For gamers who’re getting into the fourth and closing 12 months of their rookie scale contracts, the primary day of the brand new league 12 months (July 1) is the primary day they’ll conform to rookie scale extensions. These gamers, who have been all 2022 first-round picks, could have till the day earlier than the 2025/26 common season begins (October 20) to finalize long-term agreements with their present groups.
Gamers eligible for rookie scale extensions can signal new offers that run for as much as 5 years, with these contracts taking impact starting in 2026/27. In the event that they don’t signal extensions through the offseason, these gamers will likely be eligible for restricted free company in the summertime of 2026.
As our tracker exhibits, 4 gamers — Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr., Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams — have already signed rookie scale extensions with their respective groups this offseason. A fifth — Blake Wesley — is now not eligible after reaching a buyout settlement with Washington and subsequently signing a one-year cope with Portland.
Eight different 2022 first-round picks are ineligible rookie scale offers for numerous causes.
That leaves 17 gamers — together with Defensive Participant of the Yr runner-up Dyson Daniels — who stay eligible for rookie scale extensions this offseason:
Whereas a few of these gamers nearly actually received’t signal new offers, we must always nonetheless see a number of extra extensions signed earlier than the October 20 deadline. There was an uptick in rookie extensions over the previous a number of offseasons as extra groups look to lock up their promising younger gamers prematurely of free company. Since 2020, at the least 10 gamers have signed rookie extensions yearly, topping out at a record-setting 14 in 2023.
