2023 NBA salary cap tracker by team: From healthy to disastrous

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Jan 6, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; The NBA logo on the floor before the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Golden State Warriors at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

The 2023-24 NBA salary cap has been set at $136 million with free agency getting going after yet another increase from the 2022-23 NBA payroll limit due to continued record revenue. Several teams such as the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs find themselves in a great spot. Others? Not so much.

We will also provide a bit more information at the bottom relating to what the salary cap is and what it means. Keep this bookmarked and handy, it will be updated continuously throughout the summer.

Note: All updated cap financial figures are provided by Spotrac and include cap holds for next season.

Related: Top 100 NBA free agents of 2023

Best NBA salary cap situations

1. Houston Rockets

Rockets general manager Rafael Stone is expected to go big-game hunting during the offseason. Houston wants to not only expedite its rebuild, but also find a way to contend after a second consecutive 60-loss season. That includes going after two big-name free agents.

The Rockets’ two highest-paid players in that of Kevin Porter Jr. ($15.8 million) and Jalen Green ($9.8 million) could also be used as assets to acquire another star player. Given Houston’s cap space, moving off those salaries would enable the team to bring in two max-contract players. Add in 2022 No. 1 overall pick Jabari Smith Jr., and that’s a team worth monitoring. It’s all about how Stone navigates through the offseason after using the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft on Amen Thompson.

2. San Antonio Spurs

San Antonio hit the lottery (literally) when it picked up the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and the right to select generational big man Victor Wembanyama from France. He’s going to be the franchise cornerstone for Gregg Popovich and Co.

Fresh off their fourth consecutive non-playoff season, the Spurs are going to want to do more than that. Pop isn’t getting any younger. The current core outside of Keldon Johnson and Wemby bring very little to the table.

We’ve read rumors of interest in a certain Los Angeles Lakers free agent by the name of Austin Reaves. But with nearly $38 million in cap space, the expectation is that San Antonio will do more than that. It also has some short-term contracts in that of Doug McDermott ($13.7 million), Devonte’ Graham ($12.1 million) and Zach Collins ($7.7 million) that might be of interest to other teams.

Also Read:
Top 2023 NBA free agents: Best 100 available with positional breakdowns

3. Indiana Pacers

Flush with north of $32 million, Indiana has already been linked to breakout Heat guard Max Strus. The team has to make a couple moves to find more talent behind the likes of All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton and center Myles Turner.

Whether it’s Strus or someone else, Indiana has the money to sign a player into the cap. Heck, it could add multiple rotational pieces as general manager Chad Buchanan looks to build a playoff contender.

4. Detroit Pistons

Following the record-breaking contract Detroit gave Monty Williams to become its new head coach, there’s absolutely no reason to believe that the Pistons aren’t going to look to expedite their rebuild.

The good news? Detroit has the assets in the form of nearly $28 to get this done. It would also receive a nice little haul by trading veteran forward Bojan Bogdanovic. Right now, the Pistons are set to build around Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey and Ausar Thomson, their three most-recent high draft picks. With that said, we do expect general manager Troy Weaver to look for immediate impact players with the cap room and assets he boasts.

5. Utah Jazz

Under the leadership of front office head Danny Ainge, the Jazz were much more competitive than most imagined following the offseason trades of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. Utah finished with a 37-45 record after being linked to the top of the lottery at the start of the season.

We expect Ainge and Co. to continue with the forward-thinking mentality. Don’t look for this team to add aging veterans to the mix. Instead, picking up John Collins from Atlanta for pennies on the dollar before free agency opened tells us that Ainge is targeting young and long-term options.

Related: Highest-paid NBA players of 2023

Worst NBA salary cap situations

1. Portland Trail Blazers

Portland’s figure includes cap holds of nearly $60 million for Jerami Grant, Cam Reddish and Matisse Thybulle. Once those come off the books as NBA free agency opens, the Blazers will be in a much better position.

Obviously, the larger question here is the status of Damian Lillard after he met with the Blazers’ brass. The NBA salary cap won’t matter should the seven-time All-Star request a trade and Portland grant it. If not, general manager Joe Cronin has a lot of summertime work to do.

2. Phoenix Suns

The acquisition of Bradley Beal in a blockbuster trade with Washington created a big three in the desert. It will also lead to an absolutely disastrous NBA salary cap situation moving forward.

With only six players under contract, the Suns will have a lot of work to do in order to fill out a championship-caliber roster. Unfortunately, Phoenix can only offer up vet minimum deals. Perhaps, the team looks to move Deandre Ayton for multiple rotational pieces as the summer progresses.

Also Read:
NBA trade tracker: NBA trades today with grades and analysis

3. Dallas Mavericks

Dallas’ cap numbers includes north of $84 million in salary holds for free agents Kyrie Irving, Christian Wood and Dwight Powell. The latter two are as good as gone. At this point, retaining Irving is key. Sure he’s visiting with other teams, but a return to Big D seems to be in the cards.

The Mavs do have the non-taxpayer midlevel exception worth an estimated $12.4 million to offer a free agent. After a disappointing 2022-23 season, it’s all about building a winning supporting cast behind franchise cornerstone Luka Doncic.

4. Los Angeles Clippers

The Clippers’ decision not to guarantee Eric Gordon’s contract for next season saved them north of $100 million against the NBA luxury tax. That’s an astounding number. Unfortunately, the max deals Los Angeles is paying out to injury-plagued stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George handcuffs the organization heading into free agency.

Los Angeles only has the taxpayer midlevel exception ($5 million) and veteran minimums to offer up in free agency.

5. Philadelphia 76ers

James Harden’s decision to opt into his contract for next season changes the landscape big time in Philadelphia. He has seemingly requested a trade, leading to $75 million in 2023-24 NBA salary cap figures tied up to two players in Harden and Tobias Harris who are unlikely to be with the team next season. Philly does have the non-taxpayer midlevel exception worth $12.4 million to use in free agency.

Also Read:
50 Best NBA players of 2023: Bradley Beal gives the Suns three of the top 20

NBA salary cap by team

RankTeamNBA salary cap room
1Houston Rockets$60.52 million
2San Antonio Spurs$37.48 million
3Indiana Pacers$32.15 million
4Detroit Pistons$27.82 million
5Utah Jazz$25.07 million
6Orlando Magic $22.80 million
7Oklahoma City Thunder$16.61 million
8Toronto Raptors-$13.69 million
9Atlanta Hawks-$15.38 million
10Sacramento Kings -$18.02 million
11New York Knicks -$25 million
12Memphis Grizzlies -$27.24 million
13Washington Wizards-$31.83 million
14Chicago Bulls -$34.85 million
15Milwaukee Bucks -$39.05 million
16Charlotte Hornets-$41.17 million
17Cleveland Cavaliers -$45.10 million
18Los Angeles Lakers -$53.56 million
19Boston Celtics -$53.34 million
20 Brooklyn Nets–$55.25 million
21Denver Nuggets-$59.53 million
22Miami Heat-$60.45 million
23New Orleans Pelicans-$60.68 million
24Minnesota Timberwolves-$65.76 million
25Golden State Warriors-$65.86 million
26Philadelphia 76ers-$67.41 million
27Los Angeles Clippers-$67.54 million
28Dallas Mavericks -$72.62 million
29Phoenix Suns -$75.05 million
30Portland Trail Blazers-$77.84 million

NBA salary cap by year

NBA Salary cap explained

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