When the NBA’s 2023/24 league year begins this summer, players eligible for free agency will be able to begin negotiating and reaching contract agreements with suitors. In addition to those free agents, another group of players will also become eligible to sign new deals.
For players who are entering the fourth and final year of their rookie scale contracts, the first day of the new league year (July 1) is the first day they can agree to rookie scale extensions. Those players, who were almost all 2020 first-round selections, will have until the day before the 2023/24 regular season starts to finalize long-term agreements with their current teams.
Players eligible for rookie scale extensions can sign new deals that run for up to five years, with those contracts taking effect beginning in 2024/25. If they don’t sign extensions during the coming offseason, those players will be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2024.
Eleven players who were eligible for rookie scale extensions during the 2022 offseason signed new deals. That number tied a record set a year earlier, and continued a recent trend — we’ve seen an uptick in rookie extensions during the last few offseasons as more teams look to lock up their promising young players in advance of free agency.
We should expect several more rookie scale extensions to be signed between July and October of this year.
Here are the players who will be eligible to sign rookie scale extensions during the 2023 offseason:
- Precious Achiuwa (Raptors)
- Cole Anthony (Magic): Signed
- Deni Avdija (Wizards): Signed
LaMelo Ball (Hornets): Signed- Desmond Bane (Grizzlies): Signed
- Saddiq Bey (Hawks)
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves): Signed
- Malachi Flynn (Raptors)
- Josh Green (Mavericks): Signed
- Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers): Signed
- Killian Hayes (Pistons)
- Kira Lewis (Pelicans)
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
- Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves): Signed
- Aaron Nesmith (Pacers): Signed
- Zeke Nnaji (Nuggets): Signed
- Chuma Okeke (Magic)
- Note: Okeke was a 2019 first-round pick but didn’t sign his rookie scale contract until 2020.
- Onyeka Okongwu (Hawks): Signed
- Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers)
- Aleksej Pokusevski (Thunder)
- Payton Pritchard (Celtics): Signed
- Immanuel Quickley (Knicks)
- Isaiah Stewart (Pistons): Signed
- Obi Toppin (Pacers)
- Devin Vassell (Spurs): Signed
- Patrick Williams (Bulls)
- James Wiseman (Pistons)
The following players were selected in the first round of the 2020 draft along with the players listed above. However, they aren’t eligible for rookie scale extensions this year for the reasons noted:
- Udoka Azubuike: Fourth-year option declined by Jazz in 2022.
- Leandro Bolmaro: Signed rookie scale contract in 2021; waived by Jazz in 2023.
- R.J. Hampton: Fourth-year option declined by Magic in 2022.
- Jalen Smith: Third-year option declined by Suns in 2021.
Pritchard will get max extension, cause ……BS reasons