22 Players Remain Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions

Five players have signed rookie scale extensions so far this offseason.

Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton signed maximum-salary extensions in early July, while Desmond Bane joined them in that first wave on a deal worth a little less than the max.

Pistons big man Isaiah Stewart later became the fifth player to get a rookie scale extension this year, with an agreement more in the neighborhood of the mid-level.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]

That leaves a total of 22 players who remain eligible for rookie scale extensions, which can be signed up until the day before the start of the regular season. Those 22 players are as follows:

• Precious Achiuwa (Raptors)
• Cole Anthony (Magic)
• Deni Avdija (Wizards)
• Saddiq Bey (Hawks)
  
• Malachi Flynn (Raptors)
• Josh Green (Mavericks)
• Killian Hayes (Pistons)
• Kira Lewis (Pelicans)
• Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
• Jaden McDaniels (Timberwolves)
• Aaron Nesmith (Pacers)
• Zeke Nnaji (Nuggets)
• Chuma Okeke (Magic)
• Onyeka Okongwu (Hawks)
• Isaac Okoro (Cavaliers)
• Aleksej Pokusevski (Thunder)
• Payton Pritchard (Celtics)
• Immanuel Quickley (Knicks)
• Obi Toppin (Pacers)
• Devin Vassell (Spurs)
• Patrick Williams (Bulls)
• James Wiseman (Pistons)

Some players on this list almost certainly won’t sign new contracts this offseason. Guys like Flynn, Hayes, Lewis, and Wiseman, for instance, haven’t yet established themselves as reliable rotation players who are worth long-term investments, so it would be pretty surprising if they were extended.

There are plenty of other viable extensions on this list though, including two players – Avdija and McDaniels – whose cases for new deals have been outlined by our Rory Maher since the offseason began.

Of these 22 players, Maxey probably has the strongest case for a lucrative multiyear commitment, potentially even a max deal. But the Sixers reportedly don’t plan to extend Maxey this offseason because they want to maintain cap flexibility for 2024.

By holding off on an extension, the 76ers will be able to keep Maxey’s cap hold (which will be worth much less than his first-year salary in an extension) on their books next offseason, maximizing their cap room. Once they use up their space in ’24, they can go over the cap to re-sign Maxey using his Bird rights.

Who else could sign an extension in the coming weeks or months? Bey, Green, Okongwu, Quickley, and Vassell are among those who appear most deserving.

Anthony, Nesmith, and Okoro are coming off solid seasons and are extension candidates too, whereas players like Nnaji, Pritchard, Toppin, and Williams may benefit from playing more significant roles in 2023/24 that would boost their value in advance of potential restricted free agency.

Typically, after the first wave of slam-dunk rookie scale extension candidates sign their deals in early July, there isn’t a ton of action on this front until we get much closer to the October deadline. But we should expect several more deals to be completed in the fall — in each of the last three offseasons, at least 10 players have inked rookie scale extensions. If that trend continues, at least five of the 22 players above will have new deals in hand by the time the regular season tips off.