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The NBA Draft process may sometimes seem complicated, but it is actually relatively simple. Its principles remain the same as last year, and our guide should leave you with no questions about how the NBA Draft work.
Whether you are an obsessive basketball fan who wagers on NBA sportsbooks, or haven’t paid attention to the NBA Draft in some time, here is how the 2024 NBA Draft will work.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the NBA Draft, a player must meet certain criteria. In the 2005 NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, a ‘one-and-done’ rule was established.
It prohibits players from signing with an NBA team until they are 19 years old or one year removed from the graduation of their high school class.
Every player selected in this week’s draft will be 19 or older. Not all of them played at least one year of college ball, since some went overseas or spent their post-high school gap year in the G League.
But there will be no players selected straight from high school. LeBron James is one of 41 players who were drafted straight from high school and one of the players with the most NBA rings ever, with four wins.
Meanwhile, international players can be drafted into the NBA starting at age 18. However, there are specific conditions related to their eligibility
Overseas players must be at least 18 years old during the calendar year of the draft. For instance, if the draft is in 2024, the player must turn 18 at some point during 2024.
How the NBA Draft Lottery Works
To try and deter ‘tanking’, which is effectively making your team bad on purpose to get a better draft pick, the NBA has had a draft lottery in place for nearly four decades.
Although every non-playoff team is lottery-eligible — even those that reached the NBA Play-In Tournament — the lottery is weighted to favor teams with the worst regular-season records.
The lottery took place in Chicago in May, and although they had just a 3 percent chance of landing the top pick, the Atlanta Hawks will be picking first.
The Washington Wizards, who went 15-67 and had a 14 percent chance to pick first, landed the second pick.
The Houston Rockets, who have two NBA championships in their existence, will pick third with a selection from the Brooklyn Nets, jumping from the ninth-shortest odds to No. 3 overall.
The San Antonio Spurs will pick fourth, moving ahead of the Detroit Pistons, who will pick fifth despite finishing with a 14-65 record.
NBA Mock Draft 2024
Last year’s draft was the Victor Wembanyama show, but the 2024 event will have a decidedly more wide-open feel.
Experts agree there is no consensus top pick, since this year’s draft is believed to be one of the weaker classes in recent memory. Still, impact players will be chosen, and dreams will come true at the 2024 NBA Draft in New York.
A year after Wembanyana, one of the tallest NBA players ever, became the first French-born player picked first, this year is likely to feature another Frenchman selected first.
Zaccharie Risacher’s stock is rising substantially, and he has overtaken previously projected No. 1 pick Alexandre Sarr, also of France.
Here is how the top 10 could go:
- 1. Atlanta Hawks: Zaccharie Risacher, F, JL Bourg-en-Bresse
- 2. Washington Wizards: Alexandre Sarr, G, Perth Wildcats
- 3. Houston Rockets (from Brooklyn): Reed Sheppard, G, Kentucky
- 4. San Antonio Spurs: Stephon Castle, G, Connecticut
- 5. Detroit Pistons: Donovan Clingan, C, Connecticut
- 6. Charlotte Hornets: Dalton Knecht, F, Tennessee
- 7. Portland Trail Blazers: Cody Williams, F, Colorado
- 8. San Antonio Spurs (from Toronto): Matas Buzelis, F, G League Ignite
- 9. Memphis Grizzlies: Tidjane Salaun, F, Cholet
- 10. Utah Jazz: Ron Holland, F, G League Ignite
How the NBA Draft Combine Works
More than 100 of the best draft-eligible players headed to Chicago in May, shortly after the Draft Lottery, to showcase their skills as part of the NBA Draft Combine.
The prospects were measured and scouted so NBA talent evaluators could have specific metrics to go along with what they saw on the floor.
Draft Night Procedures and Traditions
Teams will have five minutes to make their first-round selections, and it is common for teams to trade selections, especially on the first day.
Unlike other sports, NBA teams typically select players for other teams before swapping those players later in the draft.
Fashion is also a huge part of the NBA Draft, with the best players donning the fanciest suits. Then each player receives a hat from the team that chose him on draft night.
This can lead to strange situations, where the player is wearing a hat of a team who had already traded him to another.
Draft Pick Salaries
Like most American sports, the NBA has allotted salaries for players based on where they were drafted.
The player chosen first will make about $10 million in their first season, and the second-overall pick will earn about $9 million. There will be about a $1 million drop-off between No. 2 and No. 3.
Here, we’ve listed who much the top 30 picks in the NBA Draft will make in their first year.
| Pick Number | First Year Salary |
| 1 | $10,133,900 |
| 2 | $9,067,000 |
| 3 | $8,142,400 |
| 4 | $7,341,100 |
| 5 | $6,647,900 |
| 6 | $6,037,900 |
| 7 | $5,511,900 |
| 8 | $5,049,600 |
| 9 | $4,641,600 |
| 10 | $4,409,500 |
| 11 | $4,189,000 |
| 12 | $3,979,700 |
| 13 | $3,780,600 |
| 14 | $3,591,800 |
| 15 | $3,411,900 |
| 16 | $3,241,500 |
| 17 | $3,079,200 |
| 18 | $2,925,500 |
| 19 | $2,793,700 |
| 20 | $2,681,800 |
| 21 | $2,574,600 |
| 22 | $2,471,700 |
| 23 | $2,372,900 |
| 24 | $2,278,100 |
| 25 | $2,186,700 |
| 26 | $2,114,300 |
| 27 | $2,053,300 |
| 28 | $2,040,500 |
| 29 | $2,025,900 |
| 30 | $2,011,100 |
Post-Draft NBA Summer League
The NBA rookies selected this weekend will participate in the upcoming Summer League in Las Vegas.
The entire basketball world will descend upon Vegas for Summer League, as the best NBA Draft Lottery players showcase their skills for their new teams.
Summer League is often a time when fans begin to get excited about what the coming season could produce. If the 2024 Draft has you hyped about your team’s chances this coming term, you can learn how to bet on NBA games with our handy guide written by a basketball expert.
References
- https://sports-entertainment.brooklaw.edu/sports/will-the-nba-end-its-one-and-done-rule-in-the-next-collective-bargaining-agreement/ (Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment Law)
- https://www.nba.com/news/nba-draft-lottery-explainer (NBA)
