As significant as the identity of the No. 1 player selected in tonight’s WNBA Draft is, her rookie salary might be a bigger a storyline. Under the terms of the new CBA, the top overall pick will make $500,000 at the top of the rookie scale.
G Paige Bueckers, last year’s No. 1 pick by the Wings, was slotted at $78,831 and G Caitlin Clark, chosen No. 1 by the Fever in 2024, was slotted at $76,335, according to contracts website Spotrac.
Under the revised first-round scale, the top eight picks are scheduled to make more than $300K as rookies; players selected from No. 9 to 15 make $289,133. Second- and third-round selections make the $270,000 base salary as rookies.
Players scheduled to play under their rookie contracts this season have had their salaries adjusted for the remaining lengths of their deals. Bueckers will make $500,000 in Year 2 and Clark will make $528,846 in her third season after collecting $78,066 in her second season.
