Ranking: The highest-paid players in Chicago Bulls history
The Chicago Bulls are one of the league’s top legacy franchises thanks to their domination in the 90s. With the exception of Michael Jordan, nearly all of the highest earners in their history are contemporary players who made more money by virtue of playing in the higher salary cap era.
Here is a list of the 12 highest-paid Bulls players in franchise history.
Zach LaVine: $118,298,717
Zach LaVine is the Bulls’ highest earner in franchise history and will likely hold that belt for a while. He earned just north of $80 million in his first five seasons with them and then elevated to No. 1 after one season earning a maximum salary. He is still owed $178 million over the next four years, but even just one more season on the team would put him significantly ahead of the No. 2 player.
Money per game: $338,965
Highest Bulls salary: $37,096,500 in 2022-23 (No. 19 in the NBA that season)
Bulls stats: 24.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.4 apg, 47.2 FG% in six seasons
More on Zach LaVine’s earnings
Derrick Rose: $95,538,276
Derrick Rose was the Bulls’ highest earner in their history until Zach LaVine recently overtook him. Rose was considered their franchise player after he won MVP in 2011 and was rewarded with a maximum contract afterward. He spent all but one season with the Bulls on that contract which boosted him to the top of these rankings. Unfortunately, injuries plagued him and never got back to his MVP form.
Money per game: $235,316
Highest Bulls salary: $20,093,064 in 2015-16 (No. 9 in the NBA that season)
Bulls stats: 19.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 6.2 apg, 44.8 FG% in seven seasons
More on Derrick Rose’s earnings
Michael Jordan: $91,627,500
Michael Jordan made pennies in his first 11 seasons as a Bull compared to his last two. He earned just $28.3 million between 1984-1996, including $4 million that he collected in his 1993-94 gap year. Most of his earnings came between 1997-1999 when he earned $63.3 million, or 69 percent of his total earnings with the Bulls. If it weren’t for those two seasons where he earned $30-plus million, he wouldn’t even qualify for this list.
Money per game: $91,108
Highest Bulls salary: $33,140,000 in 1997-98 (No. 1 in the NBA that season)
Bulls stats: 31.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 5.4 apg, 50.5 FG% in 13 seasons
More on Michael Jordan’s earnings
Luol Deng: $72,989,443
Carlos Boozer: $71,750,000
Carlos Boozer was signed to a five-year, $75 million deal in 2010 that at the time became the largest deal in Bulls history, surpassing Luol Deng‘s extension. The signing made a lot of sense since the team had sorely lacked an offensive post threat since Elton Brand. Unfortunately, Boozer declined early on during that contract and eventually was supplanted by Taj Gibson. The Bulls waived Boozer in 2014 with the amnesty provision, allowing him to collect an additional $13.6 million while playing for the Lakers.
Money per game: $256,250
Highest Bulls salary: $15,300,000 in 2013-14 (No. 21 in the NBA that season)
Bulls stats: 15.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 2.0 apg, 49.1 FG% in four seasons
More on Carlos Boozer’s earnings
Joakim Noah: $70,765,096
Nikola Vucevic: $55,195,121
The Nikola Vucevic era in Chicago has not gone according to plan after trading Wendell Carter Jr. and two valuable lottery picks for him. They doubled down on that trade by extending him to a three-year, $60 million deal before the start of 2023 free agency. He is set to be the Bulls’ fourth highest earner after this season and could be as high as second if he finishes his contract with them.
Money per game: $304,945
Highest Bulls salary: $26,000,000 in 2020-21 (No. 44 in the NBA that season)
Bulls stats: 18.2 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 3.3 apg, 49.2 FG% in 3 seasons
More on Nikola Vucevic’s earnings
DeMar DeRozan: $53,300,000
DeMar DeRozan is set to be the Bulls third-highest earner in franchise history if he finishes the 2023-24 season with them. He could cement his place in these rankings for a long time if he extends with Chicago this year, though it’s unclear where they stand on that since he’s entering his age-34 season.
Money per game: $355,333
Highest Bulls salary: $27,300,000 in 2022-23 (No. 51 in the NBA that season)
Bulls stats: 26.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 5.0 apg, 50.4 FG% in 2 seasons
More on DeMar DeRozan’s earnings
Otto Porter.: $53,147,098
The Bulls acquired Otto Porter in what felt like a low-risk, high-upside move considering they only gave up expiring contracts for him. He played very well upon arriving in Chicago but then injuries started to settle in. He played just 54 games for the Bulls in his short time there but earned a whopping $53.1 million. This boosted his average salary during his time there to nearly $1 million per game.
Money per game: $984,206
Highest Bulls salary: $28,489,239 in 2020-21 (No. 36 in the NBA that season)
Bulls stats: 12.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, 47.2 FG% in three seasons
More on Otto Porter Jr.’s earnings
Kirk Hinrich: $51,722,268
Robin Lopez: $41,365,500
Jimmy Butler: $39,371,483
