As we explain in our glossary entry on veteran contract extensions, rookie scale extensions used to be the most common form of contract extension in the NBA. However, recent Collective Bargaining Agreements have 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. In every league year since 2021/22, at least 17 players have signed veteran extensions, including 27 in 2024/25. We’re not quite up to 17 yet in ’25/26, but there’s plenty of time for this season’s list to continue to grow, right up until June 30, 2026.
[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]
Certain extension-eligible players, such as Austin Reaves and Coby White, may prefer to wait until they reach free agency to sign a new contract, since their maximum extension would be far less than the maximum contract they’d be eligible to earn on the open market.
The maximum starting salary a player can receive in a veteran extension is up to 140% of his current salary. A player on a more modest contract can receive a maximum starting salary worth up to 140% of the NBA’s estimated average salary.
In 2025/26, 140% of the estimated average salary would work out to a $19,418,000 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 approximately $87MM. That’s far below market value for a player like Reaves, who turned down that offer from the Lakers at the start of the 2025 offseason.
Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith is an example of a player who did sign that sort of extension (starting at $19,418,000) in recent months, though his new deal is just for two years instead of four.
Now that the regular season is underway, the group 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 (June 30).
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 four total years (including the current season) with a first-year bump of more than 20% or a subsequent annual 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 40% first-year raise (or 40% of the estimated average salary).
Additionally, extension-eligible players with a player or team option for 2026/27 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 eligible for contract extensions during the 2025/26 season:
Atlanta Hawks
- Mouhamed Gueye
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Limited eligibility until January 7.
- Trae Young
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
Boston Celtics
- Anfernee Simons
- Limited eligibility until January 7.
- Jordan Walsh
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Brooklyn Nets
- Jalen Wilson
- Eligible as of March 1.
Charlotte Hornets
- Pat Connaughton
- Limited eligibility until January 6.
- Collin Sexton
- Limited eligibility until December 29.
Chicago Bulls
- Jevon Carter
- Zach Collins
- Ayo Dosunmu
- Kevin Huerter
- Julian Phillips
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Nikola Vucevic
- Coby White
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Craig Porter Jr.
- Eligible as of February 14.
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Dean Wade
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
- Jalen Pickett
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Hunter Tyson
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Detroit Pistons
- None
Golden State Warriors
- Draymond Green
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
- Trayce Jackson-Davis
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Gui Santos
Houston Rockets
- None
Indiana Pacers
- None
Los Angeles Clippers
- Bogdan Bogdanovic
- Eligible as of March 16.
Los Angeles Lakers
- Rui Hachimura
- Maxi Kleber
- Austin Reaves
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
- Gabe Vincent
Memphis Grizzlies
- GG Jackson II
- Eligible as of February 9.
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Vince Williams Jr.
- Eligible as of January 10.
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Miami Heat
- Norman Powell
- Limited eligibility until January 7.
- Terry Rozier
- Andrew Wiggins
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
Milwaukee Bucks
- Andre Jackson Jr.
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Mike Conley
- Eligible as of February 22.
- Leonard Miller
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
New Orleans Pelicans
- None
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Luguentz Dort
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Kenrich Williams
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Orlando Magic
- None
Philadelphia 76ers
- None
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
- Duop Reath
- Eligible as of February 16.
- Rayan Rupert
- Matisse Thybulle
- Robert Williams
Sacramento Kings
Keon Ellis
- Eligible as of February 9.
- Zach LaVine
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
San Antonio Spurs
- Harrison Barnes
- Julian Champagnie
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Kelly Olynyk
- Eligible as of March 4.
Toronto Raptors
- None
Utah Jazz
- Georges Niang
- Limited eligibility until February 6.
- Jusuf Nurkic
- Limited eligibility until December 29.
Washington Wizards
- CJ McCollum
- Limited eligibility until January 6.
- Khris Middleton