NBA Free Agents Who Got Paid After Winning a Championship
Winning an NBA championship is a career highlight, but some fortunate players quickly celebrate a larger bank account, too.
Dating back to the 2011 offseason, seven players have parlayed a title-winning season into a big-money deal. These contracts include both departures for a different team or players who re-sign at their current spot.
Six of the players highlighted will not be a surprise. But the seventh? How about Timofey Mozgov!
The order is based entirely on max contract value—not an annual rate—and does not immediately consider opt-out language.
Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors
1 of 7
Even if you didn't like Kevin Durant leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors, the decision paid off. Golden State won NBA titles with Durant as the Finals MVP in both of his first two seasons.
Rather than signing a four-year max contract worth $158 million, though, KD inked a two-year deal for $61.5 million.
The agreement both saved Golden State many millions in luxury tax and protected Durant's own flexibility. He ultimately exercised a player option after the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 Finals but still earned $30 million in his lone season on this contract.
Durant fully deserved a max deal. But it's commendable that he prioritized a stronger roster, only for injuries to plague the Warriors and prevent a third consecutive championship.
Timofey Mozgov, Los Angeles Lakers
2 of 7
What a remarkable outlier.
During the 2016 playoffs, Timofey Mozgov averaged just 5.8 minutes in his 13 appearances for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In other words, he didn't even play in eight postseason games.
That offseason, however, the Los Angeles Lakers stunningly ponied up $64 million on a four-year contract.
Mozgov managed 7.4 points and 4.9 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per night over 54 games with the Lakers. Los Angeles traded him after that season to the Brooklyn Nets, who dealt him to the Orlando Magic one year later. He never played for Orlando due to a knee injury.
The reality is Mozgov basically stayed the same player. He simply didn't meet the naturally high expectations of a big-money deal.
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
3 of 7
Draymond Green signed a five-year, $82 million deal in the summer of 2015 after Golden State won its first championship. The next offseason, the salary cap soared $24 million—a staggering 34.3 percent rise.
As a result, the Warriors had Green's versatility on a team-friendly cap number through the early stages of their dynasty.
Timing is everything.
Green landed NBA All-Defense in four of the five seasons, winning Defensive Player of the Year once and earning a pair of All-NBA honors. Golden State won two more titles during this contract, too.
It's fair to label this contract a bargain for the Warriors, who benefited from Green's prime for less than $17 million annually.
LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
4 of 7
In the aftermath of the Cavaliers' epic 3-1 comeback in the 2016 Finals, LeBron James extended his reunion with Cleveland.
LeBron signed a three-year pact for $99.9 million, ultimately playing two of those seasons for $64.2 million. He declined a third-year option following the 2018 playoffs before heading to the Lakers.
But first, he provided the Cavs with two more outstanding seasons.
Although they twice lost to Golden State in the Finals, LeBron secured first-team All-NBA recognition in both years and extended his personal streak of Eastern Conference titles to eight consecutive seasons.
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
5 of 7
Sure, the Toronto Raptors would have loved to keep Kawhi Leonard. They certainly won't complain about his one-year impact.
Leonard, who forced a trade from the San Antonio Spurs in July 2018, propelled the franchise to its first-ever championship. Kawhi buried an iconic Game 7 buzzer-beater to beat the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round and averaged 30.5 points in the 2019 playoffs.
"The Claw" headed to free agency, where the Los Angeles Clippers paid the board man $103.1 million for a three-year agreement.
Leonard earned All-NBA and All-Defense honors in both of the first two seasons, guiding the Clips to the Western Conference Finals in 2021. Unfortunately, he missed the 2021-22 campaign while recovering from a torn right ACL.
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
6 of 7
The next season, the Lakers accomplished the dream: Trade for a superstar, win a title and re-sign him.
Anthony Davis made a public trade request in January 2019, and the New Orleans Pelicans eventually dealt him to the Lakers that summer. He parlayed a first-team All-NBA accolade and a championship in the Orlando bubble into a five-year extension worth $189.9 million.
Since then, it's a bit of a good news, bad news situation.
Davis has thrived when healthy, averaging 24.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.0 blocks through three years of the contract. He's missed 104 of the 236 possible regular-season games, though.
Given his incredible talent, Davis is worth the injury inconvenience. Still, the Lakers are hoping for greater availability during the last two seasons of his pricey pact.
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
7 of 7
Remember how we pointed to timing on Draymond Green's contract? Well, the Warriors also had Stephen Curry playing for an average of just $11 million annually from 2013-14 to 2016-17.
That, uh—that changed in 2017.
Curry signed a supermax extension for $201.2 million over five seasons. (That would be north of $40 million per year, nearly the total amount of his previous deal.) He basically missed the 2019-20 season due to a broken hand but finished with All-NBA honors in each other year of the contract, and the Warriors won titles in 2018 and 2022.
Most memorably, Curry finally took home a Finals MVP trophy in 2022. He racked up 31.2 points and 5.0 assists per night as Golden State took down the Boston Celtics in six games.
And then, Part II happened.
Curry inked a four-year, $215.4 million extension during the ensuing offseason, locking in a second post-title payday.
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