How Much Are NBA Teams Paying in Total Contract Salaries for 2025-26 Season?

NBA team payrolls spiked alongside the rise of the salary cap ahead of the 2025-26 season.

Teams are spending a total of approximately $5.6 billion in player salaries this season, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.

That's a spike of approximately $400 million from the total spent on player salaries during the 2024-25 season, Marks reported.

That salary total does not include the 16 open roster spots still remaining around the league as of Tuesday, per Marks.

Of those contracts being paid out to players this season, all but seven percent are guaranteed, Marks reported.

The amount NBA teams spend on constructing their rosters is likely to continue increasing over the next few seasons.

NBA insider Jake Fischer reported in September that the NBA had increased its projection of the 2026-27 salary cap to $166 million, up from a previous league estimation of $165 million.

That represents about a seven percent increase from the 2025-26 cap of $154.6 million, which would come in below the maximum possible single-season increase of 10 percent, per Marks.

It will still allow NBA teams more flexibility to raise player salaries without suffering the penalties involved with exceeding the league's luxury tax. Fourteen teams are currently projected by Spotrac to come in over the tax threshold next season.

The NBA is set to tip off the 2025-26 season with an Opening Night slate featuring the Houston Rockets at the Oklahoma City Thunder followed by the Golden State Warriors at the Los Angeles Lakers. The first game of the doubleheader is set to tip off in Oklahoma City at 7:30 p.m. ET.