The NBA released updated projections for the 2024-25 salary cap Friday, and they are unchanged from the ones previously announced earlier this year.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski had the full breakdown:
Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespnNBA has shared salary cap projections with teams for 2024-2025 season, sources tell ESPN. Projections are unchanged from January. <br>Salary Cap: $141 million<br>Minimum team salary: $127M<br>Tax Level: $172M<br>First Apron: $179M<br>Second Apron: $190M
The increase represents a modest 3.66 percent bump from the $136 million salary cap this season. The Detroit Pistons are currently slated to lead the NBA in salary cap space at $72.9 million next season, while the Philadelphia 76ers are slated to have $58.4 million in room.
While the free-agent market won't be flooded with prime superstars, there are a number of notable names hitting the market. Veterans Paul George, Klay Thompson, James Harden, Pascal Siakam and DeMar DeRozan are all eligible to hit the open market, each with eyes on a massive pay day.
George, Harden and Siakam seem like strong bets to remain with their current franchise, and Thompson leaving Golden State would be the jarring end of an era. That said, we've seen far stranger things happen in the past and it's noteworthy that none of them are locked up as we approach the playoffs.
The relatively low bump in cap will also impact those teams edging near the luxury tax aprons. Veteran salaries tend to rise by eight percent per season, and a cap increase of half of that means teams already bumping up against the aprons will have even tighter purse strings in 2024-25.
More punitive penalties for going into the second apron also kick in beginning next season, so we could see a lot of player movement in terms of salary dumps.
