Insane NBA Draft Earnings!
How much do NBA first round picks actually make?
Video Transcript
Did you know in the NBA draft, a difference in just a couple picks can alter your salary by tens of millions, or even lead to non-guaranteed cash?
And it's already decided before you shake the commissioner's hand.
How?
It's called the rookie wage scale, and it was introduced in 1995 for an unexpected reason.
It was to prevent unproven rookies from signing huge deals.
That breaking point came in 1994, when Glenn Robinson got picked first overall and signed a 10-year deal worth $68 million before playing a single game.
The league said never again.
Now, every first-round salary is locked to where you're drafted.
2025's number one pick, Cooper Flagg, signed a deal worth $62 million over four years.
His rookie season alone paid $13.8 million, which is around the same amount 2026's number one pick will make.
This is also nearly $10 million more than the $4.6 million Andrew Wiggins made as the 2014 number one pick.
Then it slides fast.
2025's number two pick, Dillon Harper, $12.4 million.
Fifth pick, $9.1 million.
Pick 10, $6.1 million.
And the very last pick of the first round, about $2.7 million.
And here's the cliff nobody talks about.
The rookie scale only covers the first 30 picks.
The moment pick 31 is on the clock, the protection disappears.
Second-round picks usually get little to no guaranteed money, often just two-way deals splitting time between the NBA and the G League.
One spot can be the difference between guaranteed millions and fighting for a roster spot, and every single dollar is decided before they ever touch the court.
