NBA Rookie Pay Scale: How Much They Make Depending on Draft Position
Being selected in the NBA draft is a great moment for any basketball player, but the difference between going No. 1 compared to No. 5 means a lot more financially than one might immediately assume.
Depending where players are selected, they will have a different scale to work off when negotiating their contract. The way it works is all first-round picks have a set amount for how much they can make each season, but they are able to negotiate up to 120% of that amount, or end up with as little as 80% of that amount.
So, for No. 1 pick Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns, the rookie scale is set at $6,746,400 for his first year, meaning Ayton can make as much $8,095,680 or as little as $5,397,120.
The scale for No. 2 pick Marvin Bagley III and the Kings will start at $6,036,200. For No. 3 pick Luka Doncic, his scale for his first year will start at $5,420,500, while No. 4 pick Jaren Jackson Jr.'s scale starts at $4,887,200 and No. 5 selection Trae Young's scale opens at $4,425,600.
Check out the entire scale for the first-year of each contract for all 30 first-round picks below.
Selection | Scale | 120% | 80% |
No. 1 | $6,746,400 | $8,095,680 | $5,397,120 |
No. 2 | $6,036,200 | $7,243,440 | $4,828,960 |
No. 3 | $5,420,500 | $6,504,600 | $4,336,400 |
No. 4 | $4,887,200 | $5,864,640 | $3,909,760 |
No. 5 | $4,425,600 | $5,310,720 | $3,540,480 |
No. 6 | $4,019,600 | $4,823,520 | $3,215,680 |
No. 7 | $3,669,400 | $4,403,280 | $2,935,520 |
No. 8 | $3,361,500 | $4,033,800 | $2,689,200 |
No. 9 | $3,090,100 | $3,708,120 | $2,472,080 |
No. 10 | $2,935,400 | $3,522,480 | $2,348,320 |
No. 11 | $2,788,800 | $3,346,560 | $2,231,040 |
No. 12 | $2,649,400 | $3,179,280 | $2,119,520 |
No. 13 | $2,516,900 | $3,020,280 | $2,013,520 |
No. 14 | $2,391,100 | $2,869,320 | $1,912,880 |
No. 15 | $2,271,400 | $2,725,680 | $1,817,120 |
No. 16 | $2,157,900 | $2,589,480 | $1,726,320 |
No. 17 | $2,050,000 | $2,460,000 | $1,640,000 |
No. 18 | $1,947,500 | $2,337,000 | $1,558,000 |
No. 19 | $1,859,800 | $2,231,760 | $1,487,840 |
No. 20 | $1,785,300 | $2,142,360 | $1,428,240 |
No. 21 | $1,713,900 | $2,056,680 | $1,371,120 |
No. 22 | $1,645,400 | $1,974,480 | $1,316,320 |
No. 23 | $1,579,600 | $1,895,520 | $1,263,680 |
No. 24 | $1,516,500 | $1,819,800 | $1,213,200 |
No. 25 | $1,455,700 | $1,746,840 | $1,164,560 |
No. 26 | $1,407,500 | $1,689,000 | $1,126,000 |
No. 27 | $1,367,000 | $1,640,400 | $1,093,600 |
No. 28 | $1,358,500 | $1,630,200 | $1,086,800 |
No. 29 | $1,348,600 | $1,618,320 | $1,078,880 |
No. 30 | $1,338,900 | $1,606,680 | $1,071,120 |
You can find out more about potential pay for rookie contracts here.
