How many players will be paid more than Dirk Nowitzki this season?

By foxsports
Published

It's widely acknowledged that Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki took a discount when he re-signed with the Mavs for three years and $25 million last offseason. But just how big of a paycut was that?

By locking into a long-term deal at such a cheap yearly rate, Nowitzki cemented his status as having one of the most underpaid non-rookie deal contracts in all of sports. 

While Nowitzki presumably signed the deal to help the Mavericks recruit big time free agents, it's a little startling to see the names of players who will make more money than him this season.

How many players is that, exactly?

According to HoopsHype.com's salary page, 83 players will have a higher salary than Nowitzki this season. That list includes multiple players who have never sniffed an All-Star game or All-NBA team, including Oklahoma City Thunder big man Enes Kanter ($16.4), who will make nearly double Nowitzki's salary ($8.3 million). 

You can find players who signed recent deals with an expected cap bump in mind (like Kanter), and you can also find some old relics from the past era. Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Johnson will make $24.8 million this season, nearly triple what Nowitzki will earn.

(h/t HoopsHype)