4. Brandon Ingram – 26.2% of the league salary cap (2021-22)
We told you that we had more familiar faces on this list. Brandon Ingram has been, at times (when Williamson is hurt), the team’s best player. He earned an All-Star appearance during his first year with the team. And two years later, he made 26.2% of the league salary cap maximum (112.414 million).
In 2021-22, Ingram made almost 29.5 million dollars. This season, he’ll be due over 33.8 million dollars. But, because the salary cap has increased significantly in the last couple of years (salary cap maximum is 136.021 million this year), he is only eating up 24.9% of the maximum in 2023-24.
3. Steven Adams – 27.1% of the league salary cap (2020-21)
In the move that helped us land franchise darling Trey Murphy III, we also had to part ways with under-the-radar high impact contributor Steven Adams.
However, we did get the opportunity to have him in uniform for one season. And during that time, he posted the third-highest mark in our rankings (earning a yearly salary that accounted for 27.1% of the league salary cap maximum in 2020-21).
He hasn’t (yet) eclipsed the 14 PPG mark in his career. But he’s always been a very valuable player, and that’s why he earned almost 29.6 million dollars in his lone season in New Orleans.