Highest-paid player on the Memphis Grizzlies in 2023: Ja Morant
Ja Morant’s rookie extension with the Memphis Grizzlies begins this season, he’ll make $34,005,250. Morant’s combination of skill, athleticism, and taste for the insane has quickly made him one of the most aesthetically pleasing players to watch in the league. Alongside fellow young teammates Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane the Grizzlies recently looked poised to assert themselves as an up-and-coming powerhouse in the Western Conference.
However, Morant has had significant off-court issues. This problem reached its apex during last season’s NBA playoffs which resulted in a 25-game suspension being issued by commissioner Adam Silver. The Grizzlies have the talent to be contenders, but it will come down to whether or not Morant rises to the role of team leader on and off the court. He hasn’t so far.
Highest-paid player on the Miami Heat in 2023: Jimmy Butler
At age 33, Jimmy Butler will make $45,005,250 for the Miami Heat next season as they aim to return to the NBA Finals. Butler has proven himself to be a player who raises his performance to another level in the playoffs and has led the Heat to the Finals twice since being acquired via trade from the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer of 2019.
He hasn’t been able to lead them to a championship, though. That hurdle seems dependent on a potential Damian Lillard trade, which has dominated the NBA offseason.
We know what Butler and the Heat are capable of, but their ability to do more than that is doubtful without securing Lillard’s services.