The 2023 NBA draft will always be known as the year the San Antonio Spurs landed center Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick and likely changed the fortunes of their franchise for the next 2 decades.
Now, the time has come to pay up.
Spotrac’s Keith Smith took a look at all 30 1st round picks in the 2023 NBA draft as they become eligible for lucrative contract extensions this offseason, and, to no one’s surprise, Wembanyama leads the way.
Smith handed Wembanyama a projection of a 5-year, $302.3 million extension with the hard-to-come-by player option for the 5th year of the deal.
“In all the years that we’ve done this exercise, this is arguably the easiest projection we’ve made,” Smith wrote. “Wembanyama is getting everything. The full max, with the designated language and the elusive player option on his final season.”
While the 2023 class will likely always have Wembanayma holding things down at the top, beyond him, it’s a wasteland.
Contract Predictions for 2023 1st Round Picks
In Smith’s latest model, just 9 of the 30 picks seem to be locks to land extensions:
- No. 1, Victor Wembanyama, C, San Antonio Spurs (5 years, $302.3 million)
- No. 2, Brandon Miller, F, Charlotte Hornets (5 years, $200 million)
- No. 4, Amen Thompson, PG, Houston Rockets (5 years, $185 million)
- No. 5, Ausar Thompson, SG, Detroit Pistons (5 years, $135 million)
- No. 6, Anthony Black, SG, Orlando Magic (4 years, $80 million)
- No. 10, Cason Wallace, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder (4 years, $108 million)
- No. 16, Keyonte George, SG, Utah Jazz (4 years, $152 million)
- No. 19, Brandon Podziemski, SG, Golden State Warriors (4 years, $64 million)
- No. 26, Ben Sheppard, SF, Indiana Pacers (3 years, $30 million)
Smith listed 3 more 2023 1st round picks essentially on the fence when it came to possible extensions:
- No. 18, Jaime Jaquez Jr., SF, Miami Heat (4 years, $78 million)
- No. 25, Marcus Sasser, PG, Detroit Pistons (4 years, $32 million)
- No. 28, Brice Sensabaugh, SF, Utah Jazz (3 years, $30 million)
Stephen Curry’s Decade Reign Atop Earnings List
Golden State Warriors guard and 4-time NBA champion Stephen Curry was the highest-paid player in the NBA in 2025-26 with a salary of approximately $65.2 million — a top spot he’s held all but 1 year since 2017-18.
The only year Curry wasn’t on top in that stretch was 2020-21, when Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul topped the list with $41.3 million — right ahead of Curry’s $40.4 million.
Curry will almost certainly see his last year at the top of the list in 2026-27, when he banks an incredible $62.5 million.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic missed the opportunity to take over the No. 1 spot from Curry when he was traded from the Dallas Mavericks in February 2025. Had Doncic remained with the Mavericks, he would have been eligible for a 5-year, $345 million supermax contract — approximately $69 million per season.
Don’t feel too bad for Doncic. He signed a 3-year, $160.3 million contract extension with the Lakers that runs through the 2027-28 season and includes a player option for 2028-29. At that point, with 10 years in the NBA, he will once again be eligible for a supermax — a contract some think could land in the range of 5 years for $420 million.
Somehow, that entire group is still behind NBA career scoring leader and Lakers forward LeBron James, who tops the NBA career earnings list with approximately $581.3 million through the end of the 2025-26 season.
Spurs Center Victor Wembanyama Facing $302 Million Decision