unwilling to pay a premium of 30 million for unproven talent, and Kuuminga refuses to accept it in the gold growth period ‘Discount contract’, both sides are playing! ”

In addition to Kumingga, the Warriors’ salary is also a big problem:

Core lineup: Curry (59.6 million), Butler (54.12 million), Green (25.89 million), the three players totaled: 139 million US dollars;

Young power: Kumingga (7.9 million or 24 million), Moody's (1 1.57 million), Hilde (9.21 million), Pojmsky (3.68 million), TJD& Santos (all 2.22 million), Post (1.95 million), total: 54.67 million;

reinforcement lineup (not signed): Horford (most likely 5.68 million), Melton (2.29 million), Tuxi (1.27 million rookies), others (about 3 million), total: 11.55 million.

So far, the Warriors' total salary has reached another US$206 million, which has triggered a heavy tax alarm in advance and is forced to use a basic salary strategy to fill the lineup. Even if he is careful, the Warriors' total salary will still reach the second rich line, and the subsequent operation space has been greatly compressed, and the team's reinforcement window is being closed at an accelerated pace.

Now, the Warriors are not in the forefront. Curry is slowly getting older, butler and Green are on the verge of retirement. The new generation of Kumingga and Boger are obviously not the cornerstone players of the Warriors' future. The window of championships built by money has reached the verge of understanding.