NBA
How much is Risacher going to earn after being number 1 pick in 2024 NBA draft?
The 2024 first pick, Zaccharie Risacher, is going to be well rewarded with the Atlanta Hawks, earning more than Victor Wembanyama.
Zaccharie Risacher is the new number 1 in the NBA draft. The 19-year-old French forward, standing at 2.06 meters, was selected by the Atlanta Hawks. This year’s draft marks a historic first (the 78th edition) as it is split over two days: the first day for the first round and the second day for the second round, moving from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in Manhattan.
Risacher and Sarr go one and two in 2024 NBA Draft
A year ago, Victor Wembanyama was the undisputed and celebrated number one pick. However, the 2024 draft posed more complexities. For months, the leading contenders were Risacher and his fellow Frenchman, Alex Sarr, a center who trained in Real Madrid’s youth academy. The draft results validated these predictions: Risacher was chosen as the top pick, and Sarr was selected second by the Washington Wizards.
As first-round picks, their salaries are predetermined for their initial four seasons in the NBA, structured according to a scale governing the top 30 picks. This structure includes two guaranteed years and two additional years with team options. If these players live up to their star potential, they cannot sign their first significant contract extension until they have completed these four seasons. For the new number one pick, this translates to a potential deal worth $57.2 million.
Potential NBA millions for Risacher and co.
Risacher will earn $25.8 million guaranteed over his first two years, starting with $12.6 million in the 2024-25 season as a rookie. The remaining amount is contingent upon his team exercising their options for the third and fourth seasons. Upon completing his third season, he will be eligible to negotiate his first extension, which would take effect in his fifth NBA season.
The salary for first-round picks is linked to the salary cap available to teams, projected to be $141 million for the next season, a 3.7% increase from the previous season. Consequently, Risacher will earn slightly more than Victor Wembanyama did, whose deal was for four years and $55.2 million. Should all first-round picks fulfill their initial four-year contracts, the total expenditure across the 30 franchises would amount to $718 million. According to the collective bargaining agreement, franchises are required to offer at least 80% of the maximum permissible salary to their first-round picks, with a typical practice of offering the full 120% allowed.
Here are the salaries for the top ten picks in the draft:
1. Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta Hawks): $57.2 million for four years ($25.8 guaranteed)
2. Alex Sarr (Washington Wizards): $51.2 (23.1 guaranteed)
3. Reed Sheppard (Houston Rockets): $46 ($20.8 guaranteed)
4. Stephon Castle (San Antonio Spurs): $41.5 ($18.7 guaranteed)
5. Ron Holland (Detroit Pistons): $37.6 ($17 guaranteed)
6. Tidjane Salaun (Charlotte Hornets): $34.1 ($15.4 guaranteed)
7. Donovan Clingan (Portland Trail Blazers): $31.2 ($14.1 guaranteed)
8. Robert Dillingham (Minnesota Timberwolves): $28.6 ($12.9 guaranteed)
9. Zach Edety (Memphis Grizzlies): $26.2 ($11.8 guaranteed)
10. Cody Williams (Utah Jazz): $25 ($11.2 guaranteed)
For second-round players, there are no set salary scales, leading to a prevalence of minimum wage contracts and two-way deals. In 2023, for instance, the highest contract for a second-round pick went to the 34th overall selection, Colby Jones, who signed a four-year, $8.8 million deal with the Sacramento Kings.
How do NBA rookie salaries compare with NFL?
It’s worth noting that the French youngster Risacher has a contract that is more than triple the earnings of any top EuroLeague stars. In the EuroLeague, salaries aren’t publicly available and vary widely, but last season the highest salary belonged to Shane Larkin, who earned about $4 million net with Efes. In comparison, Risacher will earn $12.6 million in his rookie NBA season alone. The NBA is on a different planet.
When comparing to the NFL, top rookies also sign four-year contracts with salaries based on their draft position. However, even the top-tier NFL contracts don’t match the NBA’s premium rookie deals. Caleb Williams, the latest number one NFL draft pick and a quarterback for the Chicago Bears, is set to earn $39.5 million over four years, including a $26.6 million signing bonus. In 2020, there was only an 18% disparity in favor of NBA rookie earnings compared to NFL rookies at the number one draft position. This gap has now widened to 45%, reflecting the enormous economic growth of the NBA.