Putting together a championship-winning roster is not an easy task. It costs a ton of money to keep a core together. No team knows it better than the Golden State Warriors. They have won four NBA Championships since 2015 with the core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
The Warriors have paid immense luxury taxes to keep the roster together, and things are not about to get easy for them for the 2023-24 NBA season. Along with the Dubs, the Los Angeles Clippers are expected to be well over the luxury tax space for the upcoming season. So much so that the two organizations will pay more luxury tax for the 2023-24 season than the rest of the 28 NBA teams combined.
The Golden State Warriors are projected to pay $167,570,675 million in luxury tax. It’s no surprise as they will have five players making more than $20 million for the new season. Here’s a look at the Warriors’ payroll for the 2023-24 season.
Golden State Warriors 2023-24 Season Total Payroll – $204,105,307
Stephen Curry – $51,915,615
Klay Thompson – $43,219,440
Chris Paul – $30,800,000
Andrew Wiggins – $24,330,357
Draymond Green – $22,321,429
Gary Payton II – $8,715,000
Kevon Looney – $7,500,000
Jonathan Kuminga – $6,012,840
Moses Moody – $3,918,480
Brandin Podziemski – $3,352,440
Cory Joseph – $3,196,448
As for the Clippers, they are behind the Warriors with the second-most expensive roster constructed in the NBA for the new season. They will pay $108,914,772 in luxury tax. Here’s a look at the Clippers’ payroll for the 2023-24 season.
Los Angeles Clippers 2023-24 Season Total Payroll – $194,134,908
Paul George – $45,640,165
Kawhi Leonard – $45,640,084
Norman Powell – $18,000,000
Marcus Morris Sr. – $17,116,279
Nicolas Batum – $11,710,818
Robert Covington – $11,692,308
Ivica Zubac – $10,933,333
Terance Mann – $10,576,923
Mason Plumlee – $5,000,000
Russell Westbrook – $3,835,738
Amir Coffey – $3,666,667
Kobe Brown – $2,413,320
Nah’Shon Hyland – $2,306,400
Kenyon Martin Jr. – $1,930,681
Brandon Boston Jr. – $1,836,096
The remaining teams in the league will pay a combined $153,841,076 in luxury tax for the 2023-24 season. It’s certainly eye-popping that the Warriors and Clippers alone are paying almost $400 million in luxury tax.
The Los Angeles Clippers Saved $110 Million In Luxury Tax
The Los Angeles Clippers could have been a lot more trouble if they had kept sharpshooter Eric Gordon on the roster.
Gordon was earlier waived by the organization. The decision helped the Clippers in saving $110 million in luxury tax.
Following his departure from the Clippers, Gordon joined the Phoenix Suns. He will hope to win the 2024 NBA Championship with the Suns’ superteam.
