When the NBA’s 2026/27 league year officially starts on July 1 and the annual moratorium is lifted, every player from the 2023 first round who is heading into the fourth and final season of his rookie deal may begin negotiating a rookie scale extension with his current club.
Those players have until the eve of the 2026/27 regular-season opener to finalize an agreement. Any deal can run for as many as five years and would take effect in 2027/28. Players who do not sign extensions during the 2026 offseason will enter restricted free agency in July 2027.
Eligible for Rookie Scale Extensions in 2026
- Anthony Black – Magic
- Noah Clowney – Nets
- Bilal Coulibaly – Wizards
- Gradey Dick – Raptors
- Keyonte George – Jazz
- Jordan Hawkins – Pelicans
- Scoot Henderson – Trail Blazers
- Taylor Hendricks – Jazz
- Jaime Jaquez Jr. – Heat
- Dereck Lively II – Mavericks
- Brandon Miller – Hornets
- Kris Murray – Trail Blazers
- Brandin Podziemski – Warriors
- Marcus Sasser – Pistons
- Brice Sensabaugh – Jazz
- Ben Sheppard – Pacers
- Julian Strawther – Nuggets
- Amen Thompson – Rockets
- Ausar Thompson – Pistons
- Jarace Walker – Pacers
- Cason Wallace – Thunder
- Victor Wembanyama – Spurs
- Cam Whitmore – Wizards
First-Rounders Not Eligible in 2026
The following 2023 first-round picks cannot sign extensions next offseason because their rookie contracts were either declined or terminated:
- Kobe Brown – fourth-year option declined by Clippers (2025)
- Kobe Bufkin – waived by Nets (2025)
- Jalen Hood-Schifino – third-year option declined by Lakers (2024); waived in 2025
- Jett Howard – fourth-year option declined by Magic (2025)
- Olivier-Maxence Prosper – waived by Mavericks (2025)
- Nick Smith Jr. – waived by Hornets (2025)
- Dariq Whitehead – waived by Nets (2025)
Nine players secured rookie scale extensions during the 2025 offseason, marking the seventh straight year with at least nine such deals, though that figure trailed the record 14 reached in 2023. Similar activity is anticipated between July and October 2026 as teams decide which members of the 2023 draft class to lock up long term.
Source: Hoops Rumors
