Five 2023 first-round picks have signed rookie scale extensions this offseason, and another 16 first-rounders from the 2023 class have until 5:00 pm CT on Monday, October 19, to sign new deals with their respective teams.
Here are the five players who have signed rookie scale extensions in 2026, along with the values of their new contracts, which will begin in 2027/28:
Victor Wembanyama (Spurs): Five years, maximum salary (projected to be worth $255.2MM).
Amen Thompson (Rockets): Five years, $208MM.
Keyonte George (Jazz): Five years, $157.5MM. Base value of $155MM.
Ausar Thompson (Pistons): Five years, $155MM.
Brandin Podziemski (Warriors): Five years, $110MM. Fifth year mutual option.
Here are the 16 players who are eligible for rookie scale extensions until Monday’s deadline:
Anthony Black (Magic)
Noah Clowney (Nets)
Bilal Coulibaly (Wizards)
Gradey Dick (Clippers)
Scoot Henderson (Trail Blazers)
Taylor Hendricks (Grizzlies)
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Bucks)
Dereck Lively II (Mavericks)
Brandon Miller (Hornets)
Kris Murray (Grizzlies)
Marcus Sasser (Mavericks)
Brice Sensabaugh (Jazz)
Ben Sheppard (Pacers)
Julian Strawther (Nuggets)
Jarace Walker (Pacers)
Cason Wallace (Thunder)
All 16 of these players would be eligible for restricted free agency next year if they don’t sign extensions ahead of the deadline. That would require each player to finish out the season on his current contract and then receive a qualifying offer in 2027.
In a Front Office story article a couple weeks ago, our Luke Adams ranked the remaining rookie scale extension candidates from least to most likely to sign new deals. Miller came in at No. 1 on Luke’s list, with Murray and Dick holding the bottom two spots (the “not happening” tier). Podziemski, who was No. 2, signed his extension with Golden State last week.
I speculated that Miller might land a five-year deal in the range of $170-190MM when I took an in-depth look at his case for an extension on Oct. 4. Luke thought the former No. 2 overall pick might be able to do better than that, writing that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Hornets are willing to extend Miller on a contract that approaches the $208MM Amen Thompson received from Houston.
Luke and I also had a minor difference of opinion about Jaquez’s value; Luke said he thought it would take “at least $20-25MM per year” to extend Jaquez, but I speculated that the former UCLA star might end up in the range of $15-19MM annually when I explored his candidacy a few days ago. Jaquez came in at No. 5 on Luke’s list.
Wallace (No. 3 on Luke’s list) and Black (No. 4) are among the other strong candidates for lucrative extensions, though a couple of recent reports have cast doubt about Orlando extending Black due to salary cap/luxury tax concerns. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst wrote Friday morning that the Magic have been unwilling to give Black $22MM per year, which is what Podziemski got from the Warriors.
The following players were selected in the first round of the 2023 draft along with the players listed above. However, they aren’t eligible for rookie scale extensions for the reasons noted:
Kobe Brown: Fourth-year option declined by Clippers in 2025.
Kobe Bufkin: Waived by Nets in 2025.
Jordan Hawkins: Waived by Grizzlies earlier this month.
Jalen Hood-Schifino: Third-year option declined by Lakers in 2024; waived in 2025.
Jett Howard: Fourth-year option declined by Magic in 2025.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper: Waived by Mavericks in 2025.
Nick Smith Jr.: Waived by Hornets in 2025.
Dariq Whitehead: Waived by Nets in 2025.
Cam Whitmore: Waived by Cavaliers in August.