Players and agents are jockeying for position to be one of the top picks in the NBA Draft and cash in with a lucrative contract. This jockeying is important because if a player slips in the draft, he stands to lose millions with the NBA’s rookie salary limits.
Last year’s top pick, Ben Simmons, signed a four-year contract worth up to $26.6 million with just the first two years and $12.1 million guaranteed. Meanwhile, the 16th pick in the draft received a deal worth just $9.1 million with $3.9 million guaranteed.
Things really drop in the second round, where the contracts are shorter and typically only include one or two years of guaranteed money.
