NBA:Draft: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:55, 8 October 2026

Reference	Contracts · Rosters · Salary Cap · League Spreadsheet
Transactions	Waivers · Trades · Options · Re-Signing · Draft · Free Agency · G League · Injured Reserve
Timeline	Off-Season · In-Season
Governance	League Structure · GM Responsibilities · Rule Changes
Tools	Re-Sign Calculator · Free Agency Bid Calculator

Two rounds, 30 picks each. Every undrafted player enters free agency.

When

The draft runs in the off-season, after re-signing and before free agency. For 2026 it was August 9.

A draft is named for the year it is held and feeds the following season. The 2026 draft produces players for the 2027 season.

Draft order

Both rounds follow reverse order of the standings, worst team first. The lottery only changes who picks in the top 4 of the 1st round.

The lottery

14 non-playoff teams enter the lottery, seeded in that order, and the top 4 picks are drawn. The rest of the lottery teams fall into place by seed, as in the real NBA.

Seed	Chance at #1
1	14.0%
2	14.0%
3	14.0%
4	12.5%
5	10.5%
6	9.0%
7	7.5%
8	6.0%
9	4.5%
10	3.0%
11	2.0%
12	1.5%
13	1.0%
14	0.5%

Drawn using the ZenGM universal draft lottery simulator.

Rookie contracts

A drafted player is signed the moment he is selected. His salary counts against your cap as soon as the pick is posted — there is no separate signing step, so enter the draft already holding room for every pick you intend to make.

1st-round contracts

4 guaranteed years plus a 5th-year team option, at the salary for that slot:

Pick	Salary	Pick	Salary	Pick	Salary
1	$3,617,100	11	$1,495,200	21	$918,900
2	$3,236,600	12	$1,420,400	22	$882,200
3	$2,906,200	13	$1,349,400	23	$847,000
4	$2,606,200	14	$1,282,000	24	$813,000
5	$2,372,800	15	$1,217,800	25	$780,500
6	$2,155,100	16	$1,157,000	26	$754,700
7	$1,967,400	17	$1,099,100	27	$732,400
8	$1,802,400	18	$1,044,200	28	$728,400
9	$1,656,800	19	$997,100	29	$723,100
10	$1,573,900	20	$957,300	30	$717,800

A 2026 1st-rounder is written (2030, 2031x) — guaranteed through the four seasons 2027–2030, with 2031 as the option.

2nd-round contracts

$495,000. One guaranteed year plus four team options — five seasons in total.

A 2026 2nd-rounder is written (2027, ~2031x).

Draft-and-stash

A drafted player who does not come to the NBA immediately is stashed until he arrives. When his contract starts depends on when that is.

When the contract starts

He arrives	Contract
On or before the end of week 9 — the off-season included	Starts immediately
After the end of week 9	Your choice: start it immediately, counting the rest of this season as year 1 regardless of games played — or defer to next season, making him ineligible for the remainder of this one including the playoffs

Coming over means joining an NBA or G League roster. Verify arrival dates against basketball-reference.com.

Waiving a stashed player before he comes over carries a one-year cap hit.

Trading picks

Picks may be traded whenever trades are open, up to two years out.

How to post

Selections are made in the draft thread in the NBA: Draft Room forum, in this format:

Patrick Ewing | C | Georgetown (NYK)

Name | Position | School (NBA team).

If you miss your turn, the draft moves on without you — TAB does not pick for you. You can still make your selection until the draft ends; after that, the pick is forfeit.

Then add him to your roster post with his contract:

Patrick Ewing (NYK - C) $3,617,100 (2030, 2031x)

@@ Line 5: / Line 5: @@
 == When ==
-The draft runs in the off-season, '''after [[NBA:Re-Signing|re-signing]] and before [[NBA:Free Agency|free agency]]'''. For 2026 it was August 9. See [[NBA:Off-Season|Off-Season]].
+The draft runs in the [[NBA:Off-Season|off-season]], '''after re-signing and before free agency'''. For 2026 it was August 9.
-'''A draft is named for the year it is held, and feeds the following season.''' The 2026 draft produces players for the 2027 season, so a pick made in it is written <code>(2030, 2031x)</code> — see [[#Rookie contracts|rookie contracts]] below.
+'''A draft is named for the year it is held and feeds the following season.''' The 2026 draft produces players for the 2027 season.
 == Draft order ==
+Both rounds follow reverse order of the [[NBA:League Structure#Standings|standings]], worst team first. The lottery only changes who picks in the top 4 of the 1st round.
 === The lottery ===
-'''14 non-playoff teams enter the lottery, and the top 4 picks are drawn.''' The rest fall into place by record, as in the real NBA.
+'''14 non-playoff teams enter the lottery, seeded in that order, and the top 4 picks are drawn.''' The rest of the lottery teams fall into place by seed, as in the real NBA.
 {| class="wikitable"
 ! Seed
-! Combinations
 ! Chance at #1
 |-
 | 1
-| 140
 | 14.0%
 |-
 | 2
-| 140
 | 14.0%
 |-
 | 3
-| 140
 | 14.0%
 |-
 | 4
-| 125
 | 12.5%
 |-
 | 5
-| 105
 | 10.5%
 |-
 | 6
-| 90
 | 9.0%
 |-
 | 7
-| 75
 | 7.5%
 |-
 | 8
-| 60
 | 6.0%
 |-
 | 9
-| 45
 | 4.5%
 |-
 | 10
-| 30
 | 3.0%
 |-
 | 11
-| 20
 | 2.0%
 |-
 | 12
-| 15
 | 1.5%
 |-
 | 13
-| 10
 | 1.0%
 |-
 | 14
-| 5
 | 0.5%
 |}
 Drawn using the [https://zengm.com/universal-draft-lottery-simulator/ ZenGM universal draft lottery simulator].
-=== 1st-round order ===
-Lottery teams take the order the draw gives them. Everyone else is ordered by '''record''', worst first.
-Ties are broken in this order:
-{| class="wikitable"
-!
-! Two teams tied
-! Three or more tied
-|-
-| 1
-| Head-to-head matchup
-| Division record
-|-
-| 2
-| Division record
-| Total categories
-|-
-| 3
-| Total categories
-| Points scored
-|-
-| 4
-| Points scored
-| —
-|}
-=== 2nd-round order ===
-'''Reverse order of the standings, ignoring the lottery result.'''
 == Rookie contracts ==
-'''A drafted player is signed the moment he is selected.''' His salary counts against your [[NBA:Salary Cap|cap]] as soon as the pick is posted — there is no separate signing step, so enter the draft already holding room for every pick you intend to make.
+'''A drafted player is signed the moment he is selected.''' His salary counts against your [[NBA:Salary Cap#What counts against it|cap]] as soon as the pick is posted — there is no separate signing step, so enter the draft already holding room for every pick you intend to make.
 === 1st-round contracts ===
@@ Line 208: / Line 163: @@
 == Draft-and-stash ==
-A drafted player who does not come to the NBA immediately is '''paid his slot salary straight away''', and his contract is written with [[NBA:Contracts#Draft-and-stash|no end date]] until he arrives.
+A drafted player who does not come to the NBA immediately is [[NBA:Contracts#Draft-and-stash|stashed]] until he arrives. When his contract starts depends on when that is.
 === When the contract starts ===
@@ Line 225: / Line 180: @@
 Coming over means joining an NBA '''or''' G League roster. Verify arrival dates against [https://www.basketball-reference.com/ basketball-reference.com].
-Waiving a stashed player before he comes over carries a '''one-year''' cap hit rather than the usual calculation — see [[NBA:Waivers#Exceptions|Waivers]].
+[[NBA:Waivers#Exceptions|Waiving]] a stashed player before he comes over carries a '''one-year''' cap hit.
 == Trading picks ==
-Picks may be traded up to '''two years out''', once the window opens at check-in. See [[NBA:Trades#Trading picks|Trades]].
+Picks may be [[NBA:Trades#Trading picks|traded]] whenever trades are open, up to '''two years out'''.
 == How to post ==
@@ Line 241: / Line 196: @@
 Name | Position | School (NBA team).
-Then add him to your [[NBA:Rosters|roster post]] with his contract:
+'''If you miss your turn, the draft moves on without you''' — TAB does not pick for you. You can still make your selection until the draft ends; after that, the pick is forfeit.
+Then add him to your [[NBA:Rosters#How to post|roster post]] with his contract:
 <pre style="white-space:pre; overflow-x:auto">
@@ Line 251: / Line 208: @@
 * [[NBA:Contracts|Contracts]] — reading option years and the <code>(----)</code> stash notation
 * [[NBA:Salary Cap|Salary Cap]] — pick salaries count from selection
-* [[NBA:Option Years|Option Years]] — exercising a rookie's option
+* [[NBA:Options|Options]] — exercising a rookie's option
 * [[NBA:Free Agency|Free Agency]] — where undrafted players go
 * [[NBA:Trades|Trades]] — trading picks
 [[Category:1TC NBA rules]]