What is a max contract in the NBA? Will Raptors sign a max player?

The Toronto Raptors, like every other team in the NBA, are on the lookout for their next max contract player, as the only way to become an NBA champion is to lock down a few high-paid superstars and surround them with a collection of perfectly suited role players.

While such an investment is usually a huge risk, as the team would be taking up a good chunk of their salary cap in order to accommodate just one player, such an investment is only made when the club is assured that the play in question can be a cornerstone.

A max contract might sound like a complicated ordeal, but, in reality, it’s simply just a means to use up a percentage of the team’s salary cap on one player.

What is a max contract NBA?

A max contract is the highest salary that an individual player can make in a single season, unless they qualify for the exceedingly rare supermax contract. There are three different types of max contracts, and they are all reliant on service time as the determining factor.

Players with between zero and six years of experience in the NBA will be eligible for max extensions and contracts that eat up 25% of the team’s salary cap. That number increased to 30% for players with between seven and nine years in the league, and it grows to 35% for those with ten or more years in the NBA.

Will max contracts impact the Toronto Raptors?

The Raptors have one player on a max contract in Siakam, and he could potentially be in line for a second max deal from Toronto after this season. As such, Toronto is watching its spending in an attempt to avoid irresponsible short-term financial decision-making.

The Raptors were unwilling to pay a max contract to Fred VanVleet, which prompted him to spend money on Dennis Schroder following the Jakob Poeltl signing. Scottie Barnes could be a candidate for a max extension after this season if he exceeds all expectations in his third season.