This year’s NBA Draft features arguably the greatest group of college freshmen ever, and NBA executives would be willing to pay big bucks for the No. 1 overall pick.
Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer headline a class where the first nine projected picks are freshmen.
“I had an executive tell me that the No. 1 pick this year is worth $100 million,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective Podcast. “If you gave the opportunity to buy that pick, teams would pay $100 million for it. Keep that in mind when the Jazz were fined $500,000.”
An informal poll of several NBA executives yielded a variety of answers.
“He’s exaggerating,” one exec said of the $100 million figure. “The executive who said that hasn’t been around for long.”
The exec added that “No one will relinquish the first pick – especially this year – it’s way too valuable.
“Most of these team owners are worth billions. The money means nothing to them. The prestige of having a great player is worth more.”
A second executive said he agrees that the $100 million figure is realistic.
“Oh yeah,” the exec said. It’s worth it for “ticket/suite sales for the organization.”
Players like Peterson, Dybantsa and Boozer could be franchise-altering talents who also put fannies in the seats.
The $100 million figure comes as the NBA is looking to stop tanking and is discussing ways to alter the current draft lottery system.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league would “seriously consider” rookie free agency if it ends tanking.
In terms of salaries, the No. 1 pick in this. year’s draft s expected to earn approximately $13.8-$14.5 million in their first season, with the total four-year contract value likely exceeding $60 million. The salary is determined by the NBA’s rookie wage scale, which increases annually based on league revenue.
