Top NBA team payrolls

When Mavericks owner Mark Cuban threatened to turn over the club’s roster after an embarrassing loss to the shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder, he had plenty of reason to be peeved.

Three years ago, his team lost in the NBA Finals. Two years ago, the Mavericks posted the league’s best regular season record before an historic first-round collapse against Golden State. In 2008, Dallas finished seventh in the Western Conference and lost in the first round to New Orleans.

Progress? Hardly. And mediocrity has not come cheap. According to HoopsHype.com, Cuban is carrying the second largest payroll in the league for the 2008-09 season…and for a club in danger of missing the playoffs entirely.

Which front office is shelling out the biggest bucks? Who is getting quality, and who is getting fleeced?

Here’s the list:

1. New York Knicks: $94,368,270

2. Dallas Mavericks: $92,758,122

3. Cleveland Cavaliers: $90,329,718

4. Portland Trail Blazers: $80,600,059

5. Boston Celtics: $79,659,701

6. Houston Rockets: $75,231,879

7. Los Angeles Lakers: $75,255,408

8. Phoenix Suns: $75,245,418

9. Sacramento Kings: $74,613,915

10. Toronto Raptors: $72,782,229

To see the rest of the list, visit HoopsHype.com.

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