How much do NBA rookies make in 2026-27?
Short answer
First-round picks are paid on the rookie scale, which is tied to the 2026-27 salary cap of $164,961,000. The No. 1 pick's four-year deal is worth more than $65 million, starting near $14.7 million in year one, and the No. 30 pick's is worth about $15 million. Second-round picks have no scale; most sign minimum deals, starting at $1,357,763 for a rookie, or two-way contracts.
What is the rookie scale?
The rookie scale assigns a salary to every first-round slot, No. 1 through No. 30, and moves with the cap each year. The league set the 2026-27 cap at $164,961,000, per Hoops Rumors, which locked in this year's scale. Under the 2023 collective bargaining agreement the cap can rise no more than 10% in a season, which keeps the scale from spiking the way it did in 2016, per Sportico.
A team can sign its first-rounder for anywhere from 80% to 120% of the slot amount. In practice almost every first-round pick signs at 120%, and an unsigned first-rounder carries a cap hold at 120% until he signs.
What do first-round picks earn in 2026-27?
- No. 1: more than $65 million over four years at 120% of scale, with a first-year salary near $14.7 million. This year that slot belonged to AJ Dybantsa, taken by the Washington Wizards.
- No. 15: about $24.1 million over four years, per Sportico.
- No. 30: about $15 million over four years.
The gap between the top and bottom of the round is the reason draft position matters so much financially.
How is a rookie-scale contract structured?
Four years. The first two are guaranteed; years three and four are team options the club must decide on in advance. A player who reaches the end of year four without an extension becomes a restricted free agent once his team extends a qualifying offer, which gives his team the right to match outside offers. A player can sign a rookie-scale extension in the offseason before his fourth year, which is where the first real negotiation of an NBA career usually happens.
How do second-round picks get paid?
There is no scale in the second round, and nothing is guaranteed by rule. Most second-rounders take one of three paths:
- A minimum-salary contract. The 2026-27 minimum is $1,357,763 for a rookie and climbs with years of service, per Hoops Rumors.
- A two-way contract, split between the NBA roster and the G League, at half the rookie minimum.
- A training camp deal, or a start overseas while the team holds his draft rights.
How much of a second-round contract is guaranteed, and when, is negotiated deal by deal, and it is the number worth fighting over.
What comes out of a rookie's check?
Federal and state income tax, including tax in the states where road games are played; Social Security and Medicare; the league's escrow withholding, which is trued up against league revenue after the season; and an agent fee, which National Basketball Players Association rules cap at 4% of the player contract. A $14.7 million first-year salary lands as a much smaller deposit, and planning should start from the deposit.
What to watch on draft night and after
For a first-rounder: whether the team signs at 120% of scale, and the option decisions in years two and three. For a second-rounder: the guaranteed amount and the dates it vests. For both: the tax and escrow math before the first spending decision. The same pick-by-pick structure now runs the WNBA rookie scale, with very different numbers.
Sources
- Hoops Rumors: Salary cap and tax line set for 2026-27
- Hoops Rumors: NBA minimum salaries for 2026-27
- Sportico: 2026 NBA Draft contract values for every first-round pick
Data current as of September 26, 2026. Figures are linked where each one appears. Leagues and regulators update these rules; check the source before relying on a number.
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