Jazz payroll is $3.1 million over luxury tax News Utah Jazz

The numbers are in for Deron Williams. According to California-based NBA salary-cap guru Larry Coon, the Jazz's starting point guard will make $13,520,500 next season ?

not a previously reported higher number. The figure, Coon suggested via e-mail Thursday, is the maximum allowed ? according to terms of the current collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players association ? for a player with Williams' experience. And that means the Jazz's payroll for next season, not including unsigned restricted free agent Paul Millsap and a requisite 13th player, currently is an estimated $73,103,490. That's $3,183,490 over the NBA's luxury-tax threshold for next season, which on Tuesday night was set by the league at $69.92 million. Any team whose player payroll at the end of next season exceeds that figure will pay a $1 tax for each $1 by which it is over the threshold. So it's now believed that if they re-sign Millsap to a multi-year deal starting at around $6 million, sign a 13th player and keep the other 11 players on their current roster, the Jazz would be assessed more than $9.5 million in punitive taxes. Williams, according to Coon's figures, also will make $14,940,153 in the 2010-11 season, $16,359,805 in 2011-12 and ? if he exercises a player option on the rookie contract extension he signed last offseason ? $17,779,458 in 2012-13. If he doesn't opt out, the total value of Williams' extension will be $62,599,916 over four years. e-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com