Who makes more money: Lebron James or Stephen Curry? Lebron, by a long shot. But does Tristan Thompson – the fourth highest-paid Cavs player – make more than the league-leader in scoring this season?
Curry’s four-year, $44 million contract, which was signed before his breakout season, has been called the NBA’s biggest bargain. And there’s some truth to that statement. Consider this: There are four Warriors players and 53 NBA players that made more money than Curry this season. Lucky for him he’s making a cool $12 million in estimated endorsements off-the-court, according to Forbes. Still, come contract negotiation time, you can bet the back-to-back MVP winner will be angling for a significant pay bump.
So to celebrate the NBA Finals, we ranked the 10 highest-paid Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors players based on how much their contracts pay for the 2015-2016 season.
10. Iman Shumpert
Salary: $8,988,765
9. Stephen Curry
8. Andre Iguodala
Salary: $11,710,456
Iguodala turned down three higher-paying contracts for this $48 million deal with the Warriors, according to SB at ion.
Ray Rice and 11 other athletes who lost their endorsements
7. Andrew Bogut
Salary: $13,800,000
What does Bogut do with all that cash? He owns a fleet of muscle cars and two Siberian huskies, according to Daily Mail.
6. Tristan Thompson (tied)
Salary: $14,260,870
It took Thompson a year to negotiate his contract with the Cavs. He’s tied as the fifth highest paid power forward in the NBA.
6. Draymond Green (tied)
Salary: $14,260,870
Green’s annual salary jumped from $915,243 to $14 million when he re-signed with the Warriors in 2015.
‘Friends’ Reunion: How the TV Show Made Them Stars and Insanely Rich
4. Klay Thompson
Salary: $15,501,000
Thompson is one of four Warriors players that earn more than Curry.
3. Kyrie Irving
Salary: $16,407,501
Irving, the third highest-paid player on the Cavs, has spent his entire career with the team.
LeBron James Vs. Stephen Curry Is Also a Nike-Under Armour Duel
2. Kevin Love
Salary: $19,9689,000
Love is the second highest-paid player on the Cavs.
1. Lebron James
Salary: $22,970,500
James is the second highest paid NBA player, but tops the list of highest-paid players thanks to an estimated $48 million in endorsements.
This article was originally published by Money.
