NBA anticipating 10 percent increase in salary cap for 2025-26

The NBA has updated its salary cap projection for the 2025-26 season, with the new figure remaining consistent with the league’s prior estimate, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN.

The NBA anticipates a 10% increase in the salary cap for the 2025-26 season, the maximum allowed under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. The cap for the 2024-25 season is set at $140.6 million, and based on the projected increase, the salary cap for the 2025-26 season is expected to rise to $154.6 million.

This projection is used to estimate minimum and maximum salaries, as well as mid-level and bi-annual exceptions for the upcoming season, as relayed by Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors.

A 10% increase in the salary cap will also lead to increases in the luxury tax line and both the first and second tax aprons. The updated figures are as follows:

• Luxury tax: $187.9 million
• First apron: $195.9 million
• Second apron: $207.8 million

The 2024-25 season marks the first year the NBA has fully implemented new apron-related restrictions, which have posed challenges for several teams. This follows a more modest 3.4% cap increase from the previous offseason.

The anticipated 10% increase for 2025, combined with the league’s new media rights deal, is expected to provide greater financial flexibility and create a more manageable landscape for teams in the coming years.

In addition, NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently suggested the league will consider expansion in the coming seasons.

“Should we expand? And if we were to expand, how many teams should we expand?” Silver asked last summer. “And what markets should we be looking at?”