What is minimum salary?
The minimum salary is the lowest pay an NBA player can receive, scaled by years of service. For 2026-27 the rookie minimum is $1,357,763, the minimum for a player with two years of service is about $2.44 million, and the veteran minimum is about $3.87 million.
How it works
The scale rises with each year of service, so an experienced player on a minimum deal earns far more than a rookie on one. The scale is tied to the cap and moves with it.
Any team can sign a player to a minimum contract at any payroll level, which is why the minimum is the default offer from teams above the aprons.
To protect veterans from being priced out, a one-year minimum contract for an experienced player counts against the cap at the two-year-service amount, and the league covers the difference. A team pays the veteran his full minimum but carries a smaller cap charge.
The numbers
2026-27
2026-27
2026-27
An example
A contender above the second apron cannot use any exception to sign a free agent, but it can still offer the veteran minimum. That is how many late-career players join title teams.
What it means for a player
A minimum deal is not a small number, and for a young player it can be the door in. Check whether the contract is guaranteed, and when, because that matters more than the salary line.
Sources
Reviewed September 26, 2026 by McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM, certified WNBA player agent and former certified NBA agent. Figures are refreshed each July. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.