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2024 NBA Rookie Scale Extension Recap

October 22nd, 2024 at 7:52am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s annual deadline for rookie scale contract extensions passed on Monday, officially bringing the extension period for 2021 first-round picks to an end.

There was some speculation that there may be a downturn in rookie scale extensions this year, given the lack of projected cap room around the NBA in 2025. However, that turned out not to be the case, as 11 eligible players signed new contracts this year.

We’ve seen a noticeable uptick in rookie scale extensions in recent years, with at least 10 such deals completed in each of the last five offseasons. Prior to 2020, the last time as many as 10 rookie scale extensions were signed in a single league year was back in 2006, when players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh were signing their second NBA contracts.

Since 2020, however, the total rookie scale extensions by year has been as follows:

Here’s a breakdown of the 11 rookie scale extensions signed before this year’s deadline, sorted by total value. In cases where we haven’t yet seen the official contract terms for the extension, we’re basing our figures on the latest reports and will update these numbers as necessary. These deals will go into effect beginning in 2025/26.

Note: Projected values for maximum-salary extensions are based on a 10% annual salary cap increase in 2025. If the cap doesn’t increase by that much, those max extensions won’t be worth as much, since they’re based on a percentage of the cap.

  • Scottie Barnes (Raptors): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $224,238,150. Projected value can increase to $269,085,780 if Barnes meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
  • Cade Cunningham (Pistons): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $224,238,150. Projected value can increase to $269,085,780 if Cunningham meets Rose Rule performance criteria.
  • Evan Mobley (Cavaliers): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $224,238,150. Projected value can increase to $246,661,965 or $269,085,780 if Mobley meets Rose Rule performance criteria. Includes 15% trade kicker.
  • Franz Wagner (Magic): Five years, maximum salary (story). Projected value of $224,238,150. Projected value can increase to $246,661,965 or $269,085,780 if Wagner meets Rose Rule performance criteria.
  • Alperen Sengun (Rockets): Five years, $185,000,000 (story). Includes fifth-year player option.
  • Jalen Suggs (Magic): Five years, $150,500,000 (story).
  • Jalen Johnson (Hawks): Five years, $150,000,000 (story).
  • Trey Murphy (Pelicans): Four years, $112,000,000 (story).
  • Jalen Green (Rockets): Three years, $105,333,333 (story). Includes third-year player option and 10% trade kicker.
  • Corey Kispert (Wizards): Four years, $54,050,000 (story). Includes fourth-year team option.
  • Moses Moody (Warriors): Three years, $37,500,000 (story). Includes $1,500,000 in incentives.

As is typically the case, the maximum-salary deals were completed relatively early in the offseason, with Barnes, Cunningham, and Wagner all signed by July 10 and Mobley’s deal coming a couple weeks later.

While I’m not necessarily surprised that those four players got max extensions, it’s worth noting that their career résumés are a little lighter than what we typically see from that group of maximum-salary players. Barnes is the only one of the four who has earned an All-Star nod. By comparison, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and LaMelo Ball had each made an All-Star team before signing their max extensions a year ago.

That’s not to say that this year’s maximum-salary rookie scale extensions are ill-advised investments, but they’re certainly big bets on continued growth from those four players.

No rookie scale extension agreements were reached between July 22 – when Mobley signed his contract with the Cavs – and October 19, but we got a flurry of action in the final 24 hours before Monday’s deadline, with Warriors guard Moses Moody striking a deal on Sunday night and six more players following suit on Monday.

Moody’s three-year, $39MM deal with Golden State was the smallest of 2024’s rookie scale extensions in terms of both overall money and average annual value, but it’s one of the more intriguing deals of the year. Securing $39MM in guaranteed money is a big win for a player who has never averaged more than 17.5 minutes per game or made more than 11 starts in a season, but Moody still has enough upside that the contract could turn into a steal for the Warriors.

Kispert got the only other rookie scale extension worth less than $100MM overall, with his new four-year deal coming in a little under the non-taxpayer mid-level exception. That’s a fair price for a player who can spread the floor like Kispert, and it could look more team-friendly if he continues to expand his offensive game and/or improves defensively.

I wasn’t necessarily expecting the Rockets to extend Sengun and Green at this time, since they could have put themselves in position to be a cap-space team in 2025 by not locking up that duo quite yet.

That option is likely off the table now, but that’s OK — Houston did well to get Sengun for nearly $40MM below his projected max, and the deal with Green is a unique one that could be a win-win. The former No. 2 overall pick gets a nine-figure payday while the Rockets get another two or three years to observe his growth and assess whether he’s worth a more lucrative longer-term commitment.

Reporting leading up to Monday’s deadline indicated that Suggs and Johnson were among the players seeking $30MM+ annual salaries on rookie scale extensions. Both players got there, just barely, on new five-year contracts with their respective Southeast clubs. Already an All-Defensive player, Suggs is poised to take on more offensive responsibilities in 2024/25 and beyond. If he handles that increased offensive role well, he should deliver a solid return on investment for the Magic.

The Johnson deal could be viewed as a risky bet on a relatively small sample, since the forward had played an extremely limited role for the Hawks in his first two seasons before breaking out in an injury-shortened year in 2023/24. But there’s a path to stardom for Johnson, and if he continues along that path, that $30MM annual salary will eventually look like a bargain for Atlanta.

Finally, Murphy locked in a new deal at $28MM per year with the Pelicans, who have now secured Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, and Murphy on long-term contracts. Murphy’s extension suggests that either Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum might be playing for a new team within a year or two, since the cost-conscious Pels would have to go well into luxury tax territory to hang onto both veterans beyond 2025.

A total of 24 players entered the offseason eligible for rookie scale extensions, so almost half the players in that group signed them. That leaves 13 players who didn’t reach agreements and will be entering contract years.

Here’s that list of those players, who are now eligible to become restricted free agents during the 2025 offseason, assuming they finish out their current contracts:

Kuminga is the most noteworthy extension candidate not to sign a new deal before Monday’s deadline. He and the Warriors reportedly had discussions throughout the offseason but didn’t ultimately gain serious traction toward an agreement.

Golden State’s offer was rumored to be in the neighborhood of $30MM per year, whereas a maximum-salary extension for Kuminga would have been worth in the $43-45MM range. He’ll bet on himself this season in hopes of securing a huge payday in restricted free agency.

Giddey and Thomas are among the other notable extension candidates who didn’t get new deals and could be targets for lucrative offer sheets in July of 2025. I had viewed players like Aldama, Grimes, Jackson, and Mann as potential candidates for modest extensions, but they’ll have to prove their worth this season too.

A few players in this group – like Duarte, Springer, and Williams – never looked like serious extension candidates and will need to make their case this season that they’re worthy of qualifying offers in 2025 free agency.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that there were six players selected in the first round of the 2021 draft who weren’t eligible at all for rookie scale extensions entering this offseason, for various reasons. Those players are as follows:

Of these six players, only Johnson is currently on a standard NBA contract — he has a non-guaranteed deal with the Nets. Christopher (Heat) and Jones (Clippers) are on two-way contracts, while Garuba is playing in Spain for Real Madrid. Bouknight and Primo aren’t on a roster and may open the season in the G League.

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Aaron Gordon Signs Long-Term Extension With Nuggets

October 21st, 2024 at 11:00pm CST by Dana Gauruder

11:00pm: Gordon’s new deal with the Nuggets is official, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

7:38pm: The Nuggets and forward Aaron Gordon have agreed on a contract extension, NBA insider Chris Haynes tweets. The deal will include a player option and a trade kicker, Shams Charania of ESPN tweets.

While Haynes and Charania refer to the contract as a four-year extension, the agreement will actually adding three new years to Gordon’s current contract and will begin in 2026.

Gordon, who is earning a base salary of $22.84MM in 2024/25, will exercise his $22.84MM player option for ’25/26 as part of the agreement, then receive his maximum salary for the next three seasons after that, Charania adds (Twitter link).

Because Gordon is eligible for a 40% raise on his option salary, the extension will start at $31.98MM, with a ’27/28 salary of $34.54MM and a player option worth $37.1MM in ’28/29. The deal will include $103.61MM in total new money over those three seasons, plus incentives that could increase the total value to approximately $109MM.

Gordon is the second Nuggets starter to get a major extension this offseason. Denver locked up point guard Jamal Murray with a four-year, maximum-salary extension in September.

Superstar center Nikola Jokic and forward Michael Porter Jr. are both signed through the 2026/27 season, with Jokic also holding a player option for ’27/28.

The Nuggets lost Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in free agency in July and were intent on keeping their remaining core intact. Gordon would have remained extension-eligible during the season if he had declined his ’25/26 option as part of an agreement, but had to get the deal done by Monday night in order to pick up that option and extend off that number.

If he had declined his option, Gordon would have eligible for up to $143.3MM on a four-year extension starting in 2025, so the Nuggets managed to get the deal done somewhat lower than that figure. That should help the team better manage its luxury tax situation in ’25/26.

Gordon has proven to be a versatile starter since he was acquired from Orlando during the 2020/21 season, fitting in well with Jokic on offense and providing solid defense on the wing. He has appeared in at least 68 regular season games in each of his three full seasons with Denver. Last season, Gordon averaged 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while struggling with his shooting from deep (29.0%).

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And-Ones: Walker, Silver, G League Rules, Cauley-Stein

October 21st, 2024 at 10:40pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After getting waived by the Celtics, Lonnie Walker could have a European opportunity if he’s willing to go that route. Real Madrid is targeting the forward, according to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews. Real Madrid is also exploring other potential options.

Walker will likely draw some NBA interest after clearing waivers on Monday. Boston let him go mainly due to luxury tax concerns.

As Urbonas notes, reporting to the Maine Celtics to open the season and trying to earn a promotion from the G League back to the NBA is another option for the six-year veteran, who holds career averages of 9.8 PPG and 2.3 RPG. He was the 18th pick of the 2018 draft.

We have more from around the international basketball world:

  • NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that expansion produces side issues that often go unnoticed to the general public, he told Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix. “It’s one of the reasons why expansion isn’t as obvious as some people might think. There is a point of view that I often encounter that expansion is printing money. It’s not,” Silver said. “First of all, you’re in essence selling equity in the league. To the extent you have new national television deals, you now have two new partners, so you’re dividing up the money by two additional ways. There’s also a dilution of talent. It’s one of the reasons we haven’t expanded anytime recently, because we’ve been working towards creating a more competitive league.”
  • The NBA G League is experimenting with several new rules, including a target score for overtimes, according to a league press release. Games that go to overtime will be determined by a final target score of seven points. For example, if the teams are tied at 100-100, the target score would be 107. A one free throw rule, expanded coaches challenges, and not counting missed end-of-quarter “heaves” toward a player’s field goal percentage against are among the other experimental rules.
  • Former NBA big man Willie Cauley-Stein has signed with Chinese team Nanjing Monkey Kings, according to HoopsHype. Cauley-Stein had hoped to find another NBA opportunity but that didn’t pan out.
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Spurs Notes: Castle, Minix, Wembanyama

October 21st, 2024 at 9:11pm CST by Rory Maher

No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle said both before and after the draft that he views himself as a point guard, but his role heading into his rookie season is uncertain, writes Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). The Spurs signed Chris Paul in free agency and also have Tre Jones, who started most of the past two seasons at point. Third-year guards Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley have initiated the offense at times as well.

“I don’t really know, but it doesn’t really matter to me,” Castle said of how head coach Gregg Popovich plans to use him.

Whichever positions Castle is tasked with, he says he’s ready to contribute.

“I feel like just using my versatility to be on the court is the main thing,” said Castle. “Just going out there and not really giving myself any kind of expectations. Just kind of trying to play free. So, I feel like the biggest thing is being on the court so I can find a way to help us win. That’s a good enough role for me.”

Here’s more on the Spurs:

  • Popovich claimed last week that he didn’t know who Riley Minix was when training camp opened, but the undrafted rookie forward has made a strong impression on the legendary coach, Orsborn adds. The Spurs recently converted Minix’s Exhibit 10 deal to a two-way contract. He says he didn’t do anything out of the ordinary to get Popovich’s attention. “Just staying confident, playing my game, doing whatever the team needed, being able to shoot the ball, make shots when I was open, just all the little things I have been doing all my life,” Minix said.
  • Rookie of the Year. Runner-up for Defensive Player of the Year. All-Defensive First Team. Silver medal. Big man Victor Wembanyama accomplished all of those things in his first year-plus after being selected No. 1 overall in 2023. While he doesn’t take those accolades for granted, Wembanyama says he has much more he wants to accomplish, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. “It’s the same for all of my trophies, team trophies or even individual,” Wembanyama said. “I love them. I really cherish them. But I want all my trophies that I get right now to be bricks to build something great in the future. You know, one brick by itself is not much. You can get a palace when you accumulate them.”
  • In case you missed it, guards Malachi Flynn, Brandon Boston and Jamaree Bouyea — all of whom were on Exhibit 10 deals for training camp — were released on Saturday to finalize San Antonio’s regular season roster. Boston was subsequently claimed by the Pelicans on Monday.
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Wizards Re-Sign Jared Butler On Two-Way Deal, Waive Dennis

October 21st, 2024 at 6:21pm CST by Dana Gauruder

10:42pm: Butler has officially signed his two-way deal, according to the NBA transactions log.

6:21pm: The Wizards are bringing back free agent guard Jared Butler on a two-way deal, Marc Stein tweets.

Butler was on a standard contract with Washington entering training camp but was cut on Saturday. He cleared waivers on Monday.

It’s not surprising that Butler was brought back by the Wizards, who reportedly explored ways to keep Butler on the 15-man roster. He was on a non-guaranteed contract and the team was already carrying 15 players on fully guaranteed deals. It’s entirely possible Butler will wind up signing another standard contract at some point this season.

To make room for Butler, the Wizards waived guard RayJ Dennis, according to the NBA transactions log.

The 40th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Butler spent time with Utah and Oklahoma City before playing for the Wizards in 2023/24. He was on a two-way contract for most of the season before being converted to a multiyear standard contract in April.

Butler appeared in a total of 40 NBA games last season, averaging 6.3 points, 3.2 assists, and 1.5 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per night, with a .488 FG%. He also had a strong preseason this month, with averages of 6.8 PPG and 4.2 APG on .536/.400/.667 shooting in five games (14.3 MPG).

Dennis was just signed to a two-way contract over the weekend. The undrafted Baylor guard averaged 13.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 34.3 minutes per game across 35 contests last season (all starts).

The Wizards opted to retain Justin Champagnie and Tristan Vukcevic with their other two-way deals.

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Pistons Exercise 2025/26 Options On Four Players

October 21st, 2024 at 5:36pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Pistons have exercised their 2025/26 contract options on Jaden Ivey, Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser, the team’s PR department tweets.

For Ivey and Duren, the options cover their fourth NBA seassons. Ivey, the fifth pick in 2022, will now get a guaranteed $10,107,163. Duren, chosen 13th overall that same draft after the Pistons swung a deal to acquire him, will make $6,483,144 next season.

Both players will either start or be regular second-unit players this season. They will be eligible for rookie scale extensions next summer.

Thompson and Sasser were first-rounders last season. Thompson, the No. 5 pick in 2023, will make $8,775,162 in 2025/26, while Sasser, the No. 25 pick last year, will receive $2,886,431. The Pistons will have until October 31, 2025 to pick up their fourth-year options for ’26/27.

Notably, the Pistons also have a fifth player who has a rookie scale team option for 2025/26: Wendell Moore, acquired over the summer in a trade with Minnesota, would make $4,574,283 if his option is picked up.

While Detroit still has another 10 days to exercise Moore’s option, teams typically announce all of those decisions at the same time, so his omission from today’s press release is a strong indication that option won’t be picked up. Assuming that’s the case, he’d become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

We’re tracking all of the ’25/26 rookie scale option decisions right here.

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Rockets, Alperen Sengun Finalize Five-Year Extension

October 21st, 2024 at 5:35pm CST by Luke Adams

5:35pm: Sengun has officially signed his new contract with the Rockets, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

4:49pm: The Rockets and big man Alperen Sengun have reached an agreement on a five-year rookie scale extension, agents Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz tell Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal is worth $185MM, with a fifth-year player option, according to Marks.

Sengun, 22, is coming off a breakout season that saw him finish third in Most Improved Player voting. He set new career highs in points (21.1), rebounds (9.3), assists (5.0), and steals (1.2) per game while making 53.7% of his field goal attempts in 63 starts (32.5 MPG) before ankle and knee injuries prematurely ended his season.

Despite Sengun’s star turn, there was uncertainty entering the fall about whether or not he and the Rockets would work out a rookie scale extension, since Houston wasn’t expected to offer him a maximum-salary deal at this time and was in position to maximize its 2025 cap room by postponing a new deal for Sengun. If he had entered next offseason as a restricted free agent, Sengun would have had a cap hold of just $16.3MM.

However, Sengun said on media day that he was interested in signing an extension before the 2024/25 season tipped off and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported at the time that there was a “legitimate chance” the two sides would reach a deal.

Having agreed to terms with both Sengun and Jalen Green, who signed a three-year, $105.3MM extension, the Rockets now appear poised to operate over the cap next summer rather than under it.

They also have two of their cornerstone players locked up for multiple seasons beyond 2024/25. In addition to Sengun and Green, Rockets youngsters Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, and Reed Sheppard are also under contract through at least 2027.

Sengun is one of seven players to complete a rookie scale extension in the past 24 hours, joining Jalen Johnson, Jalen Suggs, Trey Murphy, Corey Kispert, Moses Moody, and his teammate Green.

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Hawks Sign Jalen Johnson To Five-Year Extension

October 21st, 2024 at 5:34pm CST by Luke Adams

5:34pm: Johnson’s extension, which just narrowly beat the 5:00 pm Central time deadline, is official, according to NBA.com’s transaction log.

5:07pm: The Hawks have agreed to sign forward Jalen Johnson to a five-year rookie scale extension worth $150MM, agent Rich Paul tells NBA reporter Chris Haynes (Twitter link). The deal will be fully guaranteed, according to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Johnson, who will turn 23 in December, has steadily gained a bigger foothold in the Hawks’ rotation since seeing limited action in 22 games as a rookie in 2021/22. He broke out in a major way in his third NBA season, averaging 16.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 steals in 33.7 minutes per game while posting a shooting line of .511/.355/.728 in 56 outings (52 starts).

Injuries prevented Johnson from playing a full season in 2023/24, but he’s healthy this fall and appears poised to take another step forward for a retooling Hawks team that traded away one of its primary offensive options (Dejounte Murray) over the summer. Johnson has been one of the betting favorites for the Most Improved Player award ahead of the season.

With Johnson poised to take on a more significant role in year four, it made sense for the Hawks to move now to secure him to a long-term contract, since he could further increase his value with a big season in ’24/25.

Johnson’s $30MM-per-year extension puts him right in line with the five-year, $150.5MM deal that Jalen Suggs completed with the Magic and is the seventh-biggest rookie scale extension signed this offseason, behind Suggs, Alperen Sengun, and the four players who got maximum-salary commitments (Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, and Franz Wagner).

Johnson and No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher project to be long-term cornerstones in Atlanta, while young center Onyeka Okongwu is also under contract for the next four seasons. Atlanta’s performance in 2024/25 may go a long way toward determining whether three-time All-Star Trae Young is also considered a part of that future core beyond his current contract, which has two guaranteed years remaining.

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Wizards Sign Corey Kispert To Four-Year Extension

October 21st, 2024 at 5:16pm CST by Luke Adams

5:16pm: Kispert’s extension is official, the Wizards announced in a press release.

“Corey is someone who positively impacts our environment daily. He consistently shows up for the organization as both a player and a teammate, embodying the passion and professionalism we value,” Dawkins said in a statement. “We are excited that he has the opportunity to continue his growth and development in Washington. He’s a relentless worker who has added to his game each season. We look forward to his further evolution in the coming years.”

3:53pm: The Wizards are signing swingman Corey Kispert to a four-year, $54MM rookie scale extension, agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

The deal will include a team option on the fourth year, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Kispert, 25, has been a regular part of Washington’s rotation since being selected out of Gonzaga with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He averaged a career-high 13.4 points per game last season while also chipping in 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 25.8 minutes per night across 80 outings (22 starts).

Kispert’s calling card is his ability to knock down outside shots. Over the past two seasons, he has converted 40.2% of 5.6 three-point attempts per contest, making him a valuable floor-spacer.

Since Kispert was drafted by the Wizards’ previous front office, it wasn’t clear leading up to Monday’s extension deadline whether the current decision-makers would value him highly enough to sign him to a long-term deal.

However, president Michael Winger and general manager Will Dawkins showed last fall in extending Deni Avdija that they’re willing to lock up young talent if the price is reasonable, even if that player was a carryover from the previous regime and isn’t necessarily a lock to be in the team’s long-term plans — Avdija was traded this July.

It’s possible Kispert could eventually emerge as a trade candidate too for the rebuilding Wizards, though moving him in 2024/25 would be tricky due to the poison pill provision.

A full four-year mid-level exception contract in 2025 is projected to be worth just over $60MM, so Kispert’s contract will come in a little below that figure.

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Pelicans, Trey Murphy Complete Four-Year Extension

October 21st, 2024 at 5:03pm CST by Luke Adams

5:03pm: Murphy has officially signed his contract, the Pelicans announced (via Twitter).

11:05am: The Pelicans have reached an agreement with Trey Murphy on a four-year rookie scale extension worth $112MM, agents Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz tell Marc Stein (Twitter link).

The deal, which will begin in 2025/26 and will keep Murphy out of restricted free agency next summer, won’t include a player option, tweets Christian Clark of NOLA.com. It also doesn’t feature any incentives, per Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

The 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Murphy has emerged as an integral part of the Pelicans’ rotation. In 57 games last season, he set new career highs in points (14.8), rebounds (4.9), and assists (2.2) while knocking down 38.0% of 7.8 three-point attempts per game. The 24-year-old is quickly becoming one of the NBA’s most dangerous outside shooters, with a career rate of 39.2% from beyond the arc.

Murphy’s extension isn’t far off from the five-year, $135MM deal that Devin Vassell signed with the Spurs last October. Vassell’s contract features one extra year and a slightly lower average annual value ($27MM per year, compared to $28MM for Murphy).

Murphy is the sixth player to agree to a rookie scale extension in 2024, joining Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Franz Wagner, and Moses Moody. The deadline for those deals is now just a few hours away.

Signing Murphy to a rookie scale extension ensures that the Pelicans now have four of their core players – Murphy, Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, and Herbert Jones – locked up through at least 2027.

One notable exception is Brandon Ingram, who is entering the final year of a five-year, maximum-salary contract. As Bobby Marks of ESPN observes (via Twitter), after accounting for Murphy’s extension, New Orleans projects to be about $31MM below the tax line in 2025/26, so a new deal for Ingram would almost certainly push the club beyond that threshold. That will be an important factor to consider for a Pelicans team that has never been a taxpayer.

Murphy is expected to miss some time at the start of this season, according to Charania. The Pelicans announced 18 days ago that Murphy has a right hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in three weeks.

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