With the 2024 NBA Draft opening Wednesday night, a group of NCAA hopefuls and foreign stars will vie for just 30 highly coveted first-round picks, earning them lucrative NBA deals for up to four years, with the first overall pick taking in up to $57 million.Over the course of a four-year contract, the first overall pick is expected to make $57.19 million, according to estimates from
Total four-year payments gradually decrease from there, to $51.18 million for the second overall pick, $45.98 million for the third, then $41.47 million and $37.57 million for the fifth pick—down to $12.84 million for the 30th pick of the first round. That comes out to $12.61 million in the first year for the first overall pick, $11.28 million for the second, and $10.13 million for the third—and $2.50 million for the 30th.If that contract value holds up, the first overall pick would narrowly outpace the first-year deal secured by San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, who landed a $12.16 million rookie deal last year.
It would also beat Paolo Banchero’s 2022 contract with the Orlando Magic as first overall pick, which hit the league max at $11.6 million, while in 2021, Cade Cunningham’s max rookie contract with the Detroit Pistons gave him $10 million in his first year.’s collective bargaining agreement, and those deals can be extended for a third and fourth year, with annual salary increasing throughout the length of those contract periods.