Players Eligible For In-Season Veteran Extensions In 2022/23

As we explain in our glossary entry on veteran contract extensions, rookie scale extensions have historically been the most common form of contract extension in the NBA. However, the league’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement loosened the rules on eligibility for veteran extensions and made them more financially advantageous, especially for players who don’t expect mega-deals.

As a result, we’ve seen a substantial bump in veteran contract extensions in recent seasons. During the 2021/22 league year, 21 players signed them, and there’s a chance that number will be eclipsed in ’22/23.

[RELATED: 2022/23 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]

Certain extension-eligible players, including perhaps Fred VanVleet, may prefer to wait until free agency to sign a new contract, since the biggest raise VanVleet can receive on an extension would be far less than the maximum contract he’d be eligible to earn on the open market.

The maximum starting salary a player like VanVleet can receive in a veteran extension is up to 120% of his current salary. A player on a more modest contract can receive a maximum starting salary worth up to 120% of the NBA’s estimated average salary.

For this season, 120% of the estimated average salary would work out to a $12,950,400 salary in the first year of a contract extension. A player who signs an extension that fits that bill could get up to four years and $58,017,792. Jakob Poeltl and Naz Reid are among the players eligible for that sort of deal.

Now that the regular season is underway, the number of veterans eligible for contract extensions has shrunk, since players with more than one year left on their contracts aren’t permitted to sign an in-season extension. But there are still a number of veterans in the final year of their respective contracts who remain eligible for extensions right up until the last day of the current league year.

Listed below are the players who meet the criteria for a veteran extension. Players who were recently traded can be extended, but they have to wait for six months after the trade to sign a contract longer than three total years (including the current season) with a raise exceeding 5%. If a player below is noted as having “limited” eligibility until a certain date, that’s why.

Once a player regains his full extension eligibility, he becomes eligible to sign an extension of up to five total years (including the current season) with a 20% first-year raise (or 20% of the estimated average salary).

Additionally, extension-eligible players with a player or team option for 2023/24 would have to eliminate that option year as part of an extension agreement in order to meet the necessary criteria.

Here’s the full list of veterans currently eligible for contract extensions:


Atlanta Hawks

  • None

Boston Celtics

  • None

Brooklyn Nets

Charlotte Hornets

  • None

Chicago Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks

Denver Nuggets

  • None

Detroit Pistons

  • None

Golden State Warriors

Houston Rockets

Indiana Pacers

Los Angeles Clippers

Los Angeles Lakers

Memphis Grizzlies

Miami Heat

  • None

Milwaukee Bucks

Minnesota Timberwolves

New Orleans Pelicans

New York Knicks

  • None

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

  • None

Philadelphia 76ers

Phoenix Suns

  • None

Portland Trail Blazers

Sacramento Kings

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

Washington Wizards

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