There are times when NBA teams will have to spend a lot of money to build a championship-worthy roster, much like what the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers have done last season. The thing is, the Milwaukee Bucks joins that short list of franchise that have the highest luxury tax in the league.
Several NBA teams are facing hefty luxury tax bills heading into the 2024 offseason, led by the Golden State Warriors who are projected to owe $176.9 million. The Warriors’ massive tax burden is due to having five players earning over $20 million, including All-Star guard Stephen Curry‘s nearly $52 million salary.
The Los Angeles Clippers follow closely with an estimated $142.4 million tax payment, largely stemming from large contracts for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. The Phoenix Suns ($68.2 million), and reigning champion Boston Celtics ($43.8 million) round out the top five teams facing the highest luxury taxes.
These luxury tax payments will force these teams to carefully manage their rosters and finances in the offseason. They may need to make difficult decisions to shed salaries and stay under the tax threshold, which could impact their ability to field competitive teams next season. The sheer size of these tax bills underscores the challenges facing the league’s top contenders as they try to build championship-caliber squads while navigating the NBA’s complex financial landscape.
Milwaukee Bucks Identified As One of the Top Five Teams With Highest Luxury Tax
Along with the Warriors, Clippers, Suns, and Celtics, the Bucks are among the top five teams with the highest luxury tax in the NBA. In a tweet by NBA insider Bobby Marks on X, Milwaukee is in fourth-place with a total of $52.5 million in tax.
Unofficial luxury tax payments per team:
Golden St- $176.9M
LAC- $142.4M
Phoenix- $68.2M
Milwaukee- $52.5M
Boston- $43.8M
Denver- $20.2M
Miami- $15.7M
LA Lakers- $6.9MThe 22 teams below the tax are projected to receive $11.96M each.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 18, 2024
As it stands, both forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and point guard Damian Lillard took the lion’s share of the salary cap with $45.6 million income each last season. Khris Middleton comes next at $29 million while big man Brook Lopez took home $25 million.
It remains to be seen how Milwaukee will restructure their roster in the coming months to deal with the luxury tax. In any case, the front office will certainly make some moves for next season.
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