NBA Rumors: 79 Players Paid More Than Golden State Warriors Star Stephen Curry

The record breaking rise of the salary cap in the NBA has created quite a few odd situations. According to Fox Sports, Stephen Curry will be the 80th highest paid player in the league. That comes as a surprise because the 6-foot-3 point guard is widely considered one of the three best players in the National Basketball Association.

With overall revenue in the NBA increasing, the salary cap needed to be increased. Those that understand the business side of basketball know that players would be receiving bigger contracts than ever before. For others, though, it comes as a shock that mid level and lower level guys are being handed gigantic contracts.

Stephen Curry signed his contract with the Golden State Warriors well before the salary cap rose. In 2012, the former Davidson Wildcats star signed a four year contract worth approximately $44 million. At the time, the deal was considered fair because Curry was injury prone and not nearly as dominating as he is nowadays.

#TBT to @StephenCurry30 winning back-to-back NBA MVPs! @warriors pic.twitter.com/KCTeyeWB47

— Jr. NBA (@jrnba) July 28, 2016

There is a five way tie for highest paid player in the NBA right now. Mike Conley, DeMar DeRozan, Al Hoford, Kevin Durant and James Harden will all be earning approximately $26.5 million next season. None of them have as many championships as Stephen Curry.

Carmelo Anthony is going to be paid approximately $24.5 million by the New York Knicks. The 6-foot-8 small forward is actually starting to reduce his role. Part of that is because they want to groom Kristaps Porzingis into their next franchise player. Another part is because of the addition of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

Dirk Nowitzki is going to be paid approximately $24 million. The 7-foot power forward is past his prime, so the payments are basically for loyalty. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban wants to show respect to his longtime franchise player for making sacrifices for the sake of winning games.

Dwyane Wade shocked the NBA when he announced that he was leaving the Miami Heat to sign with the Chicago Bulls. The Heat were the only professional team that he has played for throughout his long career. However, Wade was tired of never being the highest paid player on the team, so he is now being paid approximately $23.2 million by the Bulls.

Interestingly enough, Stephen Curry is being paid less than former teammate, Harrison Barnes. The Dallas Mavericks signed the 23 year old small forward and will pay him approximately $22.1 million. Barnes was considered lower on the Golden State Warriors ladder than Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green.

Nicolas Batum will be paid approximately $28.8 million. Paul Millsap has approximately $20 million coming to him. Neither player are as known as Stephen Curry. Neither are also in the conversation for best player in the NBA.

Allen Crabbe and Ryan Anderson are both considered role players at best in the NBA. Both guys are being paid more than $18 million next season. Stephen Curry might be a bit more motivated when the Golden State Warriors play the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets.

The Detroit Pistons are paying Tobias Harris approximately $17.2 million next season. There is a very good chance that Harris never makes it to the NBA All Star game. However, he is being paid much more than Stephen Curry, a former league MVP. Seems almost unfair, but that is how the salary cap has evolved.

Things should feel a bit normal next summer. That is when Stephen Curry becomes a free agent. The Golden State Warriors will want to reward him for everything that he has done for the franchise. Eligible for $35-40 million a season, Curry will skyrocket up the list where he belongs.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]