Russell Westbrook 2025 Salary and Contract Structure
Russell Westbrook is scheduled to earn a base salary of $56.1 million for the 2024-25 NBA season, which is the final year of his current contract with the Denver Nuggets. This figure represents a significant pay cut from his previous earnings with the Los Angeles Lakers and the LA Clippers, where he earned $55.8 million in 2023-24 and $48.7 million in 2022-23. The contract was signed in July 2021 as part of a multi-year deal that includes a player option for the 2024-25 season, which Westbrook exercised. His salary is fully guaranteed and counts against the Nuggets' salary cap, which sits at approximately $140.6 million for the 2024-25 season, per the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement details published by the NBA Players Association. The contract also includes standard incentives tied to All-NBA selections and All-Defensive team honors, though the base salary remains the primary guaranteed compensation.
The Denver Nuggets currently carry Westbrook on their roster as a veteran playmaker, and his salary is the second-highest on the team behind Nikola Jokic's $51.4 million earnings for the same period. Westbrook's cap hold for the Nuggets is calculated at the full salary amount, which limits the team's flexibility to sign additional free agents under the salary cap. The team's total payroll is projected to exceed $200 million when including luxury tax implications, according to salary cap projections from Spotrac. Westbrook's contract is structured to expire in summer 2025, after which he will become an unrestricted free agent. This creates a potential salary cap relief for Denver in the 2025 offseason, depending on whether he re-signs or moves to another franchise.
Comparison to Other High-Earning NBA Players in 2025
Westbrook's $56.1 million salary places him among the top 10 highest-paid NBA players for the 2024-25 season, though he has dropped out of the top 5 from previous years. Stephen Curry leads the league with $59.6 million, followed by Joel Embiid at $57.7 million, Nikola Jokic at $51.4 million, and Giannis Antetokounmpo at $51.4 million. Westbrook's earnings are higher than those of LeBron James, who is projected to earn $52.6 million in 2024-25, and Kevin Durant, who is set to earn $51.2 million with the Phoenix Suns. The NBA salary cap and luxury tax threshold are adjusted annually based on basketball-related income, and the 2024-25 cap figure of $140.6 million reflects a 5% increase over the previous season's $136.0 million. Westbrook's salary represents approximately 40% of the Nuggets' salary cap, which is a significant allocation for a single player on a championship-contending roster.
Historically, Westbrook has been one of the league's highest-paid players, earning $44.2 million in 2020-21 with the Washington Wizards and $44.2 million in 2021-22 with the Lakers. His career earnings over the past five seasons exceed $250 million, making him one of the highest-earning guards in NBA history. Westbrook's current contract ranks him 8th in the league in total salary for the 2024-25 season, according to data compiled by Basketball Reference and Spotrac. His earnings are driven by the guaranteed terms of his deal, which include no team or player options beyond the