3 Overpaid, 3 underpaid Trail Blazers for 2023-24 season

Underpaid: Damian Lillard

The NBA created the maximum salary to keep teams from offering star players the majority of their cap space. In theory, that means the best talent in the league is underpaid. LeBron James is likely making the Lakers significantly more money than they pay him each year.

Lillard still falls into that category. He was voted third-team All-NBA last season and is about to be the tenth-highest-paid player in the game. There is no need to debate whether Lillard is better or worse than the top earners because it does not impact his standing.

Dame just averaged 32.2 points, 7.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 0.9 steals in 36.3 minutes per game, while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 37.1 percent on his threes, and 91.4 percent from the foul line. Those are elite numbers and even better when considering that Lillard is the top name to stop on every team’s scouting report when facing Portland.

Fans hear teams are worried about the backend of Lillard’s current contract in trade negotiations, but he is a superstar. They are the hardest players to acquire and the biggest difference-makers. Damian Lillard makes $45.6 million in the 2023-24 season, but he would make more on the open market if there was no salary cap or collective bargaining agreement (CBA).