The 2023/24 NBA season is now over and now that the first phase of free agency begins, franchises can take stock. This is what Bobby Marks didthe ESPN finance specialist, taking out his calculator to calculate the “luxury tax”.
Eight teams will have to go to the cash register, for having exploded their payroll. The worst ? It's the Warriors with $176.9 million owed to the NBA.
The 2022 champions dominate this ranking, ahead of the Clippers (142.4 million). From third place, the Suns (68.2) fall well below the 100 million “luxury tax” mark.
Then, we find three recent NBA champions: the Bucks (52.5) in 2021, the 2024 champions, crowned a few hours ago, the Celtics (43.8), and the Nuggets, champions last year (20.2 million). Finally, the Heat (15.7) and the Lakers (6.9) will also have to take out the checkbook, but for much smaller amounts.
If we add up these taxes, we get a grand total of $526.4 million. The NBA will then cut this sum in two, in equal parts: one part for it (263.4 million), the other for the 22 franchises which have not exceeded the limits. Therefore, the 263.4 million are divided into 22, and this gives 11.9 million dollars for each of the franchises.
