The 2026 NBA Draft is now in the books, and it was AJ Dybantsa who had the honor of being the No. 1 pick. Dybantsa was widely expected to be the first to have his name called, and the Washington Wizards decided against springing any surprises.
While there is prestige that comes with being the No. 1 pick, it also means you make more money on that rookie deal than everyone else in your class. How much? Well, here are the projected rookie contracts for Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and the rest of the lottery picks, according to Sportico’s Lev Akabas.
1. AJ Dybantsa: four-year, $67.1 million
2. Darryn Peterson: four-year, $60.1 million
3. Cameron Boozer: four-year, $54 million
4. Caleb Wilson: four-year, $48.7 million
5. Keaton Wagler: four-year, $44.1 million
6. Mikel Brown Jr.: four-year, $40.1 million
7. Darius Acuff Jr.: four-year, $36.6 million
8. Kingston Flemings: four-year, $33.5 million
9. Morez Johnson Jr.: four-year, $31 million
10. Brayden Burries: four-year, $29.3 million
11. Yaxel Lendeborg: four-year, $28.2 million
12. Aday Mara: four-year, $27.1 million
13. Nate Ament: four-year, $26.1 million
14. Hannes Steinbach: four-year, $25 million
The Dallas Mavericks had made Cooper Flagg the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and he signed a four-year, $62.7 million deal. Dybantsa is expected to get just over $4 million more over the course of his contract. He might be buying his sister a car with his first paycheck.
Peterson, whom the Utah Jazz selected with the No. 2 pick, is the only other player in the class projected to make over $60 million. The drop off in salary just a few picks after him is quite significant. Notably, the Mavericks selected Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9, and he is projected to make about half of what Peterson will.
Now, these aren’t guaranteed deals. Only the first two years are guaranteed for every player drafted in the first round, with the last two being team options.
In Dybantsa’s case, only $30.3 million of his deal would be guaranteed. As for Hannes Steinbach, whom the Charlotte Hornets made the last lottery pick this year, his guarantee is projected to be just $10.7 million.
In an ideal world, all of these 14 players would have their team options exercised. It would be a bit of a disaster for a team if their lottery pick underperforms to the extent that they give up on them that quickly.
You’d imagine Dybantsa, Peterson, Boozer, and Caleb Wilson will definitely have those two options picked up. They had separated themselves from the rest of the pack, and have real star potential. As for who will be the best of the bunch, you’d back Dybantsa, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of the other three is on top in a few years.
