Lowest-Paid NBA Players: Over the past few months, we have determined which players will make the most money in 2023–2024 and have also listed some of the highest-paid players in NBA history per position. We’ve even made predictions on which players will make at least $50 million in the 2024–2025 NBA season. Until now, we have focused mostly on the massive inflation that NBA contracts have seen in recent years, paying little attention to the players at the other end of the salary spectrum who are the lowest-paid NBA players in the league.
Most lowest-paid NBA players earning the lowest salaries are either veterans reaching the end of their careers on a league minimum or rookies in their first three seasons just getting used to the league. Most of the NBA players who earn the least money in 2023–2024 are from the previous group. The most intriguing thing to know about these players is that, in terms of salary, they would have been in the top 30–40 players in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The lowest-paid NBA players for the 2023–2024 campaign are listed below.
Who Are The Lowest-Paid NBA Players For 2023–2024?
These are the lowest-paid NBA players, check them out:
1. Gui Santos – $1,029,483
The 21-year-old Gui Santos is a rookie in the NBA, so his career is just getting started. That is to be expected for the lowest-paid NBA players, especially on a club like the Warriors that has such high standards and expectations.
Santos, a Brazilian who was selected by Golden State with the 55th overall choice in the NBA Draught, has not yet played this season. He is the first player from Brazil to have ever played in the NBA, and if he is found to be entirely eligible, he will be the lone player on the roster for the 2023–24 campaign. Santos is now under contract for $1.03 million through 2023–2024; a contract extension is not guaranteed.
You might also interested in reading this: List of Highest-Paid NBA Forwards for the 2023-24 Season
2. Trayce Jackson-Davis – $1,119,563
Earlier this summer, we introduced Trayce Jackson Davis to you. The father of Dale Davis is a former NBA player. Jackson-Davis was chosen by the Wizards with the 57th choice overall in this year’s NBA Draught after having an outstanding undergraduate career at Indiana University.
Following the Jordan Polleo-Chris Paul trade, Jackson-Davis would be traded to the Warriors in return for cash after being selected by the Wizards. Jackson-Davis, a rookie who is 23 years old, has pleased teammates and head coach Steve Kerr enough to play in nine games this season, averaging 8.1 minutes per contest. Jackson-Davis has three games this season with at least five points, including a 19-minute stretch earlier in the season against the Pelicans when he scored 13 points and pulled down nine rebounds. However, his time on the floor has been limited.
3. Toumani Camara – $1,119,563
Another guy we’ve previously met, Toumani Camara, is the only Belgian in the NBA right now. Camara was transferred to Portland in connection with the trade of Damian Lillard to Milwaukee and Deandre Ayton to Portland later this summer. He was selected in the second round of the 2023 NBA Draught.
Camara has played the most minutes on the floor out of all the players scheduled to make $1.12 million in pay for the 2023–24 campaign. Camara has played in 10 games for Portland, averaging more than 24.0 minutes per game. He has also started one game.
. Camara leads the team with five games with five rebounds or more and six games with five points or more. He averages 5.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
4. Andre Jackson Jr. – $1,119,563
Andre Jackson Jr., who was originally selected by the Orlando Magic with the 36th overall choice in this year’s NBA Draught, was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on draught night. Jackson, a shooting guard for UCONN, was a star in college and wants to contribute to Milwaukee’s team as quickly as possible this year.
In his six games with the Bucks this season, Jackson has averaged 8.0 minutes per game. On November 13, Jackson played his final game and finished with five points from 2-4 shooting from the field in 12 minutes. Over the course of the season, Jackson Jr. should get further playing time. Until the conclusion of his contract in 2026–2027, he will get an annual salary of $2.4 million from the Bucks.
5. Mouhamed Gueye – $1,119,563
It was officially announced to our readers that Senegalese-born Mouhamed Gueye was the greatest player in the NBA season. You get the idea, even if Gueye is the only Senegalese player in the NBA this year. In the course of six days, Gueye was moved from the Hornets, who had picked him 39th overall in the 2023 NBA Draught, to the Hawks and then the Celtics.
Gueye hasn’t seen much more play yet in comparison to the two games we previously spoke about when we spoke about him last week. He is still only allowed to play in two games, has one steal, and shoots 0 per cent from field goal range. Gueye signed a four-year deal, which keeps him contracted until 2025–2026—but it’s not guaranteed. A $7.6 million deal in July.
6. Maxwell Lewis – $1,119,563
The Denver Nuggets selected rookie Maxwell Lewis from Pepperdine University with the 40th overall choice in the NBA draught. After that, on deadline night, Lewis was a part of a huge four-team trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he inked a contract good through 2025–2026 with a $2.4 million team option for 2026–2027.
Lewis has played just eighteen minutes at small forward in his four Lakers games this season, which is a very tiny sample size. Lewis played just five minutes in a 27-point rout of the Grizzlies, but he did not register any noteworthy numbers during that time. Only three shots have been attempted and he has pulled down one rebound this season.
7. Rayan Rupert – $1,119,563
When the Portland Trail Blazers selected Rayan Rupert 43rd overall in this summer’s NBA Draught, he was barely 19 years old. The Trail Blazers, a very young and inexperienced squad, is hoping that Rupert, a long defensive guard from France, may be a true asset.
Rupert has only played in three games for Portland so far in 2023–24, and he has had difficulty breaking into the starting lineup. This season, he has played nine minutes total in three games for the Trail Blazers. After agreeing to a three-year, $5 million contract with Portland this past July, Rupert still has plenty of time to show the team how valuable he is.
8. Chris Livingston – $1,119,563
Next on our list is rookie Chris Livingston of the Milwaukee Bucks, who is making $1.12 million this season. In the 2023 NBA Draught, Livingston was chosen by the Bucks with the 58th overall pick. In July, Livingston agreed to a $7.6 million, seven-year contract with the Bucks. He will receive $2.2 million from the agreement by 2025–2026, with a 2026–2027 team option.
For the Bucks in 2023–24, Livingston has played in just two games for a total of nine minutes. This is a very small amount of court time. On October 1, Livingston made his debut and scored five points in five minutes on two field goals. Only four minutes had passed since that day for him to play.
9. Filip Petrusev – $1,119,563
In the 2021 NBA Draught, Filip Petrusev was chosen by the Philadelphia 76ers, having initially been chosen by Gonzaga with the 50th overall pick. After playing with Anadolu Efes and Crvena Zvezda for three seasons in Belgrade, Serbia, Petrusev inked a deal to play for the 76ers in 2023–2024.
Petrusev was dealt from the 76ers to the Clippers and then to the Kings on the same day earlier this month as part of the James Harden transaction. In his two minutes of action during his one and only game for the 76ers in 2023–24 on October 29, he grabbed one rebound. The $1.8 million agreement with Petrusev is valid until the 2024–2025 season.
10. Sidy Cissoko – $1,119,563
Eleven rookies are among the lowest-paid NBA players in the league, including Sidy Cissoko, who will only get $1.1 million in 2023–2024. In the second round of the 2023 NBA Draught, the San Antonio Spurs picked Cissoko 44th overall. Not long after being chosen, Cissoko signed a $5 million, three-year contract with the Spurs that would pay him $2.2 million by 2025–2026.
Although Cissoko hasn’t played a minute in 2023–24 yet, the Spurs culture suggests that he is on the team because he has future plans. All that remains is to wait and watch where Gregg Popovich, Sidy Cissoko’s coach, will take him in the future.
11. Julian Phillips – $1,600,000
Another player on the list of the lowest-paid NBA players for the 2023–24 season is Chicago Bulls rookie Julian Phillips. Phillips was traded to the Wizards in the Marcus Smart-Kristaps Porzingis trade after being selected by the Celtics with the 35th overall choice in the 2023 draught. A few days later, Phillips would be traded for three second-round draught selections and sent to the Bulls.
The Bulls, who began the season 4-7 in their first 11 games, are currently in danger of collapsing completely. While there are rumours that Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, and even DeMar DeRozan are tradeable, Phillips waits patiently for an opportunity to really show off his skills on the floor.
In the 2023–24 season, Phillips has participated in four games, averaging 2.5 minutes per contest for a total of 10 minutes. He has taken one shot, missed it, and pulled down one rebound throughout that time. Should the Bulls choose to make a fresh start and cut guys off the roster, Phillips’ playing time on the court might increase this season. Phillips is under contract with the Bulls through 2025–2026 and has a $2.4 million club option for 2026–2027.
12. Jalen Pickett – $1,708,143
It is never easy for a rookie to break into the rotation of a team that has recently won an NBA championship. Now, in 2023–24, rookie Jalen Pickett is learning this lesson the hard way. Although the Indiana Pacers selected Pickett with the 32nd overall choice in the 2023 NBA Draught, he ultimately joined Denver as part of an enormous four-team trade on draught night.
It has been challenging for Pickett to gain playing time on the court despite the Nuggets’ impressive 9-2 start. With a 75.0% shooting percentage from the field, he is currently averaging 3.0 points per game. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard has gotten a little uptick in playing time after Jamal Murray’s injury earlier this month.
When the Los Angeles Clippers were defeated on November 14, Pickett played for 17 minutes on the court. In those 17 minutes, he was able to shoot 2-3 from the field and finished with 5 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
13. Jaden Hardy – $1,719,864
Jaden Hardy of the Dallas Mavericks is the lowest-level second-year player at this $1.72 million salary tier who has shown the greatest promise thus far in the NBA. On draught night, Hardy was Dallas’ most valuable acquisition as the Kings selected him with the 37th overall choice in the draught.
As a rookie for Dallas, Hardy appeared in 48 games and made five starts. He rapidly established himself with the team and head coach Jason Kidd. During his first campaign, he averaged 8.8 points per game on 43.8% field goal shooting overall and 40.4% three-point shooting. Entering his second season of a three-year contract for $4.7 million, Hardy continues to maximise his potential.
Although Hardy’s minutes have decreased somewhat to 12.6 per game, he is still a dynamic spark off the bench for Dallas. Hardy is averaging 8.1 points per game on 41.0% shooting in nine games during 2023–24, although his three-point percentage is only 31.0%. It seems like Hardy still enjoys the respect of his teammates and coach, and as the arduous season goes on, he will continue to be given opportunities.
14. Max Christie – $1,719,864
Another player in his second year and tying for the 20th-highest salary in the NBA this season is Max Christie of the Los Angeles Lakers. Christie was the 35th overall pick when the Lakers joined the 2022 NBA Draught, and despite their poor start to the season, fans were clamouring for Christie to play.
In 41 games the previous season, Christie would end up averaging 12.5 minutes per game with the Lakers. After finishing his rookie year with an average of 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds per game, Christie returned for the second season of his two-year, $2.7 million deal. With Los Angeles in 2023–2024, Christie took on a little larger role, and he excelled on the court.
Christie has averaged more than 15.0 minutes per call-up throughout his seven bench appearances this season. During that time, he has averaged 3.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, despite his overall field goal percentage being only 32.1%. Christie hasn’t decided on a deal as of yet, but as a free agent in the summer, he could have more opportunities to sign a bigger one.
15. Kenneth Lofton Jr. – $1,719,864
Thanks to his remarkable skill and startling stature, Kenneth Lofton Jr. has emerged as one of the most well-liked players on the bottom end of the NBA salary scale. At 275 pounds, Lofton is now the tenth-heaviest player in the NBA, but in his second season with the Memphis Grizzlies, he is having less success on the floor.
Throughout Summer League and G-League play as an undrafted rookie in 2022–2023 Lofton steadily made a name for himself. Soon after, he was able to join the Grizzlies, where he played in 24 games and averaged 5.0 points per contest on 52.7% shooting. A 42-point, 14-rebound outburst against the Thunder during the previous season was one such instance.
Lofton has played in just seven of Memphis’ eleven games this season, averaging just 8.0 minutes per game, off the bench. He is only scoring 2.7 points a game on average at the moment throughout that period. As of right now, Lofton’s contract is good through the 2025–2026 season, after which his base salary would be $2.2 million.
16. Ryan Rollins – $1,719,864
Ryan Rollins was the 44th overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2022 NBA Draught. On Thursday night, Rollins was traded to the Warriors, where he would play for the remainder of his rookie season (2022–2023) on the same contract that we have outlined with the other four players.
Rollins had a little role for the Warriors in their crowded lineup as they attempted to win the NBA title again in 2022. With just 12 appearances, Rollins averaged 5.2 minutes per game. Rollins shot just 35.0% from the field during that period, averaging 1.9 points per game on little attempts.
Rollins was a part of the transaction that sent Chris Paul back to the Warriors and Jordan Poole to Washington over the summer. Rollins has benefited greatly from a somewhat larger position with the Wizards thus far in 2023–24. Rollins has made six appearances so far this season, almost matching his minutes total from the previous one. Despite Washington’s slow start (2-8), he is averaging 5.0 points and 1.3 steals per game on 47.1% shooting.
17. Jabari Walker – $1,719,864
Jabari Walker, a different choice in the 2022 NBA Draught, has a contract that will pay him $1.72 million in 2023–2024. Portland made the decision to keep onto Walker after selecting him with the 57th overall pick in the NBA Draught’s second round. As a rookie, Walker averaged 3.9 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while playing 11.1 minutes off the bench in 56 games.
Walker has noticed a minor uptick in both opportunities and output on the court in 2023–24, especially with all the rearranging Portland has done this summer. Walker has already played in every one of the Trail Blazers’ ten games, averaging 14.5 minutes per contest. Now averaging 5.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game on 46.8% shooting, he is producing more.
Walker is still in competition with players like Matisse Thybulle and others for playing time at small forward, but when the opportunity does present itself, he continues to show his versatility on the floor.
18. Josh Minott – $1,719,864
On the eve of the 2022 NBA Draught, Josh Minott signed a four-year, $7 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves after being dealt to them for Bryce McGowens. He received slightly over a million dollars from that contract in 2022–2023; this season, he will receive $1.72 million from it, along with a partially guaranteed $2 million in 2024–2025.
Minott played in just 15 games for the Timberwolves in 2022–23, averaging a meagre 6.4 minutes per game. He averaged 3.1 points and 1.7 rebounds per game while playing small forward off the bench during that time. For a total of 13 minutes in five games this season, Minott has participated; in 2023–24, he will play even less minutes. Considering that the Timberwolves are currently 8-2 and have the best defence in the NBA, it seems unlikely that Minott will play much moving ahead.
19. Bryce McGowens – $1,719,864
In the 2022 NBA Draught, Bryce McGowens was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round. McGowens would be dealt to the Hornets on draught night, and he would ink a two-way contract with them in July 2022, which would become a regular contract by February. As a rookie, McGowens averaged 5.8 points per game on 39.6% shooting in 46 games, earning $1 million.
McGowens is one of eight NBA players who will earn $1.72 million in 2023–2024. He will receive $2 million in 2024–2025 as a result of his contract being converted to a standard agreement. In addition, he will have a $2.2 million team option in 2025–2026. In Charlotte’s first ten games, they have gone 3-7, and McGowens has only played in five of those games.
McGowens, who averages between 14 and 28 minutes every night, has made five appearances for the Hornets despite missing five. On November 14, he played 28 minutes and put on by far his best performance to date, collecting 4 rebounds, scoring 12 points, and shooting 4–7 from the field.
These are the Lowest-Paid NBA players for 2023–2024. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
