The NBA officially announced Tuesday that its salary cap for the 2026-27 season will sit at $164.961 million — a 6.5% jump compared to the previous season.
Along with that increase, each team’s cap rose by $10,420,000. The minimum team salary also climbed by more than $9.2 million, landing at $148.465 million. The first apron threshold moved up $13,070,000 to $209.015 million, while the second apron level now stands at $221.686 million — an increase of $13,862,000.
All of those figures officially took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Wednesday, six hours after teams were first allowed to begin talking with free agents. That negotiating window opened at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
However, all free agent negotiations were required to stop at midnight Tuesday, when the league’s moratorium period began. That freeze remains in place until noon on Monday, July 6.
According to Spotrac.com, 29 of the league’s 30 teams are already over the new cap figure — the Memphis Grizzlies being the lone exception. The Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Orlando Magic have exceeded the first apron threshold, though no team is currently hard-capped under the second apron.
It’s worth noting that being over the salary cap doesn’t necessarily mean a team lacks spending flexibility.
Per Spotrac, the Los Angeles Lakers, Brooklyn Nets, and Chicago Bulls are each projected to have at least $30 million in available cap space to pursue free agents. The Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Clippers also have the ability to create additional room by restructuring their current rosters.
