By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
With China taking a hit due to the new CBA rules and the NBA Supermax deals not leaving a lot of money on the table for mid-level players, EuroLeague is having a phenomenal offseason.
With FC Barcelona setting the tone, most European powerhouses were forced to open up their wallets and pay up. Considering the fact that there’s no salary cap in Europe and the financial landscape in the EuroLeague remains a work in progress, practically the market is what defines the top salaries without any holding bars. Of course, Europe can’t offer top NBA money, but still is the top alternative for many players, especially if you consider the money spend by European top clubs in conjunction to the level of play.
The reported salaries are not official. The clubs in Europe contrary to the NBA are not obliged to present those data in public. However, they are confirmed by multiple sources and can be considered accurate.
And like in last year’s list, the reported sums are the net salaries. Due to the various tax laws in Europe, it’s hard to calculate the gross amount of each contract, and in many cases, the tax is almost equal to the net salary.
Furthermore, the Euro is not the official currency in countries like Israel, Russia, and Turkey. That’s why many of the EuroLeague deals are made in US dollars. In order to avoid confusion and to have an easier comparison to NBA contracts, all salaries are calculated in US dollars. With that been said, if you want to compare with NBA contracts, the easiest way is to double the amount of money mentioned, due to US taxes.