---
license: other
language:
  - en
tags:
  - nba
  - basketball
  - salary-cap
  - sports-analytics
  - finance
  - contracts
pretty_name: NBA Salary Cap & Contracts 2016-2026
size_categories:
  - 1K<n<10K
---

# NBA Salary Cap & Contracts, 2016-2026

An analysis-ready dataset of **NBA salaries, payrolls and the salary-cap system** over ten seasons (2015-16 baseline through 2025-26, plus a mechanical 2026-27 to 2031-32 projection). It combines player-salary snapshots with the institutional thresholds that govern them: cap, luxury tax, aprons, minimums and the rookie scale.

Published by **MrBridge**. It backs the study [NBA Salaries and Contracts, 2016-2026](https://mr-bridge.com/studies/nba-salary-cap-contracts-2016-2026) on mr-bridge.com.

## Files

Fifteen relational tables, as **CSV**, plus a single combined **JSON** (`nba-salary-cap-contracts-2016-2026.json`).

| File | Rows | What it holds |
|------|-----:|---------------|
| `player_salaries.csv` | 7,288 | One row per player per season: salary, team, option flags, two-way and terminated flags |
| `salary_benchmarks.csv` | 12 | Per season: player count, total, mean, median, percentiles and the top-1 salary |
| `team_payrolls.csv` | 360 | Per team per season: total payroll and player count |
| `payroll_by_roster_rank.csv` | 360 | Per team per season: share of payroll held by the top 1/3/5/10 salaries |
| `payrolls.csv` | 12 | League payroll, reported and estimated luxury tax, top-payroll team, champion payroll |
| `champion_payrolls.csv` | 12 | Champion payroll versus the cap, as a share of the cap |
| `cap_tax_aprons.csv` | 12 | Salary cap, luxury tax line, first and second apron per season |
| `max_salaries.csv` | 36 | Maximum salary at the 25/30/35% cap tiers |
| `min_salaries.csv` | 12 | Rookie and 10-year veteran minimums |
| `two_way.csv` | 12 | Two-way base salary, slots per team, activity limits |
| `rookie_scale.csv` | 12 | No. 1 pick rookie scale at 100% and 120% |
| `top_contracts.csv` | 11 | Largest contract signed per season, with total, AAV, length and type |
| `french_players.csv` | 26 | French NBA players in the 2025-26 and 2026-27 snapshots |
| `cap_projections.csv` | 5 | Mechanical cap path 2027-28 to 2031-32 under the 10% growth ceiling |
| `figures_to_reverify.csv` | 5 | Transparency: figures flagged for a final cross-check |

## Notes

- **Sources:** player salaries and contracts come from HoopsHype's public salaries data (snapshot dated 2026-07-07). The cap, luxury tax, apron, minimum and rookie-scale thresholds come from the 2017 and 2023 NBA and NBPA collective bargaining agreements, NBA cap releases and Larry Coon's CBA FAQ, cross-checked against Basketball-Reference and Spotrac. Underlying rights to the source data belong to their respective owners.
- **Snapshots, not final accounting:** player salaries and payrolls are contract and cap-hit snapshots. They can differ from the NBA's final end-of-season accounting (dead money, incentives, cap holds, final taxes, converted contracts).
- **Derived values:** maximums (25/30/35% of the cap), the mechanical cap projection and the standard non-repeater tax estimates are computed by formula and labelled as such. See `figures_to_reverify.csv` for figures flagged for a final cross-check.
- **Use:** provided for research and educational use.

## More from MrBridge

Explore MrBridge's data tools on [Apify](https://apify.com/mrbridge?fpr=mrbridge), and browse more open [datasets](https://mr-bridge.com/datasets) and [studies](https://mr-bridge.com/studies).

Attribution: **MrBridge** ([mr-bridge.com](https://mr-bridge.com)).