Supermax candidates this season: Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, more
Every year, a handful of players have eligibility for a designated veteran contract or extension, also known as the supermax. When players meet the supermax criteria, they become eligible for a higher maximum salary than their years of service allow.
Any player on a rookie-scale contract can qualify as long as they meet the criteria before the end of the deal. However, only veterans who remain on the teams that they finished their rookie-scale contracts with can qualify for the supermax contract. This rule was implemented as an incentive to keep star players with their teams.
The simplest way to meet the criteria is for a player to earn All-NBA honors in the season preceding an eligibility year. A veteran could qualify by earning All-NBA honors in his seventh season or eighth season, while a player on a rookie-scale contract can qualify by earning All-NBA honors in their 4th season.
Alternatively, they could qualify by earning All-NBA honors in the two seasons preceding those listed earlier. Players could also qualify by winning Defensive Player of the Year under those same guidelines as All-NBA. And if a player wins MVP in any of the three seasons preceding eligibility, they would automatically qualify.
Below is a list of all the players who have supermax eligibility on the line and what it would take for them to qualify.