The 2012 NBA Draft was pretty eventful and it was fun to watch our favorite college players make a big step in their careers. Now many people are wondering, how much are these kids going to get paid? Unlike other leagues, the NBA has a set pay scale for rookies, and it’s based solely on their draft position. This is why the NBA draft is so important for the NBA’s newest players. These salaries are pretty much locked in and the NBA team has the option to retain the player for their third and fourth years.
Notably, a team can offer a player 80-120% of the money in the scale below, and it’s almost always closer to %120, but it depends on the player and the skill of his agent. The “qualifying offer” (listed as “QO” below) is the extra percent of his third year salary that the team must offer the player to keep him from being a restricted free agent in his fourth year. Here is what the NBA’s newest players will likely be making for the next two to four years:
1. Anthony Davis – Hornets
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $4,286,900 | $4,479,800 | $4,672,700 | 26.10% | 30.00% |
2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrest – Bobcats
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $3,835,600 | $4,008,200 | $4,180,800 | 26.20% | 30.50% |
3. Bradley Beal – Wizards
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $3,444,400 | $3,599,400 | $3,754,400 | 26.40% | 31.20% |
4. Dion Waiters – Cavaliers
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $3,105,500 | $3,245,200 | $3,385,000 | 26.50% | 31.90% |
5. Thomas Robinson – Kings
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $2,812,200 | $2,938,700 | $3,065,300 | 26.70% | 32.60% |
6. Damian Lillard – Trail Blazers
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $2,554,200 | $2,669,100 | $2,784,100 | 26.80% | 33.40% |
7. Harrison Barnes – Warriors
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $2,331,700 | $2,436,600 | $2,541,600 | 27.00% | 34.10% |
8. Terrence Ross – Raptors
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $2,136,100 | $2,232,200 | $2,328,300 | 27.20% | 34.80% |
9. Andre Drummond – Pistons
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,963,600 | $2,052,000 | $2,140,300 | 27.40% | 35.50% |
10. Austin Rivers – Hornets
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,865,300 | $1,949,200 | $2,033,200 | 27.50% | 36.20% |
11. Meyers Leonard – Trail Blazers
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,772,100 | $1,851,800 | $1,931,600 | 32.70% | 36.90% |
12. Jeremy Lamb – Rockets
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,683,500 | $1,759,300 | $1,835,000 | 37.80% | 37.60% |
13. Kendall Marshall – Suns
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,599,300 | $1,671,300 | $1,743,200 | 42.90% | 38.30% |
14. John Henson – Bucks
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,519,400 | $1,587,800 | $1,656,100 | 48.10% | 39.10% |
15. Maurice Harkless – 76ers
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,443,300 | $1,508,200 | $1,573,200 | 53.30% | 39.80% |
16. Royce White – Rockets
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,371,200 | $1,432,900 | $1,494,600 | 53.40% | 40.50% |
17. Tyler Zeller – Cavaliers
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,302,600 | $1,361,200 | $1,419,800 | 53.60% | 41.20% |
18. Terrence Jones – Rockets
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,237,500 | $1,293,200 | $1,348,900 | 53.80% | 41.90% |
19. Andrew Nicholson – Magic
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,181,800 | $1,235,000 | $1,288,200 | 54.00% | 42.60% |
20. Even Fournier – Nuggets
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,134,500 | $1,185,600 | $1,236,600 | 54.20% | 43.30% |
21. Jared Sullinger – Celtics
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,089,100 | $1,138,100 | $1,187,100 | 59.30% | 44.10% |
22. Fab Melo – Celtics
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,045,600 | $1,092,700 | $1,139,700 | 64.50% | 44.80% |
23. John Jenkins – Hawks
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $1,003,800 | $1,049,000 | $1,094,100 | 69.70% | 45.50% |
24. Jared Cunningham – Mavericks
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $963,600 | $1,007,000 | $1,050,300 | 74.90% | 46.20% |
25. Tony Wroten Jr. – Grizzlies
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $925,100 | $966,700 | $1,008,400 | 80.10% | 46.90% |
26. Miles Plumlee – Pacers
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $894,400 | $934,600 | $974,900 | 80.30% | 47.60% |
27. Arnett Moultrie – 76ers
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $868,600 | $907,700 | $946,800 | 80.40% | 48.30% |
28. Perry Jones III – Thunder
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $863,300 | $902,100 | $941,000 | 80.50% | 49.00% |
29. Marquis Teague – Bulls
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $857,000 | $895,600 | $934,100 | 80.50% | 50.00% |
30. Festus Ezeli – Warriors
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 QO
| $850,800 | $889,100 | $927,400 | 80.50% | 50.00% |
Draft position is everything. As you can see, there’s a HUGE drop-off between the first and the tenth picks in the draft–about $2.4 million per year. But still, going in the first round is a big deal, as this money is guarnteed for at least the first two years.
Second round players are not guaranteed any money and often make only the league minimum. Yet, early second round picks can often sign guaranteed contracts for more than the league minimum. About the mid-second round, all bets are off. Obviously, being drafted in the second round is nowhere near as good as being drafted in the first.
By: Todd Davis
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Todd Davis is former college basketball player and is currently a business litigation attorney in Miami. He graduated law school with an emphasis in sports law.
That means Kentucky’s two top players will earn about $25.5 mil by the time they would have graduated from UK. Anybody that faults a kid for being “1 and done” is an idiot…or dislikes earning money.
Staying in college when this much money is guaranteed is redic….
It’s a shame how much money Sullinger lost, but I’m excited he fell to Celtics. The guy can contribute right away offensively and he really knows how to play the game. Let’s just hope that back holds up.