After a certain point in a player’s career, the benefits of the NBA always exceed the efforts he puts in. Thus, beyond a certain limit, the differences in earnings are dependent on minute incomprehensible factors. Ahead of the 2023/24 season, the salaries of Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry present a similar scenario.
Despite both of them being champions and former teammates, there is a significant gap in their earnings. As a new campaign approaches fast, the time has come to unravel the wage differences between the two superstars.
How much will Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry earn individually in the next season?
The duo once shared the court together in the Western Conference while representing the Golden State Warriors. Following their separation, Durant took a trip to the East before eventually joining the Phoenix Suns in 2023. During that period, he signed a $194,219,320 contract with the Brooklyn Nets in 2021.
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Thus, the 2014 MVP’s current earnings with the Suns are based on that deal. So, the 2-time champion is set to earn $46,407,433 in the 2023/24 NBA season in guaranteed salary. If the incentives on his deal start to kick in with the progression of the campaign, the numbers are bound to go up.
As for the talisman of the Warriors, the 34-year-old would earn higher than Kevin in guaranteed salary. After signing an extension in 2021, the 4-time champion’s salary for the upcoming season would be $51,915,615. His contract does not include any exclusive perks like his former teammate’s, so the base income may remain the same.
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With the duo collectively earning close to $100 million in the next campaign, it makes us wonder about one thing.
The changed landscape of NBA business
The injection of cash into the market is apparent. The ’90s, for example, serves as a defining era in the history of the league. Still, apart from Michael Jordan, no other player touched the mark of earning $20 million/year. In fact, in the 2000s and the 2010s, the market changed slowly but steadily.
All hell broke loose when Curry himself signed his 5-year $201 million deal with the Dubs. Since then, in just half a decade, the demands of the players have gone up. So much so, that the players are currently signing bumper extensions based on their potential impact in the future.
The Warriors thus had a lot to do with the disruption of the global basketball market. With that being said, it has benefited the entire league greatly and, of course, in particular, Curry and Durant.
