The NBA Draft has come and gone for 2024, and now, we pretty much know where the biggest players are going to be for the upcoming season. So, how much will the top NBA rookies make in their initial contracts?
What Will the Top NBA Rookies Make in 2024?
According to Spotrac, the No. 1 pick is expected to get a $57.19 million NBA salary. While all of the first-round NBA rookies are signed to a four-year deal, it’s really a two-year deal with options for the third and fourth years. In the first year, the No. 1 pick is expected to get $12,569,040. Not bad, right? Looking down the rookie scale, No. 2 is $51,036,398, No. 3 is $45,853,025, No. 4 is $41,351,699 and No. 5 is $37,463,383. Even the No. 30 pick gets $12.84 million.
Now, aside from all the NBA rookies, a lot of people are wondering what Purdue basketball star Zach Edey will make as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. He was one of the most popular college players last season, so there’s lots of attention on what Edey will be making as a rookie player for the Grizzlies.
Edey was selected as the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. The 7 foot, 4 inch center is coming off a huge run in college basketball, where he averaged 18.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game and was named AP Player of the Year twice.
So, what will Edey make? He’s expected to sign a four-year NBA rookie contract with an estimated total value of $26.27 million, according to an estimate from Spotrac. In addition, a section of the NBA’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) states that players picked in the first round of the NBA draft get a four-year rookie contract. In that contract, however, the first two years are guaranteed, and the final two years are team options. “Each rookie scale contract between a team and a first-round pick shall cover a period of two (2) Seasons, but shall have an option in favor of the team for the player’s third season and a second option in favor of the team for the player’s fourth Season,” the NBA’s CBA reads.
The NBA’s CBA adds, “The option for the player’s third season shall be exercisable during the period from the day following the last day of the first season through the immediately following Oct. 31. The option for the player’s fourth season shall be exercisable during the period from the day following the last day of the second season through the immediately following Oct. 31.”
For second-round picks, and Forbes.com notes, the NBA’s new CBA, under Article 7, Section 6, Paragraph K, enables NBA teams to sign their second-round picks to three-or-four-year contracts without using up their cap space. Second-round picks may also be inked to a two-way NBA contract.