5 NBA teams burning over $60 million on injured player salaries in 2024-25 season

The NBA and its teams always seem to have a difficult time minimizing injuries throughout every 82-game season. However, it has been particularly difficult for a lot of teams this season, with some teams like the Dallas Mavericks facing so many injuries and salary cap constraints that they could risk forfeiting games.

The Mavericks aren't the only team with terrible injury luck, as there is a plethora of teams who have wasted over $60 million on the salaries of injured players. The top 5 most injured teams have combined to pay out $550,534,062 in salary to players who have faced injury this season, over half a billion USD:

The Philadelphia 76ers have allocated 95.98% of their salary cap to injured players this season, including newly signed Paul George, who has only played 18 games alongisde former NBA MVP Joel Embiid. With a 22-44 record, the Sixers' playoff hopes are effectively over.

The Los Angeles Lakers, holding a 40-25 record, are battling for playoff seeding in the Western Conference. However, their efforts have taken massive blows recently with LeBron James out indefinitely and newly acquired star Luka Doncic missing multiple games since joining the team in February.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks find themselves facing forfeits if they are unable to have 8 active players on a roster due to the injuries they've suffered as they hold a 33-35 record trying to hold on to the last play-in spot in the West.

The Toronto Raptors currently have a 24-43 record and have been near the bottom of the standings for most of the season due to injuries. However, with a 6-4 run in their last 10 games, they are just 4.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the last play-in spot in the East.

The Portland Trail Blazers started their season off struggling due to injuries, and while they had some good stretches of play, they still find themselves with a 28-39 record and also 4.5 games out of the final play-in spot in the West.

Sixers and Mavericks release NBA Injury reports for their game on Sunday afternoon. 20 total players are either out or questionable

The Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks are scheduled to face off on Sunday at 1 PM EST, with 20 players listed as out or questionable due to injuries.

Nine 76ers and seven Mavericks players are out, with four more from Mavs questionable. Both injury-plagued teams will play unusual lineups on Sunday, risking the NBA's first-ever forfeit if availability worsens.