Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The 2026 NBA Draft approaches with rookie salaries tied to strict salary cap percentages for first-round picks.
- First-round selections can negotiate between 80 percent and 120 percent of their assigned rookie scale value, while second-rounders have no set scale.
- Understanding these figures against the $165 million max cap reveals how teams balance cost-controlled talent against luxury-tax risks.
The 2026 NBA Draft is nearly upon us. Every team has a lot to lose, as who they use their capital on could dictate how the next decade of basketball goes for them.
Outside of setting your team up for years to come, though, hitting on draft picks is a huge boost in a game where each team has limited financial resources, as there are pre-set amounts that players are paid based on where they get drafted. So, if you can get a player who is already ready to perform like a seasoned-veteran, you are getting a cost-controlled contributor to add to your expense sheet.
But how much will this year's rookies be getting paid? Let's go over what each draft pick will get based on where they get selected.
2026-27 NBA Salary Structure
While all of these guys will be receiving life-changing money, the number they are getting paid only really matters when you compare it to the maximum salary cap figure. For the 2026-27 NBA season, the maximum salary cap is $165 million. So, be sure to keep that in mind when looking at these figures.
RealGM is usually the best source for finding information like this. However, they have yet to update their website to reflect what rookies will be getting for each pick in 2026-27. Fortunately, we can estimate these figures based on the percentage of the salary cap that each rookie gets at each specific spot.
Pick | 2026-27 Salary | % Of Salary Cap |
|---|---|---|
#1 | $12.3 Million | 7.5% |
#2 | $11 Million | 6.7% |
#3 | $9.9 Million | 6.0% |
#4 | $8.9 Million | 5.4% |
#5 | $8.1 Million | 4.9% |
#6 | $7.4 Million | 4.5% |
#7 | $6.7 Million | 4.1% |
#8 | $6.1 Million | 3.7% |
#9 | $5.7 Million | 3.4% |
#10 | $5.3 Million | 3.2% |
#11 | $5.1 Million | 3.1% |
#12 | $4.8 Million | 2.9% |
#13 | $4.6 Million | 2.8% |
#14 | $4.4 Milllion | 2.7% |
#15 | $4.2 Million | 2.5% |
#16 | $3.9 Million | 2.4% |
#17 | $3.7 Million | 2.3% |
#18 | $3.5 Million | 2.1% |
#19 | $3.4 Million | 2.1% |
#20 | $3.2 Million | 1.9% |
#21 | $3.1 Million | 1.9% |
#22 | $3 Million | 1.8% |
#23 | $2.9 Million | 1.7% |
#24 | $2.8 Million | 1.7% |
#25 | $2.7 Million | 1.6% |
#26 | $2.6 Million | 1.6% |
#27 | $2.5 Million | 1.5% |
#28 | $2.5 Million | 1.5% |
#29 | $2.5 Million | 1.5% |
#30 | $2.5 Million | 1.5% |
A couple of things you need to note as you look at these figures. First, while rookie contracts are largely pre-determined, there is some room for negotiation. First round picks can sign for as much as 120 percent of the number you see for their pick. They can also take a pay cut and sign for 80 percent of that number.
The other thing to note is that the rookie scale only exists for first-round picks. There is no pre-set numbers for players selected in the second round, or for those who go undrafted. So, in theory, a second-round pick could get more money in their first year than a first round pick. However, this usually doesn't happen, as the players who go in the second round are usually less-coveted than those that get taken in the first round.
What typically happens to those guys is that they sign a two-way contract or sign for the league minimum, which is roughly $1.4 million for rookies next season (0.8 percent of the salary cap).
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