NBA First Round Draft Pick Salary Structure
NBA first round draft pick salary is set by the rookie scale established in the 2017 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The scale fixes base salary for each pick over four guaranteed seasons, with the first pick earning the highest base amount and each subsequent pick receiving a percentage of that figure. The NBA salary cap for the 2024-25 season is $140.6 million, and rookie contracts are calculated as a percentage of the cap or a designated rookie pool, not as a percentage of the team's existing payroll. The NBA Players Association and the league office publish the official salary figures and cap rules at https://www.nba.com/news/collective-bargaining-agreement.
Rookie scale percentages for the first round are 100% for pick 1, 95% for pick 2, 90% for pick 3, 85% for pick 4, 80% for pick 5, and decreasing by 5% for each subsequent pick through pick 30. The 2024 NBA Draft took place on June 26-27, 2024, and the 2025 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 25-26, 2025. Teams can negotiate sign-and-trade deals involving first round picks, but the rookie scale contract terms cannot be altered beyond the scale, except for the player option for the fourth year, which is determined by the pick number and the scale percentage. The salary for the first overall pick in the 2024 draft class is approximately $39.5 million for the first year, and the salary for the 30th pick is approximately $11.1 million for the first year, according to the NBA's official salary cap rules and the rookie scale table.
Guaranteed Money and Team Options
Every NBA first round draft pick salary is fully guaranteed for the first two seasons, with the third season guaranteed at the team's option and the fourth season guaranteed at the player's option. The guaranteed salary for the first two years is the full base salary as defined by the rookie scale, and the team cannot waive the player to avoid the salary without incurring a luxury tax penalty if the salary exceeds the apron threshold. The player option for the fourth year is calculated as the higher of the third-year salary plus 4.5% or the average salary of the top 10 players in the league for that season, with a minimum of the third-year salary plus 4.5%. The team option for the third year is the third-year salary as defined by the scale, and the team can choose to decline the option without penalty, making the contract a three-year deal.
The 2024 draft class includes the highest guaranteed first-year salary ever for the first overall pick, with the player earning approximately $39.5 million in the first year and $41.3 million in the second year under the rookie scale. The salary for the 5th pick in the 2024 draft is approximately $23.1 million in the first year, and the salary for the 10th pick is approximately $18.5 million in the first year. The NBA salary cap is projected to increase for the 2025-26 season, which will raise the base rookie scale salaries for the 2025 draft class. The NBA's official salary cap and rookie scale details are available at https://www.nba.com/salary-cap.
Salary Cap Impact and Trade Value
NBA first round draft pick salary counts fully against the team's salary cap and luxury tax calculations for the duration of the rookie contract. The salary for the first overall pick in the 2024 draft class is approximately $39.5 million in the first year, and the salary for