FanSided's NBA Draft Central has you covered from every angle with the latest mock drafts, rankings, detailed notes on every top prospect and more.
The 2025 NBA Draft is set to take place on Wednesday, June 25, live from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. If you haven’t already guessed, Cooper Flagg is projected to headline the event and live up to his nickname — “The Maine Event” — as the likely No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks.
But after Flagg, the rest of the draft board is wide open.
Will Rutgers teammates Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper be drafted together? Where will VJ Edgecombe end up? And how will the rising stars from Duke be spread across the league?
While fans may be focused on where their favorite player will land, there’s another major factor at play: rookie contracts. Not all first-rounders are paid equally — the higher you’re drafted, the more money you make, especially in your rookie season.
For reference, here’s what the No. 1 overall pick is projected to earn in 2025:
2025 NBA Rookie Salary Projections: What to expect
Picks | Earnings |
|---|---|
1st overall pick | $11.5 million |
2nd overall pick | $10.3 million |
3rd overall pick | $9.2 million |
4th overall pick | $8.3 million |
5th overall pick | $7.5 million |
6th and 7th overall pick | $6 million range |
8th - 10th overall pick | $5 million range |
11th - 14th overall pick | $4 million range |
15th - 20th overall pick | $3 million range |
21st - 30th overall pick | $2 million range |
Thanks to the rising salary cap under the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), rookie contracts have grown substantially over the years. Each first-round pick is slotted into a pre-determined salary range, with a four-year scale that escalates each season.
The importance of draft position and 2015-16 rookie contracts
Picks | Earnings |
|---|---|
1st and 2nd overall pick | $4 million range |
3rd - 5th overall pick | $3 million range |
6th - 10th overall pick | $2 million range |
11th - 28th overall pick | $1 million range |
29th and 30th overall pick | $900,000 range |
Compare that to Karl-Anthony Towns, the top pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, who made around $4.7 million in his rookie year — nearly triple of what this year’s top pick is expected to earn.
Even just a few spots lower can significantly impact a player’s earning potential. For example:
Over a four-year span, the difference between being drafted No. 5 vs. No. 15 can mean a multi-million-dollar gap — even before endorsements or second contracts are on the table.
That’s why the pre-draft process is so critical. These final workouts, interviews, and combine measurements? They’re not just about bragging rights. They could be the difference between generational wealth or fighting to prove you’re more than just a late-first-rounder.
As this new class of talent prepares for its moment under the lights, the draft isn't just about basketball dreams — it’s also a business. And in Brooklyn on June 25, every selection matters.