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Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 5:36 pm EDTBest value contracts in the NBA
The most productive players in each salary tier, ranked by 2025-26 PER (player efficiency rating). 206 players with 40+ games and 20+ minutes per game; salaries are current contract figures.
Statistics edition assembled (US Eastern). Source observations for dated values: to UTC.
Best value: Under $10M
| # | Player | Salary | Through | PER | PTS / REB / AST | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jalen Duren C | $4.87M | 2031 | 24.6 | 19.5 / 10.5 / 2.0 | 70 |
| 2 | Mark Williams C | $6.28M | 2029 | 20.3 | 11.7 / 8.0 / 1.0 | 60 |
| 3 | Donovan Clingan C | $7.18M | 2028 | 18.6 | 12.1 / 11.6 / 2.1 | 77 |
| 4 | Tre Jones PG | $8.00M | 2028 | 18.5 | 14.1 / 3.1 / 5.4 | 65 |
| 5 | Neemias Queta C | $2.39M | 2031 | 18.5 | 10.2 / 8.4 / 1.7 | 76 |
| 6 | Kel’el Ware C | $5.12M | 2028 | 17.5 | 11.1 / 9.0 / 0.7 | 77 |
| 7 | Ryan Kalkbrenner C | $2.30M | 2029 | 17.0 | 7.6 / 5.5 / 0.8 | 69 |
| 8 | Cam Spencer SG | $2.54M | 2029 | 16.6 | 11.1 / 2.5 / 5.6 | 72 |
| 9 | Deandre Ayton C | $8.10M | 2027 | 16.5 | 12.5 / 8.0 / 0.8 | 72 |
| 10 | Brandon Williams PG | $2.27M | 2027 | 16.5 | 13.0 / 2.9 / 3.9 | 66 |
| 11 | Josh Giddey PG | $6.80M | 2029 | 16.3 | 17.0 / 8.3 / 9.1 | 54 |
| 12 | Payton Pritchard PG | $7.50M | 2028 | 16.3 | 17.0 / 3.9 / 5.2 | 79 |
Best value: $10M to $30M
| # | Player | Salary | Through | PER | PTS / REB / AST | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Victor Wembanyama C | $16.87M | 2032 | 27.1 | 25.0 / 11.5 / 3.1 | 64 |
| 2 | Austin Reaves SG | $13.94M | 2030 | 19.6 | 23.3 / 4.7 / 5.5 | 51 |
| 3 | Deni Avdija SF | $14.38M | 2028 | 19.4 | 24.2 / 6.9 / 6.7 | 66 |
| 4 | Alex Sarr C | $12.76M | 2028 | 18.4 | 16.3 / 7.4 / 2.7 | 48 |
| 5 | DeMar DeRozan SF | $24.75M | 2027 | 17.6 | 18.4 / 2.9 / 4.1 | 77 |
| 6 | Isaiah Hartenstein C | $28.50M | 2029 | 17.4 | 9.2 / 9.4 / 3.5 | 47 |
| 7 | Norman Powell SG | $18.00M | 2028 | 17.3 | 21.7 / 3.5 / 2.5 | 58 |
| 8 | Trey Murphy III SF | $25.00M | 2029 | 17.2 | 21.5 / 5.7 / 3.8 | 66 |
| 9 | Luke Kornet C | $11.00M | 2029 | 17.0 | 6.5 / 6.1 / 1.9 | 68 |
| 10 | Stephon Castle PG | $10.02M | 2028 | 16.9 | 16.7 / 5.3 / 7.4 | 68 |
| 11 | Collin Sexton SG | $18.98M | 2028 | 16.8 | 15.4 / 2.3 / 3.3 | 68 |
| 12 | Nikola Vučević C | $20.00M | 2027 | 16.8 | 15.1 / 8.4 / 3.3 | 64 |
Best value: $30M and up
| # | Player | Salary | Through | PER | PTS / REB / AST | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander PG | $38.33M | 2031 | 30.6 | 31.1 / 4.3 / 6.6 | 68 |
| 2 | Nikola Jokić C | $55.22M | 2028 | 30.0 | 27.7 / 12.9 / 10.7 | 65 |
| 3 | Luka Dončić PG | $46.00M | 2029 | 26.9 | 33.5 / 7.7 / 8.3 | 64 |
| 4 | Kawhi Leonard SF | $50.00M | 2029 | 26.8 | 27.9 / 6.4 / 3.6 | 65 |
| 5 | Zion Williamson PF | $39.45M | 2028 | 22.7 | 21.0 / 5.7 / 3.2 | 62 |
| 6 | Donovan Mitchell SG | $50.11M | 2031 | 22.4 | 27.9 / 4.5 / 5.7 | 70 |
| 7 | Anthony Edwards SG | $48.92M | 2029 | 21.4 | 28.8 / 5.0 / 3.7 | 61 |
| 8 | Tyrese Maxey PG | $37.96M | 2029 | 21.3 | 28.3 / 4.1 / 6.6 | 70 |
| 9 | Jamal Murray PG | $51.96M | 2029 | 21.1 | 25.4 / 4.4 / 7.1 | 75 |
| 10 | Jaylen Brown SF | $57.08M | 2029 | 20.9 | 28.7 / 6.9 / 5.1 | 71 |
| 11 | Cade Cunningham PG | $53.82M | 2030 | 20.9 | 23.9 / 5.5 / 9.9 | 64 |
| 12 | Jarrett Allen C | $30.24M | 2029 | 20.7 | 15.4 / 8.5 / 1.8 | 56 |
Priciest underperformers ($30M and up)
Lowest PER among players earning $30M or more.
| # | Player | Salary | Through | PER | PTS / REB / AST | GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khris Middleton SF | $31.00M | 2029 | 10.3 | 10.2 / 3.7 / 2.8 | 63 |
| 2 | Jaren Jackson Jr. C | $49.00M | 2030 | 14.3 | 19.4 / 5.7 / 2.0 | 48 |
| 3 | Jalen Suggs PG | $30.10M | 2030 | 14.6 | 13.8 / 3.9 / 5.5 | 57 |
| 4 | OG Anunoby PF | $42.50M | 2029 | 14.8 | 16.7 / 5.2 / 2.2 | 67 |
| 5 | Jerami Grant PF | $32.00M | 2028 | 15.2 | 18.6 / 3.5 / 2.1 | 57 |
| 6 | Brandon Ingram SF | $40.00M | 2028 | 15.2 | 21.5 / 5.6 / 3.7 | 77 |
| 7 | Darius Garland PG | $39.45M | 2028 | 15.3 | 18.8 / 2.4 / 6.7 | 45 |
| 8 | CJ McCollum PG | $32.00M | 2027 | 15.3 | 18.7 / 3.3 / 3.9 | 76 |
| 9 | Jrue Holiday PG | $32.40M | 2028 | 15.5 | 16.3 / 4.6 / 6.1 | 53 |
| 10 | Immanuel Quickley PG | $32.50M | 2029 | 15.8 | 16.4 / 4.0 / 5.9 | 70 |
Salaries and statistics. PER measures per-minute box-score production; it underrates defensive specialists. How to read these stats.