The Los Angeles Lakers are a stacked team this season. They have arguably the greatest of all time, LeBron James, on their team, playing alongside Luka Dončić and breakout star Austin Reaves.
Over the summer, they also acquired a former number one pick of the 2018 NBA Draft, Deandre Ayton. Given the amount of talent that they have, the Lakers are paying good money for these players.
The question now is, who is the highest-paid player among them?
Full Breakdown of the Lakers’ Contracts and Salaries
As of the 2025-26 season, LeBron remains on top of the payroll. Playing in the final year of his two-year contract, James is expected to make $52.6 million. After that, there are still a lot of questions about whether the “King” will finally retire or decide to extend his contract next season.
Trailing behind James is none other than Dončić, who is expected to make $45.9 million this year.
Dončić declined his player option for the 2026-27 season and re-signed with the Lakers for another three years. Los Angeles offered him $161.3 million, making him the highest-paid player on the roster next season if James doesn’t opt to sign a bigger contract.
Here’s a full list of players and their salaries for the 2025-26 season in order:
- LeBron James – $52,627,153
- Luka Dončić – $45,999,660
- Rui Hachimura – $18,259,259
- Austin Reaves – $13,937,574
- Jarred Vanderbilt – $11,571,429
- Gabe Vincent – $11,500,000
- Maxi Kleber – $11,000,000
- Deandre Ayton – $8,104,000
- Jake LaRavia – $6,000,000
- Marcus Smart – $5,134,000
- Dalton Knecht – $4,010,160
- Jaxson Hayes – $3,449,323
- Bronny James – $1,955,377
- Adou Thiero – $1,272,870
- Nick Smith Jr. (Two-way contract) – $636,435
- Chris Manon (Two-way contract) – $636,435
- Drew Timme (Two-way contract) – $508,416
With James playing on an expiring contract, this means that he will be entering the summer of 2026 as an unrestricted free agent. There is a plethora of narratives surrounding James’ current contract situation.
Some believe that the 2025-26 season could be LeBron’s final year in the league. Others are theorizing that James could be looking to return to Cleveland and finish his career with the team he started with. There’s also the possibility of the “King” waiting for the team that would pick up his younger son, Bryce James, in the 2026 NBA Draft.
As of this writing, LeBron has remained silent regarding his plans next summer and is simply enjoying his 23rd season in the NBA. For now, it seems like the Lakers are set to enter a new era come the 2026-27 season with the new duo of Dončić and Reaves leading the charge.
