Four NBA players signed the contract beginner scale expansion so far in 2026, but if recent history is any indication, that number should at least double by October 19, the deadline for these deals to be completed.
At least nine rookie-scale extensions have been signed in each of the last seven offseasons from 2019-2025. And while it’s not uncommon for the most lucrative of these extensions to be completed early in the offseason, e.g. Victor WembanyamaA new deal with Spurs has been agreed this year, with many negotiations going down to the wire. In each of those last seven years, five expansions have been completed in October (or, in the case of the 2020 COVID-postponed offseason, the 2020 offseason).
Based on those numbers, it’s safe to assume that there will be news of a few more rookie-scale extensions over the next few weeks, but which of the players eligible to sign those contracts are the best picks to actually make something happen? This is the question we are considering today.
Listed below are the 19 players who were released in the offseason has the right to expand the scope of beginners and not yet signed, ranked by how likely they are to complete new deals by October 19. We start with the least likely candidates and work our way up to the most likely.
To be clear, this list doesn’t rank these players by value — the No. 1 player doesn’t necessarily have to get the most profitable contract. We’re just using our best judgment to predict who it is most likely have new contracts in hand by opening night, allowing them to avoid the restricted free agency process in July 2027.
Let’s dive into…
No longer suitable
19. Cam Whitmore
18. Jordan Hawkins
Before we break down the players eligible for an extension, we can eliminate two players from our original list of 19. Whitmore and Hawkins were eligible for rookie-scale extensions in the 2026 offseason, but Whitmore was waived by the Cavaliers after being traded from Washington to Cleveland, and Hawkins was cut from the Grizzlies after being traded from New Orleans to Cleveland. Memphis. Whitmore has since settled on a two-way contract with the Nuggets, and it’s possible Hawkins will have to agree to a two-way contract if he wants to be on an NBA roster by opening night. He plans to clear the waivers later today.