All NBA rookie contracts eventually reach a fork in the road: the team extends the player to a long-term contract or allows him to play out his final year and try restricted free agency. The players who receive "max" money are indicators of who the true core stars are.
This article will explain how extension eligibility works at the rookie level and round up who will be receiving a rookie-level extension in the 2025 offseason, for the NBA 2026-27 season. This is not about in-game statistics — it's just about contract status — and the season hasn't even begun yet.
In one line: a rookie scale max extension is a deal a team gives a former first round pick in the final year of his four-year rookie contract, and ties him up to five more years at the maximum rookie salary. It's the way to make a low-cost draft pick a long-term cornerstone before he even hits unrestricted free agency.
Rookie level contracts are four seasons for first round picks, two years guaranteed and two team options. When a player is in the last year of a contract, the team with which he is playing has the first shot at extending him before any other team can make a move on him.
A rookie-scale extension is only allowed to be negotiated by a player and his team in a specific window, which opens after his third season and closes October 1 prior to his fourth season. If he misses that deadline, he will end up in restricted free agency, which means that any team can offer him a contract and his team must match it.
The most important figure in these deals is the percentage of the salary cap that a player can be paid. Most rookie scale extensions begin at 25% of the cap. However, a select few are eligible for a bumped-up 30% max in the fifth year — known as the “Designated Rookie” extension, or the Rose Rule, in honor of the first player it was used on, Derrick Rose.
| Rose Rule qualifying criteria (need at least one) | What it means |
| Named to an All-NBA team (any of the three teams) in the most recent season, or in two of the previous three seasons | Rewards sustained All-NBA-level play, not a one-off |
| Named Defensive Player of the Year in the most recent season, or in two of the previous three seasons | Same recognition threshold, defensive side of the ball |
| Won league MVP at any point in his career | A single MVP win qualifies a player outright |
Since their four-year rookie contracts expire in NBA 2025-26, the 2022 NBA Draft class (including Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., Jalen Williams, Bennedict Mathurin, Jaden Ivey, Keegan Murray, and Walker Kessler) was eligible for extension at the rookie level in the 2025 offseason. That gave this class the flavor of last summer's extension season, and thus a portion of the payroll landscape teams will have to navigate in 2026-27.
The 2025 offseason saw some signs of rookie-level max or near-max extensions from this group, most notably Banchero, Holmgren and Jalen Williams. The actual number of contracts and the guarantee structure will vary as the reporting process is completed, and the table below should be considered a guide and not a firm figure sheet.
| Player | Team | Draft slot (2022) | Reported extension outcome |
| Paolo Banchero | Orlando Magic | No. 1 | Reported rookie-scale max extension |
| Chet Holmgren | Oklahoma City Thunder | No. 2 | Reported rookie-scale max extension |
| Jalen Williams | Oklahoma City Thunder | No. 12 | Reported rookie-scale max or near-max extension |
| Jabari Smith Jr. | Houston Rockets | No. 3 | Extension talks reported; final terms unverified |
| Bennedict Mathurin | Indiana Pacers | No. 6 | Extension reported; final terms unverified |
| Jaden Ivey | Detroit Pistons | No. 5 | Status unverified — flag for confirmation |
| Keegan Murray | Sacramento Kings | No. 4 | Status unverified — flag for confirmation |
| Walker Kessler | Utah Jazz | No. 22 (2nd round) | Rare 2nd-rounder in extension talks; different track from rookie-scale |
Not all players who are eligible for extensions receive full money, and that's okay:
Rookie extensions are a good indication of who teams are developing for the long haul — and that's important when the games begin to count. That value on the court, Filipino fans can follow it here, at Sports OKBet.
Gambling on the NBA should remain a form of entertainment, not a financial plan. Before the season begins, set a budget and adhere to it, no matter how a rookie's new contract performs on the court, and walk away if the betting becomes unfun. See the PAGCOR responsible gaming page for tools, limits and support resources.
Rookie scale extension season is where the next chapter of a draft class is written — the rules are set, and a team's actual numbers aren't always known when the ink dries. Several rosters were changed in 2022-23 due to the extension cycle for the 2022 class. Stay updated on the fallout and keep an eye on the live NBA odds on Sports OKBet as the season kicks off.
When a team extends a contract with its own drafted player in the fourth year of his rookie contract, it means he will be locked in for up to five additional seasons at the max salary he can make during that period.
The window is open after the player's third season and will close October 1 before the start of his fourth season. If he does miss, then he'll become a restricted free agent at the end of year four.
The nickname for the rule that allows a rookie-scale extension to reach a 30% max (as opposed to the standard 25%) if the player has made an All-NBA team, won Defensive Player of the Year or won MVP under certain recency requirements.
No. Some reportedly received full or near-max extensions, others received smaller conditional extensions or played toward restricted free agency. Do not consider any individual figure as definitive until the verification callouts are seen above.
He is a restricted free agent, meaning that his original team can match any offer sheet he signs elsewhere, and plays out year four of his rookie deal.
Yes — some deals contain trigger language that gives the player a bump to the 30% Designated Rookie salary if the player is able to meet the Rose Rule requirements within a designated time frame after signing.
