In the range of NBA salaries, small forwards tend to be somewhere in the middle of high and low as they are versatile players who can offer something on both sides of the ball.
Generally, small forwards will at least out-earn shooting guards, and some get paid very well.
Here, we have looked into the top 10 highest-paid shooting guards in the NBA in 2025-26.
1. Jimmy Butler ($54.1million, Golden State Warriors)
Butler has made increasing amounts of good money over his last few contracts. His maximum contract with the Philadelphia 76ers saw him earn an average salary of $35.2million per season.
Then, on a maximum veteran extension with the Miami Heat, he made $48.8million per season on average.
Butler has recently moved to the Golden State Warriors, where the $54.1million he is earning this season makes him the highest earner in terms of shooting guards in the NBA.
2. Kevin Durant ($53.2million, Houston Rockets)
A former MVP and 15-time All-Star, Durant is fairly paid one of the highest salaries not only in terms of small forwards, but of all players in the NBA.
League-wide, Durant is the eighth-highest earner, making $53.2million for his first year with the Houston Rockets, after being traded there by the Phoenix Suns.
Durant is just under $1million away from being the highest-earning small forward in the league.
3. Jaylen Brown ($53.1million, Boston Celtics)
The season after Boston Celtics’ last NBA championship win in 2023-24, one of their main stars, Brown, signed a designated veteran extension. His role in the title win surely contributed to his salary.
On his rookie extension, Brown was earning an average of $26.6million per season.
On his veteran contract this season, he’ll earn $53.1million.
4. Kawhi Leonard ($50million, LA Clippers)
Leonard has twice been voted in the top three for the MVP award. As such, it’s somewhat surprising that he isn’t higher on the list, though those seasons were in 2015-16 and 2016-17.
On his maximum veteran contract with the LA Clippers, Leonard will earn $50million this season.
5. OG Anunoby ($39.6million, New York Knicks)
Anunoby played for the Toronto Raptors from 2017 to 2024, before they were unable to sign him to new contract, so he was traded to the New York Knicks.
He was due to enter free agency, but the Knicks tied him down to a five-year, $212.5million contract.
Now in the second year of that deal, Anunoby is earning $39.6million this season.
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6. Franz Wagner ($38.7million, Orlando Magic)
Orlando Magic forward Wagner has only just signed his designated rookie extension.
The five-year contract is worth $224.2million, and in its first year, it will earn Wagner $38.7million.
7. Michael Porter Jr ($38.3million, Brooklyn Nets)
Drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 2018, Porter spent the first seven years of his professional career there.
He signed a designated rookie extension in 2022, which earned him $35.9million last season.
Porter Jr was traded to the Brooklyn Nets in 2025, and in his first year there, he’ll earn $38.3million.
8. Brandon Ingram ($38.1million, Toronto Raptors)
Ingram has moved onto his third NBA team for the 10th year of his career, after spending time with the LA Lakers and then the New Orleans Pelicans previously.
Ingram signed a max contract with the Pelicans in 2020, where he earned an average of $31.6million per season.
Now with the Toronto Raptors, Ingram has signed a veteran extension, and will earn $38.1million for the season.
9. Khris Middleton ($33.3million, Washington Wizards)
Middleton is earning less now with the Washington Wizards than he was on his last contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.
In 2019, though he’d been with the Bucks since 2013-14, he entered free agency, and was re-signed by the same side on a five-year, $177.5million contract, which meant he earned $35.5million on average.
The same story with free agency came about in 2023, when he re-signed with the Bucks to earn $29.3million, before he was traded to the Wizards the following season, where he will earn $33.3million after triggering his player option.
Had he taken his player option with the Bucks in 2023, he’d have been earning $40million, so he has done himself out of some good money.
10. Jalen Johnson ($30million, Atlanta Hawks)
After his rookie years with the Atlanta Hawks, where he was drafted in the first round in 2021, Johnson was given a rookie extension for this season.
The five-year, $150million contract is evenly split per season, so Johnson will earn $30million per season for the next five seasons.
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